Thomas Banchoff

1 month ago | commonwealmagazine.org | Anthony Domestico |Thomas Banchoff |Vincent Lloyd |Jessica Swoboda

“Uneasy Equations,” the final poem in Scott Cairns’s latest collection, begins, as so many of his poems do, in the middle of a conversation:I, also, have begun to press each promising page for that elusive form, the likelyshape that might yet serve to at least suggest the rolling spaciousness one suspectsin most prágmata one happens upon—the sea, the shore, even the odd black shelljust now recovered during my morning snorkel.

2 months ago | commonwealmagazine.org | Paul Baumann |Alejandra Oliva |Thomas Banchoff |Antonio Spadaro

Last summer, the Horcynus Festival in Messina, Sicily, hosted a conversation between director Martin Scorsese, speaking via Zoom from his home in New York City, and Antonio Spadaro, SJ, an undersecretary for the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education.

Sep 26, 2024 | commonwealmagazine.org | Thomas Banchoff |Peter Quinn |Alexander Stern |George Scialabba

During his recent visit to Singapore, Pope Francis went further than any of his predecessors in recognizing the value of non-Christian traditions. “All religions are paths to God,” Francis told a group of young people. “There is only one God, and religions are like languages, paths to reach God. Some Sikh, some Muslim, some Hindu, some Christian.”Some prominent conservatives have reacted with scorn.

Feb 18, 2024 | commonwealmagazine.org | Thomas Banchoff |James Chappel |Anna Ballan |Rand Richards Cooper

In February 2023, global religious leaders met in the United Arab Emirates to celebrate the opening of the Abrahamic Family House, a soaring multifaith complex encompassing a mosque, a church, and a synagogue. The grand opening came exactly four years after Pope Francis travelled to Abu Dhabi to sign a Document on Human Fraternity with Grand Imam Al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar, an event which marked a high point in international religious diplomacy.

Jan 2, 2024 | commonwealmagazine.org | Thomas Banchoff |Gary Dorrien |Charles McNamara |David Albertson

He leapt to the podium with youthful energy and gripped the lectern with both hands. Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, he pushed the hair out of his face and smiled broadly at the audience that had assembled for the opening lecture of a conference at Notre Dame. “It is a privilege to be with all of you at this university,” I recall him saying.