The conclave that led to the election of Pope Leo XIV was more geopolitical than its participants were willing to admit. It also demonstrated that the Catholic Church is capable of making timely decisions in response to global emergencies when taking a stand within a world order undergoing profound transformation, if not outright disintegration. The […]
When Realpolitik Challenges Theology
The violence of the clash between Israel and Hamas cannot leave theology indifferent—not even Christian theology. If only because the merciless situation it has produced since October 2023 is taking place in a land that is in some way “holy” to the three Abrahamic religions that inhabit it. But above all because every time there […]
On Theology and its Public Practicality
The modern enlightened thought has made out of the working hypothesis «etsi Deus non daretur» a kind of procedural dogma of its attempt to bring order to our world. Sometimes, in doing so, it has shown an intransigence worthy of the most rigorous religious belief. It often forgot that «living without God» is certainly possible—but […]
German Universities: Religion Forgotten
On May 22, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinscahft (DFG), together with the Council of Sciences, announced which departments of excellence at German universities would receive federal funding for the seven-year period 2026-2033. Since then, the failure to renew funding for the Department of Excellence “Religion and Politics” at the University of Münster – active since 2007 with […]
Nicaea and Us. A Lesson from the Past for Our Impoverished Democracy
On May 20 (375), the Council of Nicaea began, which would than define the divinity of Jesus and the Trinitarian dimension of the Christian God. Heiner Wilmer, Catholic bishop of Hildesheim (Germany), shows how significant ideas for restoring strength and substance to our democracies in crisis are hidden in the structural folds of this Christological […]
The Body of Pope
The Holy See, Global Chaos, and Diplomatic Wisdom. Francis’s silence and his impediment may help the Vatican and Parolin’s silent mediation and work for peace in this moment The world seems to be slipping away from the fingers of the global powers, and perhaps as never before, we feel the urgency of a well-balanced word […]