“Wicked” author Gregory Maguire talks about his religious upbringing, Elphaba’s search for a soul and why nuns, saints and witches might not be all that different.

Members of the Synod on Synodality called for giving lay people “a greater voice in choosing bishops.” What would that look like in practice?

For Pope Francis, Matteo Ricci is not so much a figure of the past but rather “a prophetic figure” who nourishes the hope of encounter today—in China and around the world.

Flying bishops, eminent birthdays and getting lost in translation: Funny stuff that Father James Martin heard inside the synod hall.

"The Trump administration is going to present real challenges to Catholics," E.J. Dionne says in a conversation with America.

Archbishop Welby, who resigned last week in response to the charges that he had failed to report sexual abuse, had a rapport with Pope Francis that went far beyond dutiful ecumenism.

A Reflection for the Saturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time, by Michael J. O’Loughlin

I am struggling to smile and nod and accept the message from well-intentioned people, whom I love, that everything will be fine, that I should trust in God, and not despair.

Pope Francis’ encyclicals have drawn from and lead to this truth: What the world needs is heart—not sentimentality, but integration, presence and fortitude to stay in the tensions of our current reality.

Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” scandalized Italian audiences. But it was a group of Jesuit priests who were determined to offer a more nuanced interpretation of the film.