OF MANY THINGS 106 West 56th Street s they have done for more than traversed the same center aisle that New York, NY 10019-3803 Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596 800 years, Parisians crossed Napoleon used en route to his self- Subscriptions: 1-800-627-9533 the narrow bridges leading to crowning in the sanctuary, the very www.americamagazine.org A facebook.com/americamag the eastern half of the Île de la Cité last same aisle that some German Catholic twitter.com/americamag month. They were en route to Sunday soldiers no doubt used during the Mass at Notre Dame, the 12th-century occupation. All thought their worldly PRESIDENT AND EDITOR IN CHIEF cathedral that is the pride of Paris, the empires would last 1,000 years, yet the Matt Malone, S.J. most magnificent building in a city with church alone can claim that longevity, as EXECUTIVE EDITORS Robert C. Collins, S.J., Maurice Timothy Reidy a surplus of splendor. The skies were well as the hope that we will survive yet MANAGING EDITOR Kerry Weber lisping rain, turning the cobblestoned another 1,000 years of inhumanity. LITERARY EDITOR Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. streets into a slippery hazard for the Over the next year the church in the SENIOR EDITOR AND CHIEF CORRESPONDENT many tourists who filled the plaza in United States will enter into a difficult Kevin Clarke front of the church. conversation about the work of the EDITOR AT LARGE James Martin, S.J. The scene inside was at once Synod on the Family. We will discuss POETRY EDITOR Joseph Hoover, S.J. familiar and entirely foreign to me. The and disagree, no doubt, about the best ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND VATICAN CORRESPONDENT Gerard O’Connell cornerstone of Notre Dame was laid way for the church to meet the temper ENGAGEMENT AND COmmUNITY EDITOR more than 300 years before Columbus of the times. “A particularly delicate Elizabeth Tenety sailed for the Americas. There is no question,” writes the Rev. Robert Imbelli ASSOCIATE EDITORS Ashley McKinless, Edward W. church in the new world that evinces in this issue, “is whether, besides the Schmidt a similar sense of connection with usual criteria bearing upon validity, one ASSISTANT EDITORS Francis W. Turnbull, S.J., Olga Segura, Joseph McAuley our forebears in faith across so many ought, in a highly secularized society, ART DIRECTOR Sonja Kodiak Wilder generations. Like every Catholic church, take into account the Christian faith (or COLUMNISTS Helen Alvaré, John J. Conley, S.J., however, Notre Dame is home to me, lack thereof ) of those who entered into Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., James T. Keane, John W. the place where there are no strangers, the marriage covenant” when assessing Martens, Bill McGarvey, Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, Margot Patterson, Nathan Schneider, Robert David only brothers and sisters, where there is the grounds for an annulment. We Sullivan no ultimate division but only the unity- will also discuss whether to modify CORRESPONDENTS in-diversity of a eucharistic people. the present discipline regarding the John Carr (Washington), Anthony Egan, S.J. (Johannesburg), Jim McDermott, S.J. As the procession wended its way admission of the civilly divorced and (Los Angeles), Timothy Padgett (Miami), Steven across the ancient stones, images from remarried to the Eucharist. Schwankert (Beijing), David Stewart, S.J. (London), long-ago high school history classes Throughout that discussion, we Judith Valente (Chicago), Mary Ann Walsh, R.S.M. (U.S. Church) came to mind, scenes from a drama would do well to remember our own MODERATOR, CATHOLIC BOOK CLUB in which I did not feature but is history. The forces of contemporary Kevin Spinale, S.J. nevertheless my story as well as yours. I secularism are strong, but it is unlikely EDITORIAL E-MAIL thought especially of the role that hubris that Richard Dawkins and his colleagues [email protected] played in that story, the toxic pride that are going to storm St. Patrick’s PUblISHER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER the Greeks believed was the besetting Cathedral and rededicate it to the Cult Edward Spallone DEPUTY PUblISHER sin of every classic protagonist. How else of Reason, or that a change in pastoral Rosa Del Saz to explain the prideful idolatry of the practice is going to bring down the only VICE PRESIDENT/ADVANCEMENT French revolutionaries who rededicated institution to have survived antiquity, Daniel Pawlus Notre Dame to the Cult of Reason. As not to mention the French Revolution DEVELOpmENT COORDINATOR Kerry Goleski the choir intoned the Kyrie, I could not and two world wars. Some argue that OPERATIONS STAFF help but think that while the French the proposed changes are too dangerous Chris Keller, Glenda Castro Revolution was the result of multiple to contemplate, that they are, in effect, ADVERTISING CONTACT social and political forces, the very best a slippery slope more treacherous than [email protected]; 212-515-0102 account of its principal cause can be an unscuffed sole on a wet Parisian SUBSCRIPTION CONTACT/ADDITIONAL COPIES [email protected]; found in the first four chapters of the sidewalk. While that is a legitimate 1-800-627-9533 Book of Genesis. concern, let us remember that the The lights and shadows of this challenge before us is not nearly as great © 2014 America Press, Inc. musty Gothic mammoth reveal the as those we have already met and, by the Cover: Anti-gay rights activists stand on a rainbow lights and shadows of human history. grace of God, we have always overcome. flag during a protest by gay rights activists in Moscow, June 11, 2013. Reuters/Maxim At Communion, the capacity crowd MATT MALONE, S.J. Shemetov Contents www.americamagazine.org VOL. 211 NO. 18, WHOLE NO. 5072 DECEMBER 8-15, 2014 ARTICLES 16 ZERO TOLERANCE Why Catholics must condemn anti-gay violence Celso Perez 21 FAMILY IN FOCUS How do we continue the conversation started by the synod? Robert P. Imbelli COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 4 Current Comment 16 5 Editorial Impunity in Honduras 6 Reply All 9 Signs of the Times 14 Column Life’s Second Half James Martin 26 Vatican Dispatch Call to Conversion Gerard O’Connell 27 Faith in Focus Everyday Sacraments Angela Alaimo O’Donnell 37 The Word Waiting on Hope; Fulfillment of Hope John W. Martens 27 BOOKS & CULTURE 30 ART Celebrating El Greco OF OTHER THINGS Love and Death in New Jersey BOOKS Pope Francis; The Great Reformer; Pope Francis: Life and Revolution; The Narrow Road to the Deep North ON THE WEB James Martin, S.J., and Ross Douthat discuss Pope Francis, the Synod on the Family and the demands of law and mercy. Plus, Rob Weinert-Kendt reviews the play “Our Lady of Kibaho.” All at americamagazine.org. 30 CURRENT COMMENT against or within their family. Despite the economy’s Faithful Condemnation recent resurgence, families on the cusp of poverty remain Delegates at the Catholic-Muslim Forum, which met from vulnerable. The gap between rich and poor continues to Nov. 11 to 13 at the Vatican, condemned all use of violence widen, and racial minorities have for the most part not to pursue ideological or religious ends. A joint statement benefited from the recovery. The typical homeless family from the meeting stressed that “it is never acceptable to use is an unmarried mother and two children with no means religion to justify such acts or to conflate such acts with of support. Children living in such unstable circumstances religion” and held up ways to build mutual understanding often miss school, fail courses and drop out. Up to 25 and respect: educate people on the incompatibility of faith percent of pre-school and 40 percent of school-age children and violence; engage in interreligious dialogue; and, most experiencing homelessness have mental health problems and important, discover how both faith traditions can together are at risk of growing up without the cognitive and social serve the wider community. skills needed for future employment and parenting. Founded in 2008, the forum meets every three years to The report concludes that we could end child assess relations between the two faiths and look for ways homelessness within a decade if funds at the local, state and to improve cooperation. Pope Francis urged members to federal levels were reallocated, making children a top priority. continue on the path of mutual understanding, especially But first, all of us would have to care. during this time of heightened religious tension. Recognizing that there are many examples of fruitful Catholic-Muslim collaboration, the forum pointed out that it is of “utmost Catholics Behind the Curtain importance” to foster respect and that much work is Twenty-five years after Eastern Europe began to emerge required to “overcome prejudice, distortions, suspicions slowly, and then almost all at once, from behind the veil of and inappropriate generalizations, all of which damage the the Iron Curtain, how well is the church’s role in Cold War- peaceful relationships we all seek.” era resistance remembered? The contributions of St. John America’s editors recently joined the pope in calling Paul II were justly noted during the commemoration of the on Catholics to “elevate the conversation” around the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9. His 26-year pontificate and Muslim faith and culture (“Encountering Islam,” 11/17). elevation to sainthood ensure that we will not soon forget True engagement across religious divides is no easy task; a the role Karol Wojtyla played in supporting the Solidarity nuanced reciprocity is required. But, as the editorial stated, movement at crucial junctures in Poland’s history. But we live in a world “where senseless terror threatens Muslims what about Bishop Vaclav Maly in Prague, who was jailed and Christians alike.” Frank and open dialogues like the along with Vaclav Havel and later helped negotiate with the Vatican forum can be a positive step in firmly repudiating Communist leadership of Czechoslovakia? Or the Jesuits violence carried out in the name of religion as we seek to Josef Zverina and Frantisek Lizna, who contributed to that remove this scourge from our midst.