Helen Plum Library

"St. Peter's Square, Rome. White smoke signals that a new Pope has been chosen. Is it possible that the new Pope is a woman? The world is watching as historic crowds gather in Rome, waiting for news of a new Pope, one who promises to be unlike any other in the Church's history. Some followers are ecstatic, but the leading candidate has made a legion of powerful enemies. From a difficult childhood with drug addled parents, to a career as a doctor on...

A posthumously published collection of Merton's essays and meditations centering on the need for love in learning to live.

The heart-pounding history of how Pope Pius XII--often labeled "Hitler's Pope"--was in fact an anti-Nazi spymaster, plotting against the Third Reich during World War II. The Vatican's silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him "Hitler's Pope." But a key part of the story has remained untold. Pope Pius...

This supplement covers a wide range of topics including ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, logic, aesthetics, philosophy of literature, art, and music, political philosophy, and philosophy of law. It contains numerous articles of special interest to Catholic thought and culture covering such areas as the philosophical aspects of love, hope, wisdom, marriage, friendship, death, pain and suffering, the human person and the human soul, and the philosophy...

"[Fr. Altier] also explains: The definitive reasons why marriage can exist only between a man and a woman-- How the married couple embodies the life-giving love of the Most Blessed Trinity--Why the Sacrament of Marriage makes the couple a new creation-- How to avoid settling for mediocrity in love and service to other-- The necessity of prayer in marriage for the individual, the couple, and the family-- How marriage leads to overcoming sinful tendencies...

"Responding to calls for refashioning the priesthood, including proposals from the Amazonian Synod, two ... pastors explain the biblical and spiritual role of the priesthood, celibacy, and genuine priestly ministry. Drawing on Vatican II, they present priestly celibacy as more than 'a mere precept of ecclesiastical law.' They insist that renewal of the Church is bound to a renewed understanding of priestly vocation as sharing in Jesus' priestly identity...

"The Ghent Altarpiece is the most violated work of art in the world. Thirteen times it has been vandalized, dismantled, or stolen. Why? What secrets does it hold? Enter UNESCO investigator, Nicholas Lee, who works for the United Nations' Cultural Liaison and Investigative Office (CLIO). Nick's job is to protect the world's cultural artifacts-including countless lesser-known objects and national treasures. When Nick travels to Belgium for a visit with...