The Estonian Supreme Court rejected the petition filed by President Alar Karis challenging the constitutionality of the Churches Act. In its June 8 ruling, the Court acknowledged the petition’s merit but stated that, when interpreted strictly, the law is not unconstitutional (by a vote of 11 to 6). The bill was approved by Parliament on […]
Donald Trump launched his campaign to “re-Americanize” America with two moves that immediately put him on a collision course with even the Catholic bishops most aligned with his policies. These moves were a crackdown on undocumented immigrants and a restrictive interpretation and of ius soli regarding the right to U.S. citizenship. In his second term […]
Catholicism and the concrete pursuit of peace how and where to draw the line — is a concrete thorn in the Church, evidence of the real effort. For years, Catholic theology—and perhaps the Church itself—has faced an unresolvable dilemma when it comes to peace. The more decisive and radical the stance against war, the less […]
Almost 80 years ago, Pyongyang drowned Mao’s grand dreams. Will it now boost Xi’s? The Chinese president’s trip has impossible expectations: to begin to stem the Gordian knot of the regional arms race. [update: just ahead of China’s presidential visit, North Korea announces that its nuclear program is “irreversible.”] Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit […]
The US upsets its old friends, but China doesn’t win new ones. They’re parallel weaknesses, with America having the upper hand, but things could turn around if Beijing finds its compass. Washington needs more stable ties. It’s still unclear how the US wants to reconcile its new face and posture at home and abroad. The […]
Have Catholics missed an opportunity to engage Thiel on theology? There is no need to be dismissive and snob. His effort means we should be open to talk to him. Peter Thiel faced heavy criticism from Italian theological circles aligned with the pontificates of Pope Leo XIV and his predecessor, Francis, during his lectures in […]
If short- and long-term actions are not taken, perceptions of past US mismanagement of COVID and of China’s rising trade surplus could result in a volatile combination in a few years. COVID’s failure The year 2020 may have been crucial for US-China relations. Indeed, contrary to what Beijing expected at the onset of COVID, America […]
