Francis has revolutionized the College of Cardinals by passing over large archdioceses like Los Angeles, Venice and Milan in favor of picking men from the peripheries who reflect his pastoral orientation and concern for the poor.
Thomas J. Reese
Thomas J. Reese, S.J., is a senior analyst for Religion News Service. Previously he was a columnist at The National Catholic Reporter (2015-17) and an associate editor (1978-85) and editor in chief (1998-2005) of America.
Posted inFaith, News
Five things to watch for in the upcoming October synod
The second session of the Synod on Synodality will take place this October as a follow-up to the first session that occurred last October. Here are five things to look for as the synod delegates gather in Rome.
Posted inFaith, Signs Of the Times
The 3 phases of spiritual development: contrition, petition and thanksgiving
When someone is undergoing a crisis of faith, they may need to leave their old image of God for a new one.
Posted inFaith, News
Catholics: Beware of today’s false prophets
False prophets tell us that global warming will not happen, microplastics do not cause cancer, guns will protect us, and the poor need to suffer to motivate them to work.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Catholics could decide the 2024 election
Catholics are a good weathervane for how the country will vote: If you win Catholics, you likely win the country.
Posted inArts & Culture, News
Jesuit scientist who bridged faith and science recounted in new PBS documentary
It is not surprising that Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, an eminent paleontologist, got himself in trouble with church officials and his Jesuit superiors.
Posted inFaith, News
Excommunication is not the church’s equivalent of capital punishment
Although the Catholics invented the practice of excommunication to deal with severe sins, other religious groups have also adopted it for their own purposes.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
In transgender care debates, it’s OK to say: ‘I don’t know’
Being a member of the “I don’t know club” means you will be attacked by both sides. It does not mean you have nothing to say.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
The Synod on Synodality called for better liturgy. Will anyone listen?
We will have to endure the current flawed translation of the Roman missal unless liturgists, priests and people in the pews support the synod’s call for change.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Catholics are politically divided about the 2024 election. That’s an opportunity for the church.
The Catholic partisan divide provides an opportunity for the church to model proper civic behavior.