The St. Mel Religious Library has recently acquired the following books which The Justice and Peace Committee recommends for both their content in presenting various viewpoints and opinions on Catholic social teaching as well as for their insight into Church hierarchical issues.

“Religions for Peace”, by Francis Cardinal Arinze. In this heartfelt, cogently argued manifesto, Francis Cardinal Arinze addresses one of the most important issues of our time – the need to foster understanding and respect among followers of different religious beliefs. All religions of the world extol peace, yet in many instances some people see religious beliefs as one of the sources of humanity’s conflicts. In this book, Cardinal Arinze explores what the various religions can do to actually promote peace. Cardinal Arinze was born in Nigeria and converted to Catholicism at the age of nine. He was ordained seventeen years later, made bishop in 1965, and was elevated to cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1985.

“Pedophiles and Priests: Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis”, by Philip Jenkins. Pedophiles and Priests takes a close, dispassionate look at the history of sexual abuse among clergy, especially among Roman Catholic clergy, from the first rumblings to today’s headlines. Philip Jenkins has written a fascinating, exhaustive, and above all even-handed account that not only puts this particular crisis in perspective, but offers an eye-opening look at the way in which an issue takes hold of the popular imagination. Philip Jenkins is Distinguished Professor of History and Religious Studies at Pennsylvania State University.

“Anti-Catholicism in America: the Last Acceptable Prejudice”, by Mark S. Massa, S.J. In this remarkable work, Mark Massa takes on those who hate the Catholic people and the Catholic Church for what makes them distinctive. He goes behind the well-known stories of the ways Catholics have been vilified and mistreated in American society, boldly suggesting that Catholics really are different, looking at the world in a fundamentally different way than their non-Catholic neighbors. Massa postulates that this difference explains a number of conflicts between Protestants and Catholics, including important aspects of the current priestly scandals in Boston and around the country. Massa now serves as Program Director of Fordham University’s Center for American Catholic Studies.

“Modern Physics and Ancient Faith”, by Stephen M. Barr. A considerable amount of public debate and media print has been devoted to the “war between science and religion.” In his accessible and eminently readable new book, Stephen M. Barr demonstrates that what is really at war with religion is not science itself, but a philosophy called scientific materialism. Modern Physics and Ancient Faith argues that the great discoveries of modern physics are more compatible with the central teachings of Christianity and Judaism about God, the cosmos, and the human soul than with the atheistic viewpoint of scientific materialism. Stephen M. Barr is a professor of physics at the Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware.

“John Paul II, A Pope for the People”, by Luigi Accattoli, Heinz-Joachim Fisher, Arthur Hertzberg, Marco Politi, and Hansjakob Stehle. This book examines the pope’s complex personality and politics through five in-depth essays by internationally renowned authors. Topics such as the pope’s devotion to his native country of Poland, his much-discussed relationship with the Jews of the world, and his early life are accompanied by fascinating photographs and captions that tell a story all their own. Luigi Accatoli is a journalist and author of several books on John Paul II. Heinz-Joachim Fisher ia a writer for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in Rome. Arthur Hertzberg, rabbi and Jewish Scholar, is professor emeritus of religion at Dartmouth College. Marco Politi , a writer who contributes regularly to La Repubblica and Il Messaggero. Hansjacob Stehle is a Vatican specialist who was for many years a correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Die Zeit.

“Holy Cards”, by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua. Holy cards offer comfort, consolation, and encouragement to Catholics, who often carry these portable images of their favorite saints with them and use them in daily religious rituals. Given as remembrances at wakes and funerals, communions and confirmations, holy cards are also a widely popular-and highly collectible-folk art. This handsome volume is not only a richly illustrated overview featuring 110 color illustrations but also a gallery of saints organized thematically along with brief biographies, attributes and powers. Barbara Calamari is a freelance writer who has worked in both film and television. Sandra DiPasqua is a graphic designer and art director.