E. J. Dionne Jr., a longtime Commonweal contributor, is university professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at Georgetown and a contributing writer to The New York Times. Also by this author The U.S.-Born Pope Is Changing U.S. Catholicism Get Commonweal’s latest, delivered twice weekly. Email address Published in the March 10, 2006 issue: View Contents Recommended for you Christian Radical By Arvin Alaigh October 1, 2026 Pulling the Brake By Eugene McCarraher September 28, 2026 Clerics Without Clericalism By Timothy Kirchoff October 1, 2026