Thomas Reese

Washington, D.C.

Senior Analyst at Religion News Service

Follow me at https://t.co/CSOhgDBEfC, https://t.co/z7EmmgYajq, https://t.co/3lep2jzmjF

Articles

10 years later, Pope Francis' Laudato Si' is more relevant than ever

4 days ago | ncronline.org | Thomas Reese |Tomás Insua

Help us raise $300,000 for NCR!We have raised $277,783 from 1,720 supporters. We are 92.5% of the way to our goal! Pope Francis cleans the sky of pollution in graffiti by the artist Maupal, inspired by "Laudato Si'." (AP/Andrew Medichini) With all that happened in the Catholic Church last month, we can be forgiven for missing the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si', Pope Francis’ encyclical on global warming. Pope Francis fell ill and died on April 21.
10 years later, Pope Francis' Laudato si' is more relevant than ever

4 days ago | religionnews.com | Thomas Reese

(RNS) — With all that happened in the Catholic Church last month, we can be forgiven for missing the 10th anniversary of “Laudato si’,” Pope Francis’ encyclical on global warming. Pope Francis fell ill and died on April 21. Then, the College of Cardinals gathered from all over the world, and after discussing issues facing the church and the world, they met in conclave and elected a new pope.
The Francis Effect podcast, summer special episode: We have a new pope!

1 week ago | ncronline.org | Heidi Schlumpf |Daniel P. Horan |David Dault |Thomas Reese

Pope Leo XIV waves as he rides the popemobile around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican May 28, 2025, ahead of his second weekly general audience. (CNS/Lola Gomez) Heidi Schlumpf, Daniel P. Horan, and David Dault gather for a special episode of "The Francis Effect" podcast to look at the first weeks of the papacy of Pope Leo XIV. How do I listen? Click the "play" button at the top of the page to start the show.
Where will Pope Leo lead the church? Look for clues in his first speeches

1 week ago | ncronline.org | Thomas Reese

Pope Leo XIV speaks on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican May 8, 2025, following his election during the conclave. (OSV News/Reuters/Yara Nardi) It is early in Pope Leo XIV's papacy, and so far, his words and actions are proving to be a Rorschach test, with their interpretations saying more about the commentators than about the pope himself.
Jesuit author captures Catholic fundamentalism in Boston heresy case

1 week ago | ncronline.org | Michael Sean Winters |Thomas Reese |Andrew Dampf

The tympanum above the central entrance to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston (Wikimedia Commons/Farragutful) Fundamentalism is a quintessentially American form of religious expression, but one we associate almost exclusively with Protestantism.
Where will Pope Leo lead the church?

1 week ago | religionnews.com | Thomas Reese

(RNS) — It is early in Pope Leo XIV’s papacy, and so far, his words and actions are proving to be a Rorschach test, with their interpretations saying more about the commentators than about the pope himself. Conservatives are pleased that in his first appearance on the St. Peter’s Basilica balcony he was wearing Pope Benedict XVI’s stole and red mozzetta. Leo has even said nice things to the members of the Vatican curia, whom Pope Francis often chided.
Peace, justice and truth are the pillars of Pope Leo XIV’s foreign policy

2 weeks ago | religionnews.com | Thomas Reese

(RNS) — The purpose of Vatican diplomacy is not to seek privileges, but to strengthen its evangelical mission at the service of humanity, Pope Leo XIV told diplomats in his first major foreign policy address on May 16. Peace, justice and truth will be the pillars of the Catholic Church’s missionary activity and the aim of the Holy See’s diplomacy in his papacy, he said.
Leo XIV, an American and Peruvian pope

4 weeks ago | religionnews.com | Thomas Reese

(RNS) — The Holy Spirit surprised us Thursday (May 8) by electing Robert Prevost, an Illinois native who is also a citizen of Peru. For Vatican observers, Pope Leo XIV is the biggest shock since the last conclave, when an Argentine Jesuit who was on nobody’s list became Pope Francis. How did this happen? Prior to the 2013 conclave, there were, in my mind, two certitudes about papal elections: No Jesuit would be elected, and no American would be elected.
'Floored, stunned and full of hope': Reactions to election of Pope Leo XIV

1 month ago | ncronline.org | Barbara Reid |Phyllis Zagano |Thomas Reese |Dan Misleh

Surprise, hope, excitement and pride were reflected in many of the initial reactions to Cardinal Robert Prevost on May 8 emerging on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica as Pope Leo XIV. Prevost, a 69-year-old Chicago-born Augustinian friar who has spent much of his ecclesial career abroad, is the first pope born in the United States, a development once thought to be near impossible among Vatican experts.
In the papal conclave, expectations and momentum matter

1 month ago | religionnews.com | Thomas Reese

(RNS) — During presidential primary season, American commentators are always talking about whether a presidential candidate is meeting expectations and whether the candidate has momentum. Even if a candidate wins a primary, if he or she does not win by as big a margin as expected, the media will not see it as a win. On the other hand, a nobody who loses in a surprisingly close race will be seen as a potential winner in future primaries. Momentum also matters in presidential primaries.