Voices
Thomas J. ReeseFebruary 18, 2016
Religion in Vietnam today looks markedly different than it did 40 years ago.
In All Things
Thomas J. ReeseMarch 11, 2013When should we look for white smoke Until a pope is elected twice a day there will be black smoke around noon and 7 PM White smoke could appear at these times or earlier around 10 30 AM or 4 30 PM if a pope is elected on the first ballot of the morning or afternoon Read Father Reese 39 s full Q
Thomas J. ReeseFebruary 28, 2013
More questions and answers about the next pope from Thomas J. Reese, S.J.
Thomas J. ReeseFebruary 21, 2013
What is the precedent for a pope to resign?TR: The number of popes who may have resigned has been estimated as high as 10, but the historical evidence is limited. Most recently, during the Council of Constance in the 15th century, Pope Gregory XII resigned to bring about the end of the Western Schis
Thomas J. ReeseApril 12, 2010
When the clergy sexual abuse crisis exploded in the United States, most Vatican officials and European churchmen considered it an American problem. Then when Canada and Ireland experienced a similar crisis, it became an “English speaking” problem. Rather than seeing the crisis in the United
Thomas J. ReeseApril 18, 2005
What happens when the pope dies?
The interregnum and election of a new pope are governed by the rules established in the 1996 constitution Universi Dominici Gregis (Of the Lord’s Whole Flock) of John Paul II.
Thomas J. ReeseFebruary 28, 2005
The recent hospitalization of Pope John Paul II has revived interest in numerous questions about what happens to the church when a pope is sick and what would happen if he became disabled.What happens to the church when a pope becomes ill? If the pope becomes sick, he can delegate some of his a
Of Many Things
Thomas J. ReeseAugust 02, 2004Everyone recognizes that the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church was not caused only by the sinful failures of individual priests; it was also caused by the failure of a number of bishops to deal appropriately with these priests. There were not just personal failures; there were also personne