Cardinal Christoph Schonborn

What is a family and what is it good for? Story 1: Families are in crisis, and the cause is moral breakdown. We urgently need a deep renewal of our family culture, supported by public policies that strengthen traditional marriage and encourage childbearing. Story 2: Families are in crisis, and the cause is capitalism. We need structural changes in society so that all families can flourish: parental leave, guaranteed healthcare, flexible work hours for parents, restorative justice. What if both these stories are true? This issue of Plough reflects on what a family is and what it is for, so that the transformations needed to solve the crisis of the family start from a firm basis, not a nostalgic ideal or progressive theorizing. As always, we take as a starting point the teachings of Jesus. It turns out his idea of family values might not be what people think. He calls us to extend our natural love for our biological family to a vast new throng of siblings – a family of many ethnicities and cultures that includes the widowed, the unmarried, the outsider, and the stranger. In this issue: - Ross Douthat asks what is stopping people from having the one more child they desire. - Edwidge Danticat says families are not nuclear. - Gina Dalfonzo reveals what singles know best about the church as family. - Norann Voll remembers a Jewish woman who escaped the Holocaust and married a German. - W. Bradford Wilcox and Alysse ElHage report on how the Covid pandemic has impacted the family. - Noah Van Niel asks whether masculinity is OK anymore. - Cardinal Christoph Schönborn reflects the burden of family history, celibacy, and monument toppling. - Sarah C. Williams pinpoints the source of feminist pioneer Josephine Butler’s daring. - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks begins the story of marriage 385 million years ago in a lake in Scotland. - Zito Madu recalls how his father’s amazing storytelling saved the past from oblivion. You’ll also find: - M. M. Townsend on what Louisa May Alcott and Simone de Beauvoir had in common - A special announcement about Plough’s new poetry contest: the Rhina Espaillat Poetry Award - A reading from G. K. Chesterton - Two new poems by Rachel Hadas - Reviews of Eric Edstrom’s Un-American, Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law’s Prison by Any Other Name, Brian Doyle’s One Long River of Song, and Martín Caparrós’s Hunger Plough Quarterly features stories, ideas, and culture for people eager to put their faith into action. Each issue brings you in-depth articles, interviews, poetry, book reviews, and art to help you put Jesus’ message into practice and find common cause with others.

YOUCAT is short for Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, which will be launched on World Youth Day. Developed with the help of young Catholics and written for high-school age people and young adults, YOUCAT is an accessible, contemporary expression of the Catholic Faith. The appealing graphic format includes Questions-and-Answers, highly-readable commentary, summary definitions of key terms, Bible citations and inspiring and thought-provoking quotes from Saints and others in the margins. What's more, YOUCAT is keyed to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, so people can go deeper. It explains: What Catholics believe and why (doctrine) How Catholics celebrate the mysteries of the faith (sacraments) How Catholics are to live (moral life) How they should pray (prayer and spirituality)The questions are direct and honest, even at times tough; the answers straightforward, relevant, and compelling. YOUCAT will likely become the "go-to" place for young people to learn the truth about the Catholic faith. Pope Benedict XVI on the YOUCAT project: "Dear young friends Today I recommend for your reading an unusual book.... Should we not attempt to translate the Catechism of the Catholic Church into the language of young people? Should we not bring its great riches into the world of today's youth? Of course, there are many differences even among the youth of today's world. And so now, under the capable direction of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schoenborn, YOUCAT has been produced for young people. I hope that many young people will let themselves be fascinated by this book. Many people say to me: The youth of today are not interested in this. I disagree, and I am certain that I am right. The youth of today are not as superficial as some think. They want to know what life is all about.... This book is exciting because it speaks of our own destiny and so deeply engages every one of use. So I invite you: Study this Catechism That is my heartfelt desire. This catechism was not written to please you. It will not make life easy for you, because it demands of you a new life. It places before you the Gospel message as the "pearl of great value" (Mt 13:45) for which you must give everything. So I beg you: Study this Catechism with passion and perseverance. Make a sacrifice of your time for it Study it in the quiet of your room; read it with a friend; form study groups and networks; share with each other on the Internet. By all means continue to talk with each other about your faith...."