Thomas Reese

How strongly will the U.S. bishops express their agreements and disagreements with the Trump administration? We can get some answers by looking at how the bishops dealt with the first Trump administration.

Instead of immediate blame or praise for the results, here are five takeaways that Fr. Tom Reese believes political scientists and historians will be pondering for years in an attempt to make sense out of this election.

For Francis, the synodal process was always more important than any decisions the synod made. Synodality requires a spiritual conversion in our attitudes where we have the humility to put aside our agendas and listen to the Spirit in one another.

Synodality requires a commitment of time and energy from bishops and laypeople, but it will be worth it, writes Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese.

The selection of bishops has been a debated issue since apostolic times. There is no perfect way to select bishops.

Pope Francis preaches about synodality, but canon lawyers are showing us how to make it more than a pious wish.

Most Catholics don't want politics to divide their parishes, but the wise pastor will prepare for the worst. What can pastors do to keep their parishes from turning into partisan war zones? Fr. Tom Reese has some tips.

For the first time in history, a majority of the cardinals at the next conclave will be from outside of Europe, writes Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese

Fr. Tom Reese was surprised by a recent Pew poll, where he sees that those supporting women priests have done a much better job convincing the laity in Latin America than have those who favor optional celibacy.

The second session of the Synod on Synodality will take place this October as a follow-up to the first session that occurred last October. Here are five things to look for as the synod delegates gather in Rome.

Comfort and challenge from a superstar pope who is still up to the job: Here are seven things that stood out during Francis' visits to Asia and Oceania.

"The fathers of the Second Vatican Council threw out the documents drawn up by the Vatican Curia and set their own agenda," writes Thomas Reese. He wonders if history could repeat itself at the October synod on synodality.

Too many people, when they grow older, give up on the God they learned about as children. What they really need to do is think about God in a more mature way.

The recent Gospel seemed to reflect what is going on in the Catholic Church and in other U.S. Christian churches. Many people no longer come to church or identify as Christian — especially young people, and more especially women.

"Limiting the diaconate and priesthood to men is painful for many women in the church," Jesuit Fr. Tom Reese writes, "but if we cannot ordain women as deacons, there is no reason we have to ordain men." 
 

There are two extremes when dealing with the role of religion in politics. One argues that God's views should be enforced by the state. The other argues that any law motivated by religion should be unconstitutional.

False prophets tell us that global warming will not happen, microplastics do not cause cancer, guns will protect us, and the poor need to suffer to motivate them to work.

Some Catholic bishops have criticized as anti-Christian a drag-queen tableau reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics."Keep calm and carry on," writes Thomas Reese.

"The campaign for president is long and loud. Campaigning for pope only lasts a few weeks," Thomas Reese writes. "Despite all this, the Democratic National Convention this year is shaping up to be more like a conclave."

The vision of a synodal church presented in the instrumentum laboris is beautiful, but it is terribly abstract as it presents the theological foundations of the missionary synodal church promoted by Pope Francis.