The new issue of Catholic World Report

By Domenico Bettinelli, Jr. ( articles - email ) | Oct 01, 2003

The October issue of Catholic World Report should be hitting newsstands and mailboxes any day now, and here's what you'll find inside:

• Political Tests: Church-state conflicts were both frequent and intense during the summer months, particularly in North America. In Alabama, a dispute over display of the Ten Commandments led to a tense confrontation, and prompted Christians to ask probing questions about the proper political strategy. A new Vatican document underlined the duty of Catholic politicians to oppose legal recognition of same-sex unions, and immediately that teaching was put to the test in both Canada and the US.
• The Last Voyage?: The Pope had intended to concentrate on Slovakia's steadfast loyalty to the Church. Instead the Pope's September visit called attention to his own shocking physical frailty.
• New Testimony: Kenya’s old regime dismissed the death of an American missionary priest as a suicide. Fred Nzwili reports that a fresh inquiry, organized by a new government, has jettisoned that conclusion.
• When Can the Healing Begin?: In Boston, a lawsuit settlement brings some relief after a shocking murder; in London, a cardinal is cleared; on a major US network, an old Vatican document is grossly misrepresented.
• The Slap of Anagni: Contemporary public debates often pit the authority of the Church against the power of secular political leaders. Rarely has that conflict been as clear as it was in a clash that took place 700 years ago, when a secular leader dared to assault the Pope directly-- and suffered the consequences. Alberto Carosa recalls the story.
• Connecting with Postmodern Culture: To reach the children of 21st-century ideology, evangelists must learn to speak their language. Mark Shea explains why it must be done, and how.
• Overexposure: Michael Rose warns us to be prepared for a new type of clerical scandal; a remarkable number of priests are being arrested for similar crimes. And James Hitchcock observes that the latest radical attack on the accuracy of the Gospels is based on sympathy for the Gnostics, but shows little understanding of the Gnostic project.
• Bigotry's Last Bastion: Mary Walsh finds that in The New Anti-Catholicism, Philip Jenkins provides strong new evidence that the mass media look upon the Church from an oddly skewed perspective-- but one that is thoroughly entrenched.

Every month CWR gives you the world from a Catholic perspective and we work hard at bringing you stories you won't see anywhere else. So if you're not a subscriber yet, then what are you waiting for?