Sainthood: The Beatification of Pope John Paul II
Rome is teeming with Catholic tourists this weekend, who have arrived to witness the beatification of the late Pope John Paul II. The beatification is the third of four steps of sainthood — and John...
View ArticleContraception Coverage Draws Criticism from Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has taken issue with the Obama administration's healthcare bill, which requires all university and hospital insurance plans to cover contraception....
View ArticleWill the Pope's Resignation Propel the Church into Modernity?
Pope Benedict XVI will resign at the end of the month, and he leaves behind a church shaken by sex abuse scandals, funding crises, and declining membership in many parts of the world.While the pope...
View ArticleMost New Catholics Come from Beyond Europe — Why Not the Pope?
Catholicism has historically been strongly associated with Europe, so much so that Hilaire Bedoc, a Catholic thinker, could write in 1920 that "Europe is the Church, and the Church is Europe."But those...
View ArticleConclave Convenes as One Billion Catholics Wonder What's Next
Today the conclave convenes in Vatican City, as Cardinals from Boston, Massachusetts to Durban, South Africa begin the voting process that will elect a new pope. The world's 1.2 billion Catholics have...
View ArticleIs The Catholic Church Changing Its Stance on Homosexuals?
Could the Catholic Church be softening its stance on homosexuals? On the way back to Rome from a seven-day visit to Brazil, Pope Francis singled that changes could be coming to Catholicism. "If someone...
View ArticlePope Francis and Sexual Abuse Prevention
Despite the Pope’s popularity, the Holy See still faces a variety of problems with the church. One of the biggest issues for many Americans is the sexual abuse scandal that has plagued the church for...
View ArticleWill the Pope Change his Mind on Divorce?
"What God has joined together, let no one separate." For 500 years, the Catholic Church has lived by that decree from Matthew 19:6.To this day, parishioners who divorce and remarry are denied...
View ArticleVatican Meets to Discuss Family Issues
Over the weekend, a global meeting of Catholic bishops, a synod, convened in Rome to address the issues of modern family life. It will be a chance for bishops to openly discuss the meaning of something...
View ArticleCould a 21st-Century Catholic Church Be on The Horizon?
Nearly 30 percent of Catholics that have ever been married have divorced at some point. More than half of American Catholics support same-sex marriage.Yet, these statistics have not been reflected in...
View ArticleThe World's Most Powerful Person? The Pope & His Mass Appeal
Pope Francis delivered his traditional Christmas address to the Vatican hierarchy earlier this week, but his message was anything but ordinary. The Pope warned against "spiritual diseases" and urged...
View ArticleFaith in Facts: Religious Leaders Embrace The Science of Climate Change
Is it possible to hold religious beliefs and accept empirical scientific findings? University of Chicago Biologist Jerry Coyne's recent book "Fact vs. Faith: Why Science and Religion are Incompatible,"...
View ArticleGov. Brown Champions Immigrant Rights, Pope's Leadership
Click on the audio player above to hear this interview. Click here for Part I.When he ran for President for the first time, in 1976, Governor Jerry Brown emphasized two issues that have remained close...
View ArticleConservative Opposition Grows Inside the Vatican
Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.Since he assumed his role in March 2013, Pope Francis has consistently shaken things up in the Catholic Church. He has criticized the “tyranny” of...
View ArticleFor Victims of Sexual Abuse, Pope's Visit Recalls Childhood Trauma
Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.Tens of thousands will try to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis in Washington, D.C. today, as he parades through the nation's capitol.But for some...
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Meet NY's New Archbishop
Cardinal Edward M. Egan (R) and Timothy Dolan celebrate mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral February 23, 2009. (Getty)Timothy Dolan, the newly appointed leader of the New York Archdiocese, could be here a...
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His Excellency Faces NY Reporters
Archbishop Dolan takes questions from NewYork reportersShortly before Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan was installed today at St. Patrick's Cathedral, he gave his first press conference. He was in great...
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Fighting Tradition, A Catholic Womanpriest Leads Mass in East Village
This is not a traditional church. In fact, it’s just the community room of a residential building in the East Village. Paper signs taped to entrance read “Private: Prayer Service in Session. Do not...
View ArticleAnna in the Swing States: Iowa's Political Migrations
Iowa has been good to both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. It was here, four year ago, that Obama demonstrated his campaign could mount a broad-based and serious challenge to Hillary Clinton...
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[Unedited] Xavier Le Pichon with Krista Tippett
Xavier Le Pichon, one of the world's leading geophysicists, helped create the field of plate tectonics. A devout Catholic and spiritual thinker, he raised his family in intentional communities centered...
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Xavier Le Pichon — Fragility and the Evolution of Our Humanity
Xavier Le Pichon, one of the world's leading geophysicists, helped create the field of plate tectonics. A devout Catholic and spiritual thinker, he raised his family in intentional communities centered...
View ArticleThe Political Playwright Rolf Hochhuth Assails the Catholic Church for...
Chaos rules at this rowdy 1964 meeting of the Overseas Press Club. The guest panel includes Catholic Church critic, Rolf Hochhuth, and a Catholic Church official. Hochhuth, the author of the...
View ArticleWhy Priests?
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Garry Wills talks about his book Why Priests?: A Failed Tradition and asks if their role is necessary in Christianity.→Event: Garry Wills will be at the Barnes & Noble...
View ArticleCatholic Conversations: The Young Faithful on the Papacy
Pope Benedict XVI's surprising announcement nearly two weeks ago that he would retire on February 28th has sparked a time of introspection, anxiety and hope among the Roman Catholic Church's one...
View ArticleA New Pope
Peter Steinfels, co-director of the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University and author of A People Adrift : The Crisis of the Roman Catholic Church in America, talks about the...
View ArticleCardinal Timothy Dolan's Elevated Profile
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is returning to New York with enhanced star power.Sophia Hollander, reporter for The Wall Street Journal said the archbishop of...
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Catholic Church’s Challenges Reflected in City’s Diverse Parishes
Brooklyn’s Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica is a grand Catholic church that takes up half a square block in Sunset Park. Large services for dignitaries are often held here. The parish used to be...
View ArticleGoing to and Leaving the Catholic Church
Catholics, call in and tell us about yesterday's services. Was there a message yesterday about Pope Francis? Has the new Pope brought you closer to the Church, or pushed you away? Call in to...
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Unedited Interview with Phil Donahue and Krista Tippett
In this unedited interview, talk show pioneer Phil Donahue opens up on his remarkable perspective on the last half century of America and who we are now. He shares with Krista Tippett his personal...
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Phil Donahue — Transformation, On-Screen and Off
Talk show pioneer Phil Donahue opens up on his remarkable perspective on the last half century of America and who we are now. He shares his personal transformations on race, gender roles, and parenting...
View ArticleDavid Gibson: Francis Re-Orients the Catholic Church
"Is the Pope Catholic?"No doubt you've heard this sarcastic, obvious question. But one year into his papacy, some of Pope Francis' actions and statements have had liberals and conservatives alike...
View ArticleThe Francis Effect: A Bishop in Francis' Mold
When it comes to a priest's sexual orientation, Pope Francis famously said, "Who am I to judge?" But on other aspects of a priest's behavior, Francis has been a stern judge. He has repeatedly called on...
View ArticleThe Francis Effect: Bishops and Their Square Footage
Fans of Pope Francis often mention his humility. They're impressed by the way he's shunned many of the outward trappings of his office. And they're using the pope to take the measure of other church...
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The Francis Effect: 'There's a Tone'
"Who is Pope Francis?" That's the question we've been asking local Catholics all this week before Easter. And it's a question that Joanne Cunneen recently tackled in an essay she wrote for her parish's...
View ArticlePope Francis Says: Stop All That Downloadin'!
Ok, well he didn't exactly say that. Bazooka from GI Joe said that. Still Pope Francis, while calling the internet a "gift from God," said that us younguns waste too much time on it. Via the AP:"Maybe...
View ArticleBankrolling the Vatican
Gerald Posner talks about the the world’s biggest, most powerful religious institution, the Vatican, and the cardinals-turned-financiers at the heart of it. God’s Bankers: A History of Money and Power...
View ArticleThe Political Power of Pope Francis
Just two years into his papacy, Pope Francis has made a name for himself as a reformer, both in the Catholic Church and in the political arena.He's openly addressing big and controversial topics like...
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[Unedited] David Steindl-Rast with Krista Tippett
Brother David Steindl-Rast is a Benedictine monk, teacher, and author. He is the founder and senior advisor for A Network for Grateful Living. This interview is edited and produced with music and other...
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David Steindl-Rast — Anatomy of Gratitude
Now nearing 90, Brother David Steindl-Rast has lived through a world war, the end of an empire, and the fascist takeover of his country. He's given a TED talk, viewed over five million times, on the...
View ArticlePope Calls For Empathy Over Enforcing Doctrine
Pope Francis's new apostolic exhortation urges clergy to celebrate compassion, avoid judgement, and consider the complexity of individual situations before enforcing church doctrine.Here to discuss:...
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[Unedited] Xavier Le Pichon with Krista Tippett
Xavier Le Pichon is Honorary Professor at Collège de France in Paris. He founded La Maison Thomas Philippe that provides retreats for families, including those struggling with mental illness. This...
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Xavier Le Pichon — The Fragility at the Heart of Humanity
Xavier Le Pichon, one of the world's leading geophysicists, helped create the field of plate tectonics. A devout Catholic and spiritual thinker, he raised his family in intentional communities centered...
View ArticleSearching for the Real Pope Francis
Mark Shriver, president of Save the Children Action Network in Washington D.C., discusses his book, Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis, his intimate biography of the Pope, based on...
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Phil Donahue — Transformation, On-Screen and Off
Talk show pioneer Phil Donahue opens up on his remarkable perspective on the last half century of America and who we are now. He shares his personal transformations on race, gender roles, and parenting...
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David Steindl-Rast — Anatomy of Gratitude
Now nearing 90, Brother David Steindl-Rast has lived through a world war, the end of an empire, and the fascist takeover of his country. He's given a TED talk, viewed over five million times, on the...
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Xavier Le Pichon — The Fragility at the Heart of Humanity
Xavier Le Pichon, one of the world's leading geophysicists, helped create the field of plate tectonics. A devout Catholic and spiritual thinker, he raised his family in intentional communities centered...
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Richard Rohr — Living in Deep Time
Men of all ages say Richard Rohr has given them a new way in to spiritual depth and religious thought — through his writing and retreats. This conversation with the Franciscan spiritual teacher delves...
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Marie Howe — The Power of Words to Save Us
The moral life, Marie Howe says, is lived out in what we say as much as what we do. She became known for her poetry collection "What the Living Do," about her brother’s death at 28 from AIDS. Now she...
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Martin Sheen — Spirituality of Imagination
The renowned actor as you’ve never heard him before. He has appeared in over 100 films, including Apocalypse Now. He’s best known on television as President Bartlet in The West Wing. But Martin Sheen,...
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David Steindl-Rast — Anatomy of Gratitude
Mysticism is the birthright of every human being, says Br. David Steindl-Rast. He speaks of the anatomy and practice of gratitude as full-blooded, reality-based, and redeeming. Now in his 90s, he has...
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