John Paul II

Attacking Pope Francis, anonymous cardinal seeks to curb the influence of his papacy

By Thomas Reese — March 12, 2024
(RNS) — Demos II is a fraud who mourns a church of the past and his own loss of power in it.

Pope Francis needs to reform papal election process — carefully

By Thomas Reese — March 5, 2024
(RNS) — The process for choosing a pope is not divinely inspired. It is a human creation that has changed over time and can change again..

The Catholic Church needs married priests now

By Thomas Reese — February 26, 2024
(RNS) — At the Last Supper, Jesus said, 'Do this in memory of me.' He did not say, 'Be celibate.'

When can the pope fire a bishop?

By Thomas Reese — December 5, 2023
(RNS) — It depends on whether the bishop is serving a diocese or filling another role.

Getting ready for the next conclave

By Thomas Reese — September 19, 2023
(RNS) — Pope Francis' cardinal electors do not know each other well; they should take their time to elect a pope.

Francis now has the cardinals he needs for the next conclave. Is it enough?

By Thomas Reese — July 17, 2023
(RNS) — The College of Cardinals has never been so diverse — or unpredictable.

Why the Synod on Synodality is confusing to American Catholics

By Thomas Reese — June 26, 2023
(RNS) — If an American were in charge of running the pope’s synod, it would be very different.

Vatican prosecutors to meet with brother of teenage girl who vanished in the 1980s

By Junno Arocho Esteves — April 7, 2023
(RNS) — Interest in the case was reignited by an October 2022 Netflix documentary, 'Vatican Girl,' featuring new testimony from a friend of the missing teen claiming she had revealed that a high-ranking Vatican clergyman had made unwanted sexual advances.

A reading list for seminarians and other Catholic conservatives

By Thomas Reese — March 14, 2023
(RNS) — Books changed my life. They can change yours too.

Polish TV report: John Paul II knew of abuse as archbishop

By Monika Scislowska — March 7, 2023
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Pope St. John Paul II knew about sexual abuse of children by priests under his authority and sought to conceal it when he was an archbishop in his native Poland, according to a television news report.

Pell’s ‘catastrophe’ memorandum stains his legacy

By Thomas Reese — January 17, 2023
(RNS) — Pell was cowardly and disloyal in authoring an anonymous memorandum attacking Pope Francis.

How Pope Benedict XVI helped normalize relations between Catholics and Jews

By Eric J. Greenberg — December 31, 2022
(RNS) — Benedict did more than retrace John Paul's steps; in some ways, he walked even further.

Vatican II after 60 years

By Thomas Reese — December 20, 2022
(RNS) — Conservatives, reading Vatican II's documents like biblical fundamentalists, miss what it meant to participants.

Catholic bishops punt again on ‘Faithful Citizenship,’ reflecting divisions on politics

By Thomas Reese — November 18, 2022
(RNS) — Nothing said at the bishops’ meeting indicated that they know how to deal with the post-Dobbs, post-election reality other than to say, 'more of the same.'

Synod on Synodality: Where has it been and where is it going?

By Thomas Reese — November 1, 2022
(RNS) — To win Francis’ support, liberals need to show their reforms allow the church to better proclaim the gospel.
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