Religion News Service

Since he was elected in 2013, Pope Francis has been remaking the College of Cardinals in preparation for the next conclave that will elect his successor. But in conclaves there are no guarantees.

Lately, Pope Francis has been busy appointing men and women who support his vision of a synodal church to positions where it matters. These appointments show that Francis now understands that "personnel is policy."

A Vatican decision to not allow a progressive theologian to become the dean of a theological university in Italy highlights fractures within the church over sexual morality and also hints at divisions inside the Vatican.

Now is the time to speak with urgency about white Christian nationalist sentiment, say two Black theologians. White and Black Christians need to truly partner with God in building a more just future for all.

If the U.S. Constitution is what five Supreme Court justices say it is, who controls the presidency and the Senate really matters, writes Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese.

If an American were in charge of running the pope's synod, it would be very different, says Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese.

Protestants are much more satisfied with their preaching and music than are Catholics, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

The optics of the latest meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, June 14-16 in Orlando, tell the story. It is not about us, Phyllis Zagano writes. The view from the pews is of men talking about men.

The bishops have avoided being sucked into partisan politics at the cost of supporting democracy, argues Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese.

Any heir takes over any legal claims against the deceased, according to estate laws. "I could get the shakes just thinking about how much I would have to pay out," one cousin told Bavarian Radio.

Topics foremost in the public's mind are not on the agenda: the war in Ukraine, the treatment of transgender people, global warming, the culture wars over public education, economic inequality, political divisions and the rise of hate groups.

Pope Francis is not cheering on either side in the Russia-Ukraine war, which is an essential quality needed in a mediator.

The American people want our politicians to act like adults rather than children. The time for political theater is over.

Three Italian environmental activists will face their second trial hearing at the Vatican on Wednesday (May 24) for having glued themselves to the famous statue "Laocoön and His Sons" in the Vatican Museums last summer.

Christian nationalism has "infiltrated" the Latino Christian community "in such a powerful way," said one clergyman, "that they are not even aware of the position they are supporting."

She is the first African woman to receive the prize, which is valued at 1.1 million British pounds (over $1.3 million).

Progressive Catholics need to confess, we are jealous. We wish we were as successful as EWTN.

Congress' budgetary process is broken, unable to enact a reasonable and flexible fiscal policy. Maybe Congress can learn something from how the church elects popes, though: Lock them in until the stalemate ends.

The Pacific Island nation spans a 30,000-island chain comprising three ethnogeographic groupings: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. As welcoming as these islands sound, over the last 30 years, global warming has been causing trouble in paradise. 

What Jesus' resurrection did to the disciples shows us what impact it should have on us.