Paul Elie
The Down-to-Earth Pope
In a historic moment characterized by autocrats and would-be autocrats, Francis was the antithesis of a strongman.
This Easter, with the Pope Ailing, Will the Catholic Church Stand Up to Trump?
Pope Francis has long advocated for immigrants, refugees, and the vulnerable—but the Church, like other institutions, may need to find new ways to sustain its commitments.
The Pope’s Role Has Changed in Our Time. But Has the Church?
A new account of the papacy’s recent history reveals the transformation of the office in the mass-media age.
J. D. Vance Brawls with the Bishops Over the Trump-Musk Agenda
The dispute involves Catholic precepts on immigration and charity—which the Church has administered for decades through U.S.A.I.D.
Pope Francis, the Cardinals, and “Conclave”
The Vatican’s Synod on Synodality was nothing like papal gatherings of cinematic lore, but it clearly reflects Francis’s view of what the Church should be.
J. D. Vance’s Radical Religion
How might the Republican V.P. nominee’s conversion to conservative Catholicism influence his political world view?
The Pope Goes Prime-Time
Pope Francis’s appearance on “60 Minutes” is a first. What does it say about the papacy?
The Vatican’s Statement on Gender Is Unsurprising, and a Missed Opportunity
A new document that strives to reconsider matters of human dignity nevertheless echoes Church rhetoric from decades ago.
The Vatican and the War in Gaza
A rhetorical dispute between the Church and the Israeli government shows the limits—and the possibilities—of the Pope’s role in times of conflict.
Women Played an Unprecedented Role at the Pope’s Synod. Will It Make Any Difference?
What was clear going in was that the event could have been a capstone to Francis’s first decade as Pope.
“Dead Man Walking” at Sing Sing
The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of a work based on Sister Helen Prejean’s book occasions an unusual presentation of its message.
The Pope’s Coming Vatican Showdown with American Conservatives
Francis’s recent journeys ahead of the October synod may be signals about the future direction of the Church.
Pope Francis’s Peace Envoy Comes to Washington
Can a progressive cardinal—who’s seen as a possible future Pope—help bring an end to the war in Ukraine?
Confronting Georgetown’s History of Enslavement
In “The 272,” Rachel L. Swarns sets out how the country’s first Catholic university profited from the sale of enslaved people.
What I Learned at My Audience with the Pope
Addressing the group, Francis spoke about the role of the imagination in the life of Catholicism.
More Latino Americans Are Losing Their Religion
And, according to a new study, even those who aren’t are defying convention and stereotypes.
What’s Behind the Fight Between Pope Francis and the Latin Mass Movement?
The discord has become a stand-in for conflicts over the decline in Catholics’ participation in Mass, over the progressive orientation of Francis’s pontificate, and over Vatican II itself.
How a Decade of Pope Francis Has Changed the Church
The Pontiff has shown that Catholicism is a dynamic institution, whose leader can face unresolved questions openly.
Pope Francis Speaks Out on Homosexuality—and Further Angers Traditionalists
Since the death of Benedict XVI, it’s been open season at the Vatican.
The Down-to-Earth Pope
In a historic moment characterized by autocrats and would-be autocrats, Francis was the antithesis of a strongman.
This Easter, with the Pope Ailing, Will the Catholic Church Stand Up to Trump?
Pope Francis has long advocated for immigrants, refugees, and the vulnerable—but the Church, like other institutions, may need to find new ways to sustain its commitments.
The Pope’s Role Has Changed in Our Time. But Has the Church?
A new account of the papacy’s recent history reveals the transformation of the office in the mass-media age.
J. D. Vance Brawls with the Bishops Over the Trump-Musk Agenda
The dispute involves Catholic precepts on immigration and charity—which the Church has administered for decades through U.S.A.I.D.
Pope Francis, the Cardinals, and “Conclave”
The Vatican’s Synod on Synodality was nothing like papal gatherings of cinematic lore, but it clearly reflects Francis’s view of what the Church should be.
J. D. Vance’s Radical Religion
How might the Republican V.P. nominee’s conversion to conservative Catholicism influence his political world view?
The Pope Goes Prime-Time
Pope Francis’s appearance on “60 Minutes” is a first. What does it say about the papacy?
The Vatican’s Statement on Gender Is Unsurprising, and a Missed Opportunity
A new document that strives to reconsider matters of human dignity nevertheless echoes Church rhetoric from decades ago.
The Vatican and the War in Gaza
A rhetorical dispute between the Church and the Israeli government shows the limits—and the possibilities—of the Pope’s role in times of conflict.
Women Played an Unprecedented Role at the Pope’s Synod. Will It Make Any Difference?
What was clear going in was that the event could have been a capstone to Francis’s first decade as Pope.
“Dead Man Walking” at Sing Sing
The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of a work based on Sister Helen Prejean’s book occasions an unusual presentation of its message.
The Pope’s Coming Vatican Showdown with American Conservatives
Francis’s recent journeys ahead of the October synod may be signals about the future direction of the Church.
Pope Francis’s Peace Envoy Comes to Washington
Can a progressive cardinal—who’s seen as a possible future Pope—help bring an end to the war in Ukraine?
Confronting Georgetown’s History of Enslavement
In “The 272,” Rachel L. Swarns sets out how the country’s first Catholic university profited from the sale of enslaved people.
What I Learned at My Audience with the Pope
Addressing the group, Francis spoke about the role of the imagination in the life of Catholicism.
More Latino Americans Are Losing Their Religion
And, according to a new study, even those who aren’t are defying convention and stereotypes.
What’s Behind the Fight Between Pope Francis and the Latin Mass Movement?
The discord has become a stand-in for conflicts over the decline in Catholics’ participation in Mass, over the progressive orientation of Francis’s pontificate, and over Vatican II itself.
How a Decade of Pope Francis Has Changed the Church
The Pontiff has shown that Catholicism is a dynamic institution, whose leader can face unresolved questions openly.
Pope Francis Speaks Out on Homosexuality—and Further Angers Traditionalists
Since the death of Benedict XVI, it’s been open season at the Vatican.