"Pursuing the Truth in Love"

Over at America, Matt Malone has this essay, "Pursuing the Truth in Love," about "the mission of [the magazine] in a 21st century church."  (HT:  Jana Bennett at Catholic Moral Theology).  In the piece, he proposes (among other things) that "[w]hile we may have solved the problem of the relationship between the church and the state, the problem of the relationship between the church and the political remains. Solving that problem, or at least presenting credible solutions to it, is the pre-eminent task of the Catholic media in the United States."

I think all of us who participate, as Catholics, in "public discourse" should read Malone's piece.  I don't expect that everyone will agree with all he writes (!), but there's a whole lot in it for all of us, and each of us, to think about.  He concludes with this:

“Love manifests itself more in deeds than in words.” America makes the following commitments:

1. Church. The church in the United States must overcome the problem of factionalism. This begins by re-examining our language. America will no longer use the terms “liberal,” “conservative” or “moderate” when referring to our fellow Catholics in an ecclesiastical context.

2. Charity. How we say things is as important as what we say. America seeks to provide a model for a public discourse that is intelligent and charitable. In the next few months, America will announce a new set of policies for the public commentary on our various platforms.

3. Community. America will appoint a community editor who will moderate our public conversation, ensuring that it rises to the standards we set for thoughtfulness and charity. We will continue to provide a forum for a diverse range of faithful, Catholic voices.