Lisa Noel Seiwert

Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ and Father Paul R. Mueller, SJ are scientists at the Vatican Observatory, the official astronomical research institute of the Catholic Church. They co-wrote Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? . . . And Other Questions from the Astronomers’ In-box at the Vatican Observatory. We asked them to give us 10 must-know facts about the Vatican’s astronomers.

Islamophobia — the fear or hatred of Islam and Muslims — is not a liberal meme. Islamophobia is a real and insidious ideology that believes there is something innately wrong with Islam and its adherents. It’s the reason CNN anchors were unable to grasp Reza Aslan’s point that “Muslim countries” are not all alike.

In this season of economic excess, lots of us are like the Grinch at the end of his story — wondering if Christmas might mean a little bit more. But the financial power of the holiday season shouldn’t be quickly dismissed. Let’s look at some numbers. The holiday shopping season lasts 10% of the year, but it generates 20% of total retail sales.