A forum of Catholic Thought

Mourning Pope Francis: A Jewish meditation on his legacy

Pope Francis was, without question, the most important and most influential religious and theological figure of the 21st century, not just for Roman Catholics, not just for Christians, but for Jews as ...



Laying odds on papabili, and our vulgar churchElizabeth Scalia

''One of the good things about a Catholic church is that it isn't respectable...You can find anyone in it, from duchesses to whores, from tramps to kings." -- Dame Philippa Talbot, "In This ...

Pope Francis and the persistent habit of 'maybe'Russell Shaw

The legacy of Pope Francis is large and complex, with plenty of high points. But part of it is ambiguity and verbal confusion on matters of church doctrine, pointing to a need for clarification by whoever ...

Sometimes, a Hero wears a Cape and a VeilMaureen Crowley Heil

In the Diocese of Yendi in northern Ghana, missionaries are working to educate people about the acceptance of children born with disabilities. In the minds of some people who hold traditional beliefs, ...

From the Eternal CityArchbishop Richard G. Henning

As I write this column, I am on the plane returning home to Boston from Rome and the funeral of Pope Francis. By the time this column reaches you, we will be nearing the end of the nine days of mourning ...

On the Camino: Jentillaks and jazzMark T. Valley

Leaving a seaside town, I nearly took the wrong path until an old man in a beret -- like the 19th-century Catholic Carlists -- called out. He pointed to the coastal route. "Thank me later," he said. He ...

Bishop Fenwick's appointment to Boston in 1825Rebecca Maitland

The month of May brings many things: flowers and other signs of spring, graduation season for many high schools and universities, and, in the Catholic Church, "Mary's Month," a period of heightened ...

Fire of loveScott Hahn

There are two places in Scripture where the curious detail of a "charcoal fire" is mentioned. One is in today's Gospel, where the Apostles return from fishing to find bread and fish warming on ...

How do God's will and the Holy Spirit play a role in a conclave?Jenna Marie Cooper

Q: How do God's will and the Holy Spirit play a role in a conclave? A: I think ultimately, events in the life of the church like conclaves bring us to the mysterious place where God's providential ...