72% of Americans think religion is losing influence—and most see this as a bad thing.
John Carr
John Carr retired on January 1, 2026, from the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University which he founded in 2013. He previously served as Director of the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development at the UnitedStates Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for more than 20 years. He also was a Washington Correspondent for America, Chair of the Board of Bread for the World, and a Residential Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University.
Posted inWashington Front
Finding Hope in a ‘Messy’ World
President Obama recently said, “If you watch the nightly news, it feels like the world is falling apart…. The world’s always been messy. We’re just noticing now in part because of social media.” Excuse me, but the problem is not increased awareness. The world is broken
Posted inWashington Front
Obsession Disorders
Democrats are decrying a war on women and conservatives are predicting a war on Christians.
Posted inWashington Front
Immigration Impasse
Will Republicans pay a price with their Catholic allies for failure to act?
Posted inWashington Front
An Empty Spring
Special interests with unlimited political money are more effective at stopping things than advancing them.
Posted inWashington Front
Closed City
If you watch television, Washington is not only dysfunctional, but also depraved.
Posted inWashington Front
When in Rome
Today President Obama and Pope Francis met for the first time. John Carr discusses what the two leaders could learn from each other.
Posted inWashington Front
Beyond Red and Blue
Leaders responding to the pope’s indictment of an “economy of exclusion and inequality.”
Posted inIn All Things
Cardinal McCarrick on “The Pope and the Poor”
At a recent dialogue sponsored by the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University Cardinal Theodore McCarrick led off with a remarkable summary of the how Pope Francis treats the poor and poverty in quot The Joy of the Gospel quot Cardinal McCarrick analyzes th
Posted inWashington Front
Capitol Exhortations
A Washington read of the political challenges in “The Joy of the Gospel.”