In a world starved of empathy, Leo XIII’s call for us to care for each other might be the most important item on Leo XIV’s agenda.
Christopher Bellitto
Christopher M. Bellitto is professor of history at Kean University. His books include 101 Questions and Answers on Popes and the Papacy and, most recently, Humility: The Secret History of a Lost Virtue and Walking Toward Virtue: A Journey With Dante.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Beyond ‘Conclave’: What really happens when a new pope is elected?
With an all-star cast including Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, “Conclave“ genereated a lot of Hollywood buzz. It has also raised some questions: How is a pope really elected? Does the movie get it right?
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: Vatican I more Catholic than the pope?
John O’Malley’s new book completes his trinity of works on church councils.
Posted inArt
The Fighting Word: Stories of God and war on display in the ‘Crusader Bible’
A precious manuscript teaches us not only by its words and images but by its very life as an historical object. A prime example is the Crusader Bible, which is briefly being displayed with its leaves untypically separated before being rebound at its home in New York City’s Morgan Library. (The
Posted inFrom Our Archives
A Pope’s Progress: Assessing Benedict’s legacy
Church historians measure time in centuries, not weeks, so it is a daunting challenge to attempt even a brief assessment of a pontificate just concluded. Daring to go where prophets should fear to tread, what follows can only be a tentative status quaestionis of Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy at t
Posted inFaith in Focus
A Season of Grace
We did not get ashes on Ash Wednesday last year. Late in the evening a few days after our three-year-old daughter’s heart surgery, I realized what day it was. We would not make it to the parish in time to receive ashes, I told my wife. With pitch-perfect insight, she turned to me. “Babe,