What if memory is thwarted? What if memory is extinguished? What if the state wants memory erased? Temporal powers often threaten memory — something we in the Jewish and Christian traditions know from recent Holy Days and was made vivid to me during assignments to Europe to cover the humanitarian effects of war, both in Ukraine and neighboring Poland. It is a region that historian Timothy Snyder calls the bloodlands, the vast area between Germany and the Soviet Union where, from 1933 to 1945, 14 million civilians were murdered. I am keenly aware of that history — in the shadow of the war...…What if memory is thwarted? What if memory is extinguished? What if the state wants memory erased? Temporal powers often threaten memory — something we in the Jewish and Christian traditions know from recent Holy Days and was made vivid to me during assignments to Europe to cover the humanitarian effects of war, both in Ukraine and neighboring Poland. It is a region that historian Timothy Snyder calls the bloodlands, the vast area between Germany and the Soviet Union where, from 1933 to 1945, 14 million civilians were murdered. I am keenly aware of that history — in the shadow of the war...WW…

Vatican City — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has coauthored a new book defending the Catholic Church's practice of a celibate priesthood, in a shocking move that comes as Pope Francis is considering the possibility of allowing older, married men to be ordained as priests in the Amazon region.According to excerpts from the volume released Jan. 12 by the conservative French outlet Le Figaro, the ex-pontiff says he could not remain silent on the issue as Francis is contemplating the move, which was requested by the bishops from the nine-nation Amazon region at October's Vatican synod gathering.The...…Vatican City — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has coauthored a new book defending the Catholic Church's practice of a celibate priesthood, in a shocking move that comes as Pope Francis is considering the possibility of allowing older, married men to be ordained as priests in the Amazon region.According to excerpts from the volume released Jan. 12 by the conservative French outlet Le Figaro, the ex-pontiff says he could not remain silent on the issue as Francis is contemplating the move, which was requested by the bishops from the nine-nation Amazon region at October's Vatican synod gathering.The...WW…

CommentaryWe live in the shadow of a nuclear threat. show that a limited nuclear war between India and Pakistan could result in 1 billion lives lost. A nuclear war between Russia and the United States would be catastrophic for humanity. What are the nations of the world doing about it? What should we as church be doing?The entered into force in 1970. It is the mainstay of global nonproliferation and disarmament efforts. Every five years, the vast majority of the world's nations gather for a review conference. The 2020 review conference has been postponed twice due to COVID-19. The...…CommentaryWe live in the shadow of a nuclear threat. show that a limited nuclear war between India and Pakistan could result in 1 billion lives lost. A nuclear war between Russia and the United States would be catastrophic for humanity. What are the nations of the world doing about it? What should we as church be doing?The entered into force in 1970. It is the mainstay of global nonproliferation and disarmament efforts. Every five years, the vast majority of the world's nations gather for a review conference. The 2020 review conference has been postponed twice due to COVID-19. The...WW…