Who can afford to get sick in the United States?

 

Podcasts

Who can afford to get sick in the United States?

The Editors   US CATHOLIC

Posted inVatican Dispatch

AFL-CIO president: The significance of ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ is ‘absolutely huge’

by Gerard O’Connell September 17, 2026

AFL–CIO President Liz Shuler onstage at the Clinton Global Initiative 2025 Annual Meeting at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York, N.Y. on September 25, 2025. Credit: Efren Landaos/Sipa USA/Sipa via AP Images

Liz Shuler, the president of the AFL-CIO, described the significance of Pope Leo’s encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” as “huge, absolutely huge,” in this exclusive interview with America. “When I first read it,” she said, “I just felt like this could have been a document written by the trade union movement.” She said she was also impressed by “the convening power of the church” and considered this very important in our day.

Ms. Shuler is the first woman president of the AFL-CIO, and she represented the American labor unions at the fourth synodal encounter, “Fratelli Tutti: North-South socio-environmental dialogue,” which was held in the Vatican Sept. 11-13. 

AFL-CIO president: The significance of ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ is ‘absolutely huge’

 

Vatican Dispatch

AFL-CIO president: The significance of ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ is ‘absolutely huge’

“When I first read it, I just felt like this could have been a document written by the trade union movement.”

by Gerard O’Connell  America

 

Checking Trump

Some unappreciated obstacles to the president’s power grab

Thomas Geoghegan

September 18, 2026

Please email comments to letters@commonwealmagazine.org.

A demonstrator wearing a T-shirt with the phrase “We the People” holds a sign and a U.S. flag outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, April 1, 2026 (OSV News photo/Kylie Cooper, Reuters).

Our dysfunctional Constitution has helped save us from Donald Trump. That starts with the Congress. Early in Trump’s second term, Steve Bannon was sneering that Congress is now like the Duma, Putin’s poodle. To be sure, Congress has been servile. But the servility of Congress is not at all like the Duma’s servility to Putin. Whatever Putin wants, the Duma turns into law. Trump wants a lot of things that Congress hasn’t given him—and a lot of things it can’t give him.

Why are women leaving churches and where are they going instead? A journalist explains.

Why are women leaving churches and where are they going instead? A journalist explains.

Kathryn Post  Religion News

 

A river teaches me

 

A river teaches me

Joyce Rupp   ncr

Posted inVatican Dispatch

Pope Leo calls for ‘culture of negotiation’ at meeting of North and South American leaders

by Gerard O’Connell September 16, 2026

Pope Leo spoke before a multi-national forum of 60 persons from different sectors of society from North and South America on Sept. 12. Credit: Vatican Media

At a time of ever-increasing polarization and conflict in the world, Pope Leo XIV called for developing social dialogue through “a healthy ‘culture of negotiation’ which is capable of opening paths where differences seem to close off every possibility of encounter.”

He underlined the importance of this “culture of negotiation” in his address in the Vatican’s Consistorial Hall on Sept. 12, to a high-level multi-national forum of 60 persons from different sectors of society from North and South America. Those present included church leaders, representatives of business, regional development banks, organized national and international labor organizations, university networks, popular movements and community organizations from the Americas.

Why do we love to stereotype the Catholic convert?

 

Convert Alert!

Why do we love to stereotype the Catholic convert?

Eve Tushnet

September 2, 2026

Please email comments to letters@commonwealmagazine.org.

Catechumens take part in the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, March 9, 2025 (OSV News photo/Gregory L. Tracy, The Pilot)

In the online world, Catholics periodically go through bouts of convert-skepticism. Perhaps the pithiest expression of this skepticism came from @agraybee on Twitter, way back in 2022: “Every lifelong Catholic I’ve ever met is like ‘I think we’re supposed to give this food to poor people’ and every adult convert is like ‘the Archon of Constantinople’s epistle on the Pentacostine rites of the eucharist clearly states women shouldn’t have drivers’ licenses.’” This tweet has since been shared 4,600 times, not counting what must be tens of thousands of screenshots. It’s even become a meme format, easily adapted to critique any kind of Johnny-come-lately. I most recently saw it applied to soccer neophytes who started caring about the sport only when the United States was named a host of this year’s World Cup.