Paul Baumann

Article

‘A Rhetoric of Elevation’

Barack Obama’s memoir is written with admirable clarity and attention to detail, but is weighed down by its tone.

By Paul Baumann

January 1, 2021

Barack Obama

Nonfiction

Domestic Affairs

Article

The Life of a Parish-Life Coordinator

As the number of priests declines, parish-life coordinators like Eleanor Sauers are stepping in to fill administrative and spiritual roles across the country.

October 29, 2020

Article

Saved by the Bomb?

The complexity of the decision to drop the atom bomb forces us to grapple with our principles and priorities.

October 8, 2020

Article

A Nation in Despair

At this late hour, the list of political norms Donald Trump has violated is mind-numbing. But we cannot let it paralyze us.

September 28, 2020

Article

Trolling the Catholic Vote

CatholicVote seems to think that if every issue is presented as black or white, the pro-life, pro-family Catholic voter will line up obediently at the polls.

August 27, 2020

Article

Masks & Masculinity

The most obstreperous opponents of masks tend to be men, a fact that has been chalked up to machismo and male privilege. But there’s more to it than that.

By Paul Baumann

August 19, 2020

Coronavirus

Gender

Must Reads

Politics

Redemption & Suffering in Joe Biden’s Eulogies

Joe Biden’s Irish-Catholic background and personal experience of suffering have made him an eloquent and empathetic mourner for people across the political spectrum.

By Paul Moses & Michael Connor

November 7, 2020

Religion

The Bundist Rabbi

An organized pursuit of justice is both Michael Feinberg’s work and his passion.

By Fran Quigley

January 2, 2021

Religion

‘Worship of a False God’

Fr. Bryan Massingale speaks about why racism persists in America and the Church: because racist policies and structures benefit white people.

By Regina Munch

December 27, 2020

Culture

‘Our Eucharist Is a Feast’

Both simple and profound, liturgical inculturation reflects the reality that liturgy has always drawn on local cultures.

By Rita Ferrone

January 5, 2021

Books

Apocalypse Now

A collection of essays by Elisa Gabbert explores how we respond collectively and individually to tragedy.

By Katherine Lucky

January 10, 2021

Books

Without God or Reason

Two new collections of Albert Camus’ work reveal the foundations of his future writing.

By Morten Høi Jensen

January 6, 2021

Collections

Fratelli Tutti

A collection of Commonweal’s writing about ‘Fratelli tutti,’ Pope Francis’s most recent papal encyclical, including the symposium from the December 2020 issue.

By The Editors

November 17, 2020