Thomas Reese

Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese's column for Religion News Service, "Signs of the Times," appears regularly at National Catholic Reporter.

Reese entered the Jesuits in 1962 and was ordained in 1974. He was educated at St. Louis University, the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, and at the University of California Berkeley, where he received a Ph.D. in political science. He worked in Washington as a writer and lobbyist for tax reform from 1975 to 1978. He was an associate editor of America magazine, where he wrote on politics, economics and the Catholic Church, from 1978 to 1985 and editor-in-chief from 1998 to 2005. He was a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center from 1985 to 1998 and 2006 to 2013. During the summers, he works as a visiting scholar at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. 

While at Woodstock, he wrote the trilogy on the organization and politics of the church: Archbishop: Inside the Power Structure of the American Catholic Church (1989), A Flock of Shepherds: The National Conference of Catholic Bishops (1992), and Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church (1996). He also edited The Universal Catechism Reader (1990), an analysis of the first draft of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Episcopal Conferences: Historical, Canonical and Theological Studies (1989). He is also author of a NCR e-book, Caring for Our Common Home: A Readers’ Guide and Commentary on Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment (2015).

In 2014, Reese was appointed by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission that reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. He was reappointed to another two-year term in May 2016, and he was elected to a one-year term as chair of the commission in June 2016. His writings for NCR do not necessarily reflect the views of the commission.

Reese was senior analyst for the NCR from March 2013 to June 2017. He is based in Washington, D.C.

By this Author

Reforming the Vatican Curia: Never easy, and never over

"A new papal document reforming the Curia — the Vatican bureaucracy, mostly composed of priests and bishops — will soon be published. I'm sure Pope Francis’ heart is in the right place, but I expect to be disappointed," writes Fr. Thomas Reese.

 

A priest prepares to distribute Communion during Mass in Washington. (CNS/Bob Roller)

4 reasons behind the Vatican's action on Communion for pro-choice politicians

Signs of the Times: What is going on here? If the pope is against abortion, why is the Vatican intervening in conservative Catholic bishops' efforts to deny Communion to pro-choice politicians?

Solar panels on the roof of Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., on May 17 (RNS/Stephen Planning, SJ)

Solar panels allow religious institutions to do well while doing good

Signs of the Times: When Jesuit Gonzaga High School looked into solar power, school officials discovered was that in D.C., public incentives for a building owner to go solar, even a nonprofit, are very strong.

Democrats defend a tax boon for rich homeowners

"Anything the Trump administration did must be wrong." This view is a guiding principle of many Democrats. The principle seems to apply even to a limit that Trump's 2017 tax laws put on a tax deduction for rich homeowners.

On Jan. 20, then-President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, attend Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle during Inauguration Day ceremonies in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The Biden Communion stories are stupid

Signs of the Times: Will President Joe Biden be denied Communion by the U.S. bishops' conference because of his position on abortion? This is a stupid story for canonical, theological and political reasons.

Damarra Atkins pays her respects to George Floyd at a mural at George Floyd Square April 23 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

We need more from Catholic bishops than a mixed response to racism

Signs of the Times: What the bishops haven't said on racial justice has kept them from being a more prophetic voice in American life. And the reluctance to take on racial issues has deep roots in Catholic history.

Why President Biden is right to get our troops out of Afghanistan

Signs of the Times: Removing American troops from Afghanistan is the right decision, one that conforms to the fundamental principle of the just war theory that you should not fight an unwinnable war.

Worshippers gather for Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Jamaica Estates, New York, Nov. 22, 2020. (CNS/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Ideas for the future of Catholic liturgical reform

Signs of the Times: Fr. Tom Reese offers some ideas on improving liturgy, to get the conversation going on how to develop good liturgy that is supported by a consensus within the community.

Visitation of Vatican liturgy office could lead to liturgical reform

Signs of the Times: Although charged with overseeing liturgy for the church, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has done little to support badly needed liturgical reform.

US flag, Vatican flag seen with US capitol dome in background with scaffolding

The US needs an ambassador to the Holy See

Signs of the Times: Joe Biden will soon be the first Catholic president to nominate an ambassador to the Holy See, something that in earlier days would have been anathema to American Protestants.

Vatican says yes to gay people, no to blessing gay unions

Since the Catholic Church forbids same-sex marriage as a sacrament, some Catholics, and even some bishops, have discussed having a blessing for such couples as an alternative. But the Vatican said no.

Pope Francis' pilgrimage to Iraq improves relations with Muslims

Pope Francis' pilgrimage to Iraq helped to show pastoral solidarity with his suffering Christian flock, call for peace and reconciliation for the Iraqi people and establish improved relations between Christians and Muslims.

Workers deserve a living wage, not just a minimum wage

For more than a century, Catholic social teaching has advocated not for a minimum wage but for a living wage for workers. Sadly, however, the U.S. Congress cannot even increase the minimum wage because of parliamentary rules and Republican opposition.

We must take care of our children

If a nation's moral character can be measured by how it treats its children, the United States is not doing well. 

Have a digital Lent to get through the pandemic

I suggest we should use our digital gadgets to celebrate Lent better, especially during the pandemic that has made it so difficult to go to church. 

Yes, the Catholic Church benefited from federal PPP loans. Good for them.

An extensive report from The Associated Press documents how Catholic dioceses and other Catholic institutions received at least $3 billion in federal aid from a program aimed at protecting jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nuns with the Little Sisters of the Poor rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington March 23, 2016, as the court hears arguments to allow birth control in health care plans. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Can Joe Biden solve the Little Sisters of the Poor dilemma?

Signs of the Times: After the Obama and Trump administrations, the Biden administration has been left to pick its way through a minefield regarding the Little Sisters of the Poor and the contraceptive mandate.

Catholic bishops answer Biden executive orders with flood of press releases

Since Biden's inauguration, the bishops' conference has been busy putting out press releases that for the most part welcome the new administration's policy initiatives, including those that reverse core policies of the Trump administration.

Can Catholic bishops work with the Biden administration?

U.S. Catholic bishops are getting ready to wage war on the new administration — and possibly each other — over the Catholic president's positions on abortion, gay rights and religious freedom.

With vaccinations, an army of gray volunteers is coming

The morning of Jan. 21, I received my first COVID-19 vaccination, which means that two weeks after my second shot, I will be free to leave my house. What will I do with that freedom?

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