From the Chicago Tribune Rev Andrew Greeley the outspoken Roman Catholic priest best-selling novelist and sociologist known for his deeply researched academic appraisals and sometimes scathing critiques of his church died Wednesday night several years after fracturing his skull in a freakish fa

John V. Connorton Jr. on lessons from the Good Friday Agreement

Over three-quarters of Americans 77 percent say religion is losing its influence on American life according to a new Gallup survey Researchers described that result as the quot most negative evaluation of the impact of religion since 1970 quot although it continues a trend of a public perce

From the USCCB 39 s media office WASHINGTON mdash Father Peter French Ryan a member of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus has been named executive director of the Secretariat of Doctrine and Canonical Affairs of the U S Conference of Catholic Bishops USCCB He succeeds Capuchin Fathe

In January 2012 I began blogging a commentary on the Gospel of Mark available at the Bible Junkies blog and now at America Magazine which I completed in March 2013 From March to May 2013 I blogged a commentary on the Letter of Jude and links to each entry are available here My somewhat ambitio

The local pub has traditionally been regarded as sacred space in Irish culture Set apart from the arenas of ordinary life mdash the farm the fishing boat the office or place of business where one makes one rsquo s living and perhaps most significantly the home mdash the pub serves as a place a

When studying a foreign language the word for ldquo explosion rdquo is normally not one of the first things I 39 ve learned I now live in Tanzania however and the Swahili word for explosion mlipuko has become a surprisingly common part of my speech for two very different reasons The ldquo

nbsp Cambridge MA As many readers of In All Things know I am a Harvard professor and currently also Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at the Divinity School We rsquo ve just finished another most interesting invigorating and don rsquo t tell anyone exhausting year of

Human pastoral quote machine Pope Francis was at it again today in Rome prying open doors and trying to let more people in Today 39 s mildly rebuked pharisees are the self-appointed pastoral border guards who hold up a hand in consternation instead of offering one in welcome when the less-than-pe

nbsp Cambridge MA As one might expect the news on religion and tolerance remains mixed On the one hand I think it fair to say that more and more people in every culture and religion are learning to live with differences and respect their neighbors rsquo faiths This need not translate into do

On economic life Pope Francis sees his responsibility in clear terms The Pope loves everyone rich and poor alike but the Pope has the duty in Christ rsquo s name to remind the rich to help the poor to respect them to promote them The Pope appeals for disinterested solidarity and for a return

In two recent articles in Forbes Magazine Mr Jerry Bowyer has taken Pope Francis to task not for his economics as such but for supporting his ldquo lefty rdquo economics Bowyer rsquo s word not mine with bad biblical exegesis His first article March 13 2013 IsJorge Bergoglio The New Pope

In a forceful speech at the National Defense University today President Barack Obama sought to interrupt the possibility of an America trapped in a ldquo perpetual war rdquo footing in its struggle against homegrown and international terrorism Calling for a comprehensive anti-terror strategy tha

In an hour-long speech Thursday afternoon President Barack Obama laid out his policies toward global terrorism He touched on revoking the war powers passed in the wake of 9 11 on drone warfare as a method of defense on the potentially negative impact of an unending state of war on U S civil lib

America associate editor Kerry Weber recently spoke to a group of young adults on a quot Charis retreat quot for young adults in New York City nbsp Listen to an actual young adult talk to other actual young adults nbsp It 39 s a great lively and spirited talk that involves car chases

On Monday May 20th Secretary of State John Kerry released the annual Religious Freedom Report for 2012 It was grim reading An Annual report on the state of religious freedom around the world is required by Congress 39 International nbsp Religious Freedom Act of 1998 It follows recommendations

All Saints Day 1950 was properly joyful in Korea U S Army Chaplain Father Emil Kapaun celebrated four field Masses that day for the soldiers in the Third Battalion of the Eighth Calvary Regiment Camped almost on the Chinese boarder the men believed the war all but won All Souls is a somber da

Today the Catholic Book Club begins its discussion of Tenth of December by George Saunders Thanks to those who have already posted questions on the Catholic Book Club page Thanks too to George Saunders who graciously answered our questions about his book and about the art of fiction Here agai

"My job is to make what happens within the story convincing and accurate and compelling and believable – and if I am a decent observer of human nature and the world, all theological ideas can find a home here."