Donate to RNS
Support our work

John Gehring

John Gehring is an author at Religion News Service.

All Stories by John Gehring

If Nancy Pelosi is denied Communion, why not William Barr?
By John Gehring — May 24, 2022
(RNS) — Punishing one and celebrating the other, some Catholic leaders act like mere partisans. 

The pandemic is reminding us that ‘pro-life’ and ‘anti-abortion’ are not the same
By John Gehring — January 21, 2022
(RNS) — Strict anti-abortion stances are at odds with opposition to vaccine mandates and other broader life issues.

It’s time to end the Catholic Church’s abortion culture wars
By John Gehring — October 20, 2021
(RNS) — Catholic bishops should spend more time listening to people, including pro-choice Catholic women.

Confessions of an exhausted Catholic
By John Gehring — July 22, 2021
(RNS) — The Catholic narrative in public life has become a soul-wearying experience.

Politicizing Biden’s faith is pastoral malpractice
By John Gehring — May 5, 2021
(RNS) — Deploying Communion as a bludgeon to selectively sanction elected officials on a single issue is not the answer.

It’s the Vatican’s LGBTQ theology that is ‘disordered’
By John Gehring — March 23, 2021
(RNS) — The outpouring of painful reactions demonstrates the limits of Pope Francis' welcoming gestures toward LGBTQ people and is a stark reminder that my church continues to deny people their full humanity.

Joe Biden will remove the ‘bully’ from the bully pulpit
By John Gehring — November 9, 2020
(RNS) — Leading with a moral clarity, humility and grace drawn from Catholic roots, Biden may be able to help reclaim faith in the public square as a force for healing and justice.

Barrett hearings will play into Trump’s hopes to claim Catholic high ground
By John Gehring — October 9, 2020
(RNS) — Democrats will walk right into a trap set for them by conservatives if they make her faith the centerpiece of these hearings.

Trump woos Catholics on abortion but may lose them on life
By John Gehring — January 24, 2020
(RNS) — The president's appearance at this year's March for Life is the kickoff to an expected ‘Catholics for Trump’ campaign that will focus on abortion over immigration, climate change and inequality.

Communion should be personal, not political
By John Gehring — October 31, 2019
(RNS) — Pastors who think they are protecting the faith by denying pro-choice Catholics Communion should remember that Jesus built his movement by instead inviting the sinful and vulnerable to the table.

It’s time to reclaim the pro-worker history of Catholic social teaching
By John Gehring — September 1, 2019
(RNS) — Bishops and other influential Catholics should be at the front of the line when laborers strike to demand just wages. 

Can faithful Catholics vote for President Trump?
By John Gehring — August 9, 2019
(RNS) — The nation's Catholic bishops include racist behavior among the sins that 'may legitimately disqualify a candidate from receiving support.'

It’s time to revive religious civil disobedience
By John Gehring — July 23, 2019
(RNS) — Being a faithful Christian sometimes means breaking the rules. Moral disruption is a sacred act when the status quo is sinful.

Why Catholic bishops need a year of abstinence on preaching about sexuality
By John Gehring — June 25, 2019
(RNS) — The hubris displayed in making sexuality the lynchpin of Catholic identity when bishops have failed to convince their flock that they are prepared to police predators could be countered with some listening.

Will Catholic voters make Joe Biden the next president?
By John Gehring — May 8, 2019
(RNS) — If Biden can articulate a vision that honors the dignity of work and affirms America's immigrant character, Catholic voters could make him the first Catholic president since JFK.
Page 1 of 2
Page 2 →

Popular Stories by John Gehring

Opinion
It’s the Vatican’s LGBTQ theology that is ‘disordered’
Opinion
Joe Biden will remove the ‘bully’ from the bully pulpit
Opinion
Can faithful Catholics vote for President Trump?
Opinion
If Nancy Pelosi is denied Communion, why not William Barr?
Opinion
Barrett hearings will play into Trump’s hopes to claim Catholic high ground

Latest Stories

News
Ojibwe author Patty Krawec writes about Indigenous peoples, Christians ‘Becoming Kin’
News
LGBTQ-friendly church OK with getting Southern Baptist boot
News
Bolsonaro campaign to evangelicals: Brazil’s soul at stake
Religion Hub
US, allies push for UN rights body debate on Xinjiang abuses
Flunking Sainthood
How are Gen Z Mormons doing with mental health?