MINISTRY ISSUE T. HOWLAND SANKS ON CUSTOMIZING SEMINARY EDUCATION OF MANY THINGS 106 West 56th Street New York, NY 10019-3803 econstructionists, those them as the ones who were presumably Ph: (212) 581-4640; Fax: (212) 399-3596 intellectuals who make it their not beset by fear and trembling and Subscriptions: (800) 627-9533 www.americamedia.org job to ask critical questions were thus able to carry on the project of facebook.com/americamag D twitter.com/americamag about our long-cherished collective reform. The problem here is that this is stories, like to ask, among other things, a far too facile and barely credible story. PRESIDENT AND EDITOR IN CHIEF who or what cause is best served by To be sure, Father Ratzinger’s thinking Matt Malone, S.J. a given narrative. They might ask, for and positions did evolve. In a soon- EXECUTIVE EDITORS Robert C. Collins, S.J., Maurice Timothy Reidy example, whose interests are served to-be-published interview, the pope MANAGING EDITOR Kerry Weber by a story that tells of the triumph of emeritus tells Peter Seewald that he LITERARY EDITOR Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. capitalism over the broken promises of grew increasingly concerned about the SENIOR EDITOR AND CHIEF CORRESPONDENT Kevin Clarke collectivism? Answer: the capitalists’ direction of theology in the wake of the EDITOR AT LARGE James Martin, S.J. interests, of course. In this way, the council. “In this respect one could soon CREATIVE DIRECTOR Shawn Tripoli deconstructionists see every story as see that what was originally desired was EXECUTIVE EDITOR, AMERICA FIlmS Jeremy Zipple, S.J. being driven in a different direction,” inherently political, with clear winners POETRY EDITOR Joseph Hoover, S.J. and losers depending on who is doing he says. “Since 1965 I have felt it to ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND VATICAN CORRESPONDENT the storytelling. be a mission, to make clear what [the Gerard O’Connell ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL This critical method can be useful if council] genuinely wanted and what we STRATEGY Sam Sawyer, S.J. not taken too far. It can easily descend did not want.” ASSOCIATE EDITOR & DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE into cynicism, leaving us concerned One of the ways the future pope did DEVELOpmENT Eric Sundrup, S.J. SENIOR EDITOR Edward W. Schmidt, S.J. with only the price of events rather that was by publishing his Introduction ASSOCIATE EDITORS Ashley McKinless, Olga than their value, to borrow an idea from to Christianity, which sets forth many of Segura, Robert David Sullivan Oscar Wilde. But the question, whose the theological themes he would pursue ASSOCIATE EDITOR, FIlm José Dueño, S.J. ASSISTANT EDITOR Joseph McAuley interests are served by a given narrative, throughout his journey from professor ART DIRECTOR Sonja Kodiak Wilder is one that is worth asking, not least to pope. It is important to note that this EDITORIAL ASSISTANT FOR DIGITAL MEDIA because the stories we tell do inevitably book was based on a series of lectures Zachary Davis DITORIAL SSISTANT Eloise Blondiau he gave at least two years prior to the E A impart the values we hold dear in some O’HARE FEllOWS Teresa Donnellan, Nicholas fundamental way. events of 1968. So the protests of that Genovese, Wyatt Massey It seems to me that the time has year, though not irrelevant, were hardly COLUMNISTS Helen Alvaré, John J. Conley, S.J., Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., James T. Keane, John W. come to ask this particular question a decisive event. Martens, Bill McGarvey, Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, of a narrative that has proven popular All this would be just an arcane Margot Patterson, Nathan Schneider NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT Michael O’Loughlin and perduring in the contemporary historical tidbit if it weren’t for the REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS John Carr (Wash- American church. The story, which fact that this questionable narrative is ington), Anthony Egan, S.J., and Russell Pollitt, S.J. (Johannesburg), Jim McDermott, S.J. (Los I’ve heard told dozens of times, goes still operative, especially among those Angeles), Timothy Padgett (Miami), David Stewart, something like this: Once there was a who see Pope Francis’ pontificate as S.J. (London), Rhona Tarrant (Dublin), Judith Valente (Chicago) very “progressive” German theologian a radical departure from that of his MODERATOR, CATHOLIC BOOK CLUB named Joseph Ratzinger. He was a predecessors. Yet neither Benedict nor Kevin Spinale, S.J. champion of the new theology and Francis see it that way: “If one isolates EDITOR, THE JESUIT POST Michael Rossmann, S.J. EDITORIAL E-MAIL a leading reform-minded expert things, takes them out of context,” the [email protected] at the Second Vatican Council. In pope emeritus tells Seewald, “one can PUBLISHER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 1968, his university classroom, like construct opposites, but not if one looks Edward G. Spallone DEPUTY PUBLISHER colleges everywhere in the West, was at the whole. There may be a different Rosa M. Del Saz VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT Daniel Pawlus ADVERTISING convulsed by a student revolution. This emphasis, of course, but no opposition.” SALES MANAGER Chris Keller ADVANCEMENT destabilizing event, so the story goes, There’s a lesson in this. Catholics COORDINATOR Timothy Bouffard PROGRAMS AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Nicholas Sawicki sent Father Ratzinger into the arms of of every stripe would do well to take BUSINESS OPERATIONS STAFF Glenda Castro, the forces of reaction; and the rest of his a moment to question the stories that Ryan Richardson, Katy Zhou ADVERTISING CONTACT [email protected]; 212-515- life, as archbishop, Vatican prefect and inform our actions and judgments. And 0102 SUBSCRIPTION CONTACT AND ADDITIONAL pope has been a long rightward march. if we can let go of our cherished myths COPIES 1-800-627-9533 REPRINTS: reprints@ americamedia.org Now it is perfectly clear that the and ideologies for long enough, we might opponents of Father Ratzinger’s even create enough space for the Holy © 2016 America Press Inc. theological projects are the ones who are Spirit to narrate our story anew. best served by this narrative, which casts MATT MALONE, S.J. Cover: Composite image: America. Contents www.americamagazine.org VOL. 215 NO. 8, WHOLE NO. 5140 SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 MINISTRY ISSUE 16 FOREIGN POLICY DÉJÀ VU Where the candidates stand on world affairs Maryann Cusimano Love 22 FULLY FORMED A customized approach to seminary education T. Howland Sanks COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 4 Current Comment 16 5 Editorial Georgetown Repents 6 Reply All 8 Signs of the Times 14 Column Free to Serve Helen Alvaré 21 First Monday Voting Blights Ellen K. Boegel 25 Vatican Dispatch Instruments of Peace Gerard O’Connell 27 Faith in Focus Finding My Anchor Michaila McCloskey 39 The Word What Disciples Do John W. Martens 22 BOOKS & CULTURE 29 THEATER “Sinners” OF OTHER THINGS Help Your Brothers BOOKS Zero K; Guantánamo Diary; Politics of the Person as the Politics of Being POEM At the Edge of the Mississippi ON THE WEB America Media launched “La Palabra,” a weekly Spanish- language column on Scripture. Plus, a new report on the misconceptions Americans have about Catholic sisters. More digital highlights on page 18 and at americamagazine. org/webfeatures. 29 CURRENT COMMENT Migrants and migration have bedeviled every European Remember Hiroshima leader since a refugee crisis exploded in 2015. That year, Readers of John Hersey’s 31,000-word article "Hiroshima," a record 1.3 million people from the Middle East, Africa which was published in the Aug. 31, 1946, issue of The and Asia applied for asylum in Europe, seeking refuge New Yorker, will never forget the horrible effects of the first from violence, poverty and oppression. Most notable atomic bombs that the United States dropped on Hiroshima has been the number of Muslims trying to escape the and Nagasaki, especially the faces of those who had looked protracted civil war in Syria. By accepting large numbers into the blast and whose melting eyeballs were dripping of migrants into Germany, Ms. Merkel offered a humane down their cheeks. Our first use of the weapon killed an response to an unprecedented crisis—with mixed results. estimated 200,000 human beings. Today, a single nuclear Problems of assimilation, fearmongering and voter weapon dropped on a major city would immediately kill dissatisfaction have proven to be stubborn roadblocks, hundreds of thousands and injure many more. all of which have exacted a political price for Ms. Merkel. In June 1998, 75 U.S. Catholic bishops declared, Like any leader, she knows how hard it is for officials to “Nuclear weapons must never be used, no matter what faithfully follow Edmund Burke’s dictum about adhering the provocation, no matter what the military objective.” In to one’s judgment instead of following popular “opinion.” Prague in 2009, President Obama announced his drive to To do right is never easy. reduce the role—even rid the world—of nuclear weapons. But recently Mr. Obama dropped his consideration of a Lonely Planet no-first-use policy, by which the United States would use the weapon only in response to an enemy’s nuclear attack, In today’s tech-savvy, app-happy world, “friends” or in the face of heavy resistance to the idea. Reportedly, key “connections” are often only a few clicks away. Yet even as advisers have warned the president that to men like Russia’s our global society is more interconnected than ever before, President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong- loneliness, especially among older people, not only persists un, our reluctance to annihilate several hundred thousand but can be the cause of a host of other physical and mental innocent people makes the United States look weak.