James Martin

New York

Jesuit priest, editor at large at @Americamag, founder of @outrchcatholic, author of 'Come Forth' and consultor to the Dicastery for Communication @VaticanNews

Articles

What name will the next pope take-and what will it mean?

1 month ago | americamagazine.org | James Martin

Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the papal vicar for Rome, stands next to Pope Francis as the newly elected pontiff appears for the first time on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in this March 13, 2013, file photo. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)A word from the editor in chief: If you walk around the Vatican these days, it seems like there are almost more journalists than pilgrims—and there are still plenty of pilgrims.
Father James Martin: The truth about the conclave? Nobody knows anything.

1 month ago | americamagazine.org | James Martin

Cardinals attend a Mass presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, on the second of nine days of mourning for Pope Francis on Sunday, April 27, 2025.
Father James Martin: Don’t be afraid of the conclave-or the next pope

2 months ago | americamagazine.org | James Martin

Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription optionsCardinals from around the world pray in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican March 12, 2013, before beginning the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. The following day, on the fifth ballot, they elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who chose the name Francis.
Pope Francis changed my life-and the lives of countless L.G.B.T.Q. people

2 months ago | americamagazine.org | James Martin

It’s not often you can pinpoint moments when your life changes. The most profound moment for me was seeing a documentary about the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, which eventually led me to leave a life in the corporate world and enter the Jesuits in 1988. But another was a moment at the Vatican, in 2019. I was in Rome for my first meeting with the Dicastery for Communication as a consultor, a recent appointment by Pope Francis that had shocked me (and a few others).
Pope Francis never stopped being a Jesuit

2 months ago | outreach.faith | James Martin
Pope Francis never stopped being a Jesuit

2 months ago | americamagazine.org | James Martin

Father Adolfo Nicolas, superior general of the Society of Jesus, and Pope Francis, also a Jesuit, are seen together before celebrating Mass at the Church of the Gesu in Rome in this Jan. 3, 2014, file photo. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) In 2005, a few days before the conclave that elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as pope, I was having breakfast in my Jesuit community. At the table was a Jesuit who had retired after working in Rome for many years.
The intrinsic magic of everyday things

2 months ago | image.ie | James Martin

Image / Living / Interiors / Food & DrinkFrom family heirlooms to cooking tools that we use every day, over time household items can take on a special energy and meaning. James Gabriel Martin of Leviathan discusses what makes us so attached to certain objects. Every family has at least one item in their kitchen that has seemingly existed forever. Its origins may be unclear, lost to time, or conversely, it may have a long and storied history behind it.
‘The White Lotus’ finale, sin and discernment: How (and why) do we make big life choices?

2 months ago | americamagazine.org | James Martin

Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription options (Photograph by Fabio Lovino, Stefano Delia/HBO)This essay contains spoilers for Season 3 of “The White Lotus.”The riveting season finale of “The White Lotus,” a series that focuses on the travails of wealthy people vacationing at a luxury hotel chain, was notable for its gimlet-eyed focus on the importance of choices in life.
A prayer for Pope Francis during his grave illness

Feb 24, 2025 | americamagazine.org | James Martin

Loading... Click here if you don’t see subscription optionsPope Francis smiles and greets visitors during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Nov. 6, 2024. (CNS photo/Pablo Esparza)Loving God:As Francis, our beloved pope, suffers from grave illnesses,we come before you in prayer. We ask you to look with mercy on your servant Francis,who has served you devotedly and tirelesslyas a Jesuit, a priest, an archbishop, a cardinal and as pope.
Caring for migrants and refugees is not optional for Catholics.

Jan 27, 2025 | americamagazine.org | James Martin

It’s amazing that this is even a question these days, since it was for so long assumed as a given, but why should Catholics care for refugees and migrants? More broadly, why should Christians? The answer is straightforward.