Pope John Paul II
In Rome, Pompeo and Brownback invoke glory days of US-Vatican alliance
By Claire Giangravé — October 2, 2019
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Invoking the alliance between President Ronald Reagan and St. John Paul II, the secretary of state and Vatican officials stressed religious freedom and other issues on which the current president and pope agree.
Christian churches own up to the futility of converting the Jews
By A. James Rudin — September 27, 2019
(RNS) — Throughout history, church and political authorities have used horrendous physical, emotional and psychological pressures in fruitless conversion campaigns.
Pope Francis to address conflict, climate in Africa in three-country visit
By Claire Giangravé — September 3, 2019
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A top Vatican official described Africa as 'a laboratory for integral development' — a term that in this papacy refers to a sustainable society based on precepts in a 2015 papal encyclical on the environment.
Pope Francis pushes a new theology of climate change
By Mark Silk — September 3, 2019
(RNS) — Rather than blame the environmental crisis on humanity's fallen state, as his predecessors did, Francis emphasizes how nature brings us closer to God.
Can a Catholic critique of ‘throwaway culture’ pull politics from the brink?
By Charles C. Camosy — May 15, 2019
(RNS) — The church’s Consistent Life Ethic, rightly understood, could challenge our impoverished and incoherent political imagination and let a new generation begin the hard work of laying out the foundational principles for what comes next.
Benedict’s unfortunate letter ignores the facts on the Catholic sex abuse crisis
By Thomas Reese — April 15, 2019
(RNS) — The pope emeritus' comments on sexual revolution are part of his campaign against theologians who, in his view, opened the floodgates to all sorts of sexual sins.
Washington gets Wilton Gregory, a great bishop
By Thomas Reese — April 4, 2019
(RNS) — Washington should rejoice to have such a good bishop; too bad we may not have him very long.
Cardinal blasts archbishop’s attack on pope as ‘monstrous and unsubstantiated’
By Thomas Reese — October 8, 2018
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, refutes Archbishop Carlo Vigano's claim that Pope Francis released ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick from sanctions imposed by Pope Benedict.
Doubts about Viganò’s accusations aside, Pope Francis needs a better response
By Thomas Reese — August 28, 2018
(RNS) — No proponent of transparency while U.S. nuncio, Archbishop Vigano now paints himself a born-again defender of the abused. The Vatican's only credible response is to say what it knew and when.
Pope Francis closes Ireland visit with appeals to divided Catholics
By Christine A. Scheller — August 27, 2018
DUBLIN (RNS) — For many, Pope Francis' visit to Ireland was clouded by the latest revelations of clergy sex abuse in the U.S. and Australia and Catholic bishops' attempts to cover them up.
Pope Francis pushes Catholics to actively oppose the death penalty
By Thomas Reese — August 3, 2018
(RNS) — The pope's recent change to the catechism is likely to face fierce opposition in the U.S., where 54 percent of the public — and 53 percent of Catholics — support capital punishment.
Humanae Vitae: Sex and authority in the Catholic Church
By Thomas Reese — July 20, 2018
(RNS) — Many Catholics left the church over the teaching, but even more stayed and simply ignored it, giving rise to the concept of 'cafeteria Catholics,' who picked and chose which teachings they would accept.
Francis cardinals make up almost half of electors of next pope
By Thomas Reese — May 22, 2018
(RNS) — Pope Francis continues to remake the College of Cardinals so that almost half of the men who will choose his successor have been chosen by him.
A new type of Catholic emerges: the conservative dissenter
By Christopher Lamb — April 19, 2018
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — And Francis agrees with his critics who say that a pope can be wrong.
‘I have made serious mistakes,’ says pope. ‘I ask forgiveness.’
By Thomas Reese — April 16, 2018
(RNS) — Popes are not supposed to make mistakes. But Francis from the beginning of his papacy has admitted that he is a sinner like every other Christian.
