Commonweal - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Commonweal is a American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

journal of opinion edited and managed by lay Catholics. It is headquartered in The Interchurch Center in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

History

Founded in 1924 by Micheal Williams (1877–1950) and the Calvert Associates, Commonweal is the oldest Catholic journal of opinion in the United States.

Overview

The journal, tagged as "A Review of Religion, Politics, and Culture," is run as a not-for-profit enterprise, and managed by a nine-member board of directors. The word commonweal is a reference to an important term in the political philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, who argues that legitimate leaders must prioritize the common good of the commonweal in making political decisions.

Commonweal publishes editorials, columns, essays, and poetry, along with film, book, and theater reviews. Twenty-two issues of Commonweal are released each year, with a circulation of approximately 20,000. In 1951, Commonweal was hit by financial troubles and almost shut down because of a loss in subscribers.

Viewpoint

Although Commonweal maintains a relatively strong focus on issues of specific interest to progressive Catholics, this focus is not exclusionary. A broad range of issues—religious, political, social, and cultural—are examined independent of any relationship to Catholicism and the Church.

Moreover, despite its distinctly Catholic character, Commonweal has consistently spurned sectarianism and religious dogmatism, in turn attracting contributors from all points of the mainstream political spectrum in the United States.

For instance, Commonweal condemned the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...

, criticized the tactics employed by the Senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

Joseph McCarthy

Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...

(who was a Roman Catholic), supported domestic opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

, questioned some aspects of the 1968 Papal encyclical Humanae Vitae

Humanae Vitae

Humanae Vitae is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI and issued on 25 July 1968. Subtitled On the Regulation of Birth, it re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church regarding married love, responsible parenthood, and the continuing proscription of most forms of birth...

, a document spelling out the Vatican

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

's position on contraception

Contraception

Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...

, but it continues to take a stance against legalized abortion

Abortion

Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

.

Commonweal published several articles in support of censured theologian Roger Haight

Roger Haight

Roger Haight is an American Jesuit theologian.He received his B.A. and the M.A. in Philosophy from Berchmans College, Cebu City, Philippines; his S.T.B. from Woodstock College, Maryland ; the M.A. in Theology and the Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Chicago; and the S.T.L. from the...

in 2001, 2007, and 2009.

Staff

As of 2011, Commonweals staff includes:

Editor: Paul Baumann
Managing Editor: Patrick Jordan
Associate Editors: Matthew Boudway, Grant Gallicho, Mollie Wilson O'Reilly
Poetry (review): Rosemary Deen
Screen (review): Richard Alleva, Rand Richards Cooper
Editorial Assistant: Christine Neulieb
Publisher: Tom Baker
Marketing Coordinator: Christopher Staysniak
Magazine and Web Production: Tiina Aleman
Business Manager: Jim Hannan
Stage/Media (review): Celia Wren
Columnists: E. J. Dionne
E. J. Dionne
Eugene Joseph "E.J." Dionne, Jr. is an American journalist and political commentator, and a long-time op-ed columnist for The Washington Post...

, John Garvey, Cathleen Kaveny, Melinda Henneberger, Jo McGowan, Charles R. Morris, William Pfaff

The previous editors were Peter Steinfels

Peter Steinfels

Peter F. Steinfels is an American journalist and educator best known for his writings on religious topics.A native of Chicago, Illinois, and a lifelong Roman Catholic, Steinfels earned his Ph.D from Columbia University and joined the staff of the journal Commonweal in 1964...

and his wife, Margaret O'Brien Steinfels.

History

Overview

Viewpoint

Staff

Further reading

See also