Catholicism

Sophia Buono on the searching, spiritual journey of Elizabeth Seton, the first American-born Catholic saint.

Hosted by Charlie Sykes.

Catholics believe in things seen and unseen. And what they see today from the bishops is horrific.

The news that Pope Francis has revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church to designate the death penalty “inadmissible” was greeted in the American media as evidence that the church is at last catching up with the times. That assessment, superficial though many Catholics will consider it, isn’t…

Catherine Addington reviews “Heavenly Bodies,” the Met’s exhibition of Godly garments and high couture.

Pope Francis's pontificate did not begin with doctrinal controversy. It began with the appearance of an amiable Argentine on the balcony of St. Peter's and endearing stories about a pope who rides the bus and pays his own hotel bills. His papacy seemed to pre­sent an opportunity to draw together…

It’s not every day that a quarrel breaks out among friends over something that happened in 1858. But so it was in the second week of January when First Things published online a review from its February issue of the memoirs of Edgardo Mortara, a man born into a Jewish family in Bologna in 1851 who…

Among the many reasons to give the book Scalia Speaks for Christmas are its collected speeches on religion. And of these speeches, my favorite is “Being Different,” which the justice gave in 1992 to the Judicial Prayer Breakfast Group, an informal gathering of judicial officers in the Washington,…

In 1991, George Weigel arrived in Prague to research The Final Revolution, a book that told the story of Pope John Paul II’s influence on the collapse of communism. That book would show that Weigel understood John Paul from the inside, as the pope thought he needed to be understood, and would pave…

In a crisis pregnancy center in the heart of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, a counselor receives an online message. The sender says that she’s pregnant and scared and that she has no one to talk to. She has an appointment scheduled at an abortion clinic that very day. After a brief exchange with the…

Baseball badassery. A lot of people (wrongly) think baseball is a soft sport. It's true that, unlike football or hockey, there's not a lot of fighting. Of course, getting beaned with a 100 mph fastball is no picnic. But when there is fighting in baseball, it's a big deal. So, yesterday as we put…

Lena Dunham, the HBO celebrity and Democratic activist, had an op-ed in the New York Times over the weekend arguing against a regulation under consideration by the Trump administration. According to a leak, conscientious objectors could opt out of the Obamacare mandate that forces American…

The Jesuits are sorry. Last fall, Jesuit-founded Georgetown University apologized to the descendants of 272 slaves sold by the institution in 1838. In addition to the formal apology, the school announced plans to rename some buildings, construct a public memorial, and possibly offer scholarships or…

The Jesuits are sorry. Last fall, Jesuit-founded Georgetown University apologized to the descendants of 272 slaves sold by the institution in 1838. In addition to the formal apology, the school announced plans to rename some buildings, construct a public memorial, and possibly offer scholarships or…

What is the Francis Effect? Recent surveys show that despite all the hype since Jorge Mario Bergoglio first became pope in March 2013, there has been little change in how often Roman Catholics in America attend Mass. This is not to say, though, that the pope has not deeply changed the lives of many…

What is the Francis Effect? Recent surveys show that despite all the hype since Jorge Mario Bergoglio first became pope in March 2013, there has been little change in how often Roman Catholics in America attend Mass. This is not to say, though, that the pope has not deeply changed the lives of many…

The Society of Jesus was founded in 1540. Its members, the Jesuits, famous for their brilliance, courage, and missionary zeal, were also suspected across Europe, over the next 200 years, of Machiavellian politicking. In 1773, Pope Clement XIV abolished the order, but Pius VII restored it toward the…

The Society of Jesus was founded in 1540. Its members, the Jesuits, famous for their brilliance, courage, and missionary zeal, were also suspected across Europe, over the next 200 years, of Machiavellian politicking. In 1773, Pope Clement XIV abolished the order, but Pius VII restored it toward the…

Whichever way you look, white Catholics have called it. They've been picking winning presidents since Nixon. And overall, American Catholics' growing diversity projects the nation's demographic future. Today, one third of American Catholics are Latino, and two thirds of Catholics under the age of…

After John Podesta's apparently hacked emails were leaked by WikiLeaks, the Clinton campaign finds itself under fire after documents showed aides discussing ways to undermine the Catholic church.

Speaking in Illinois Monday, Hillary Clinton touted her relationship with the Roman Catholic Church's newest saint, Teresa of Calcutta, even though the two had opposing views. "I was fortunate enough to know Mother Teresa. I was fortunate enough to even work with her," Clinton said, according to…

Per a settlement to a discrimination lawsuit approved by a California judge in late June, the dating website ChristianMingle.com is now adjusting its service to accommodate gay couples. The lawsuit claimed a violation of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on…

Human beings are crucified across many axes: the here and now, on the one hand, and the infinite and eternal, on the other; the demands of our limited bodies, and the amazing abilities of our souls; participation in our earthly politics, and participation in spiritual communion with that which is…

Last week, Pope Francis hosted a Vatican summit on global warming where one of his cardinals called for a “full conversion of hearts and minds” to the fight against the “almost unfathomable” effects of fossil fuels on the environment. The pope will soon issue an encyclical on the subject,…

Everybody has an opinion about the pope these days and, what’s worse, feels compelled to express it. Rush Limbaugh has an opinion about the pope. He says he finds the pope “upsetting.” And he’s not even Catholic!

You may have heard that last week Pope Francis said that gay Catholic priests were a-okay.

There’s something in the new papal encyclical Lumen Fidei to disappoint everyone who longs for direct political action from the Vatican.

Dublin

But who do you say that I am? 

The next pope will be Christoph Schönborn, cardinal archbishop of Vienna. The principal editor of the modern Catechism of the Catholic Church, Schönborn was among Benedict’s favorite students back when the current pope was a theology professor, and he stands as one of the few high clerics to act…

On his nightly television show recently, MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell said that Texas governor Rick Perry is not suitable to be president of the United States because of his connection to one man — Pastor John Hagee of San Antonio, Texas.

Early this month came the news that Notre Dame has agreed, at last, to drop the trespassing charges it had been pressing against the protesters who marched on its campus two years ago. The pro-life protesters. At a Catholic school.

Passionate Uncertainty