Patti Smith has said that while she is not Catholic, she was drawn in particular to Pope Francis and his “gentle, open, and steadfast sense of humanity.”
Music
Posted inIdeas
Did Pope Leo just quote a Bob Dylan deep cut?
Pope Leo is the first pope to quote Bob Dylan. But he’s not the first to interact with the famous troubadour.
Posted inIdeas
‘Turn Around’: The Bonnie Tyler-inspired youth ministry skit that formed—and scarred—a generation
For many young American Christians, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” wasn’t the soundtrack to a painful breakup, but to a spiritual and in some cases traumatic experience.
Posted inCatholic Movie Club
‘1776’: the other American musical about the founding fathers is still worth watching
“1776” is a much more lively and complicated work than its latter-day reputation suggests.
Posted inNews
Pope Leo meets Bad Bunny in Madrid
Pope Leo XIV and Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny met privately on Monday at the Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, where 80,000 Catholics from Spanish dioceses had gathered to see the pope.
Posted inNews
Bad Bunny wants to meet Pope Leo XIV. In Madrid, a crossover event is in the works.
Cardinal Cobo said the Archdiocese of Madrid wants to help make the meeting happen, but added that it will be handled discreetly and “surprises are surprises.”
Posted inBooks
Bob Dylan and the Beatles: New book captures how music changes its makers
The musical and personal lives of Bob Dylan and the Beatles were intertwined in myriad ways, as author Jim Windolf teases out in his pleasurable new book, ‘Where the Music Had to Go: How Bob Dylan and the Beatles Changed Each Other—and the World.’
Posted inCatholic Book Club
Bob Dylan at 85: Forever young?
Bob Dylan will be 85 this week. While ‘America’ didn’t always offer him the coverage he deserved, many of our writers have found much to love in his music and other artistic works.
Posted inFilm
The superficial Catholic symbolism of ‘Mother Mary’
The relationship between pop stardom and religious worship has rarely been so literal as it is in “Mother Mary,” the new film from David Lowery.
Posted inMusic
Rock and roll’s roots in Christian worship
For Craig Finn of the Hold Steady, the distance from the mosh pit to the pews is not as great as some people might imagine.