Catholic Church

Rachel Swarns Traces the Ties of Slavery and the American Catholic Church

Following up on a blockbuster 2016 Times article, Swarns's book examines the histories of families with ancestors who were sold by Maryland Jesuits to shore up the order's finances (including the fledgling Georgetown University). 

Dodgers' Controversial Invite to "Drag Nuns" Group Highlights Catholics' Selective Sense of Faith

by Kaya Oakes

Catholic groups expressing outrage at the team's recognition of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence overlook the centrality of mercy in the Gospels. 

New Revelations about Catholic Action (and Inaction) During the Holocaust

Suzanne Brown-Fleming leads the Vatican Archives Initiative for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and hopes that unsealed documents will reveal more about the motives behind the Vatican's ambivalent actions. 

Vatican Repudiates "Doctrine of Discovery" that Justified Colonialism by Catholic Nations

The Vatican acknowledged that certain papal bulls dating to the 15th century have been adopted to justify the abusive and even genocidal acts of colonizers, though it did also suggest that secular authorities manipulated and selectively interpreted church statements out of context for political reasons. 

The Complex Legacy of Benedict XVI

by Massimo Faggioli

As Pope, Benedict led a movement to limit the reformist impulses from Vatican II and encouraged Catholic traditionalism, but took the first steps away from John Paul II's denial of sexual abuse by priests and introduced the concept of a papacy ending before a Pope's death. 

"Phantom Catholic Threats" Haunt Ireland's National Maternity Hospital

by Máiréad Enright

Secular Irish health advocates fear that a partnership between the state and religious charities to operate the national maternity hospital will impose limits on care, including abortion access. Is this justified or a case of finding "nuns under the bed"? 

How Hitler's Favorite Passion Play Lost its Anti-Semitism

The Oberammergau Passionspiele in the 1930s garnered praise from Hitler for its vilification of Jews for the death of Christ. Today, the village production reflects Germany's efforts to eradicate antisemitism from many of its traditional cultural products, though that process is slow and contentious. 

Is the Lack of Leadership for Women Harming the Church's Standing Among Catholics?

by Phyllis Zagano

An initiative by Pope Francis to take the pulse of the faithful is delivering insights: many of Europe's Catholics distrust the power of the bishops and lament the exclusion of women from leadership. 

A Brief History of the Vatican and Western Canadian Missions

by Roberto Perin

"Residential schools and the papal bulls justifying the fallacious doctrine of discovery call out for concrete acts of atonement and reparation on the part of the church."

Pope Francis Seeks Forgiveness from Indigenous Canadians over Residential School Abuses

"I am deeply sorry, sorry for the ways in which, regrettably, many Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed the Indigenous peoples," Francis said.

The Back Channel Between Pius XII and Hitler

by David I. Kertzer

The Vatican has only just now released documents about secret and sensitive negotiations between the Nazi leader and the Holy See, in which the Vatican agreed to temper criticisms of Nazism's pagan elements in exchange for ceasing investigation of sex crimes by priests.

"Subversive Habits" Tells Overlooked Story of Black Catholic Nuns

Shannen Dee Williams offers a history of Black nuns at a time when the American church is grappling with its history of discrimination and exclusion. 

What Does Pope Francis's Apology Mean to Indigenous Americans?

by Annie Selak

"Pope Francis apologized on April 1, 2022, to First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegations, acknowledging the harm done by residential schools in Canada and marking a crucial step in the church admitting its role in the abuse of Indigenous communities and children."

Ireland, We Hardly Knew Ye: Fintan O'Toole's Story of Modernization

by Jack Sheehan

Fintan O'Toole's acclaimed popular history of modern Ireland delivers a sharp indictment of child abuse by Catholic priests and the operators of reform schools and institutions, but substitutes national-level psychoanalysis for research in other areas, a historian argues.

Why Does St. Brigid Get So Much Less Attention than Patrick?

by Lisa Bitel

"This year on March 17, when you’re wearing the green and singing “Dirty Ol’ Town,” take a moment to whisper thanks to St. Brigid, the compassionate, sensible, native-born patron saint of Ireland, and ask if Ireland’s premier patron saint should be a woman."

Don't Make Dorothy Day a Saint

by Garry Wills

As an admirer of the left-wing activist Dorothy Day, Garry Wills argues that the process of canonization would "miniaturize" her work and associations to fit within the narrow confines of sainthood, making her an object of prayer instead of a model for action. 

France Approves Controversial Notre-Dame Renovations; Conservatives Call it "Politically Correct"

Father Gilles Drouin argues that “the cathedral has always been open to art from the contemporary period."

In the Land of Godfathers, the Church Pushes the Tradition Aside

Church authorities in Sicily have grown concerned that the naming of baptismal godparents has been subordinated to secular concerns of social networking, in extreme cases tied to organized crime. 

The Renaissance's Challenges to Church Authority and Influence on the Reformation

Stefania Tutino, a history professor at UCLA and intellectual and cultural historian of post-Reformation Catholicism, says the Reformation and Renaissance were two parallel but intertwined movements.

He Blew the Whistle on Catholic Church Abuse in 1985. Why Didn't Anyone Listen?

by Ben Proudfoot

Reporter Jason Berry reflects on the difficulties of exposing abuse and the Catholic hierarchy's coverup in the 1980s.