Griffin Oleynick

Article

‘That All May Be One’

Two films by the late Italian director Ermanno Olmi reveal his abiding interest in Catholicism as an antidote to the spiritual emptiness of modernity.

By Griffin Oleynick

July 4, 2019

Article

Resurrection without Redemption

Abel Ferrara’s new biopic about Pier Paolo Pasolini evinces a highly personal, anti-institutional strain of Catholicism—where grace abounds in squalor and scandal.

June 17, 2019

Feature

Sounding the Secret Depths

A new show at the Guggenheim museum showcases Hilma af Klint, a radical Swedish artist whose work pioneered spiritual abstraction

December 6, 2018

Article

‘Go and Do Likewise’

The U.S. church may be a long way from practicing synodality, but the Synod on Young People has something to teach us, if only we're willing to listen

November 15, 2018

Article

Can the Word Become a Hashtag?

As the Synod concludes, how can the church be sure that its message is heard online?

By Griffin Oleynick

October 27, 2018

Media

Secularism and Modernity

Bishops

Sexual-abuse Crisis

Article

A Visit to a Roman ‘Field Hospital’

Synod delegates have become increasingly outspoken about young people on the margins, calling particular attention to the suffering of migrants and refugees

October 18, 2018

Must Reads

Politics

Quebec’s Moral Quagmire

The newly passed Bill 21 bans many state employees from wearing religious symbols on the job. It marks a serious test for religious freedom in Canada.

By Michael W. Higgins

July 9, 2019

Religion

Why the ‘Metropolitan Plan’ Doesn’t Work

In dealing with bishops who engage in sexual misconduct, the USCCB seems to think that bishops can police themselves, without lay input. We need a better system.

By Rita Ferrone

July 11, 2019

Culture

Small Graces

A city is noisy, dirty, sometimes cruel, sometimes surprisingly kind, always restless, constantly building over its own past. Like all things, it needs prayer.

By B. D. McClay

July 8, 2019

Books

Summer Readings & Screenings

The 1947 masterpiece ‘In a Lonely Place’ elevates noir conventions to perfection, finding evil in society, in others, even in ourselves.

By Griffin Oleynick and Anthony Domestico

July 11, 2019

Collections

Labor & the Catholic Church

Commonweal writers have long engaged with the church’s stance on labor rights, worker justice, and income inequality. Here are the best pieces from our archives.

By The Editors

July 10, 2019