Pope Francis
Daily Comment
The Vatican’s Statement on Gender Is Unsurprising, and a Missed Opportunity
A new document that strives to reconsider matters of human dignity nevertheless echoes Church rhetoric from decades ago.
Daily Comment
The Vatican and the War in Gaza
A rhetorical dispute between the Church and the Israeli government shows the limits—and the possibilities—of the Pope’s role in times of conflict.
Daily Comment
Women Played an Unprecedented Role at the Pope’s Synod. Will It Make Any Difference?
What was clear going in was that the event could have been a capstone to Francis’s first decade as Pope.
Daily Comment
The Pope’s Coming Vatican Showdown with American Conservatives
Francis’s recent journeys ahead of the October synod may be signals about the future direction of the Church.
Daily Comment
Pope Francis’s Peace Envoy Comes to Washington
Can a progressive cardinal—who’s seen as a possible future Pope—help bring an end to the war in Ukraine?
Daily Comment
What I Learned at My Audience with the Pope
Addressing the group, Francis spoke about the role of the imagination in the life of Catholicism.
Daily Comment
What’s Behind the Fight Between Pope Francis and the Latin Mass Movement?
The discord has become a stand-in for conflicts over the decline in Catholics’ participation in Mass, over the progressive orientation of Francis’s pontificate, and over Vatican II itself.
The New Yorker Radio Hour
What if the Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action?
The conservative majority may strike down consideration of race in school admissions. What will that mean for colleges? Plus, how the culture wars came to the Catholic Church.
Daily Comment
How a Decade of Pope Francis Has Changed the Church
The Pontiff has shown that Catholicism is a dynamic institution, whose leader can face unresolved questions openly.
Daily Comment
The U.N. Secretary-General’s Searing Message for the Fossil-Fuel Industry
Forget diplomatic language—it’s a moment for some home truths.
Daily Comment
Pope Francis Speaks Out on Homosexuality—and Further Angers Traditionalists
Since the death of Benedict XVI, it’s been open season at the Vatican.
Daily Comment
Benedict XVI’s Most Powerful Influence on the Catholic Church Came Before He Was Pope
For more than two decades, as a cardinal, Joseph Ratzinger repeatedly refused to let Catholics question Church doctrine.
Daily Comment
Pope Francis’s “Penitential Pilgrimage” to Canada’s Indigenous Communities
Papal acknowledgment of the Church’s transgressions is relatively new, but Francis has tried to make it central to the job.
Daily Comment
The Pope, the Patriarchs, and the Battle to Save Ukraine
Other Popes have managed to temper tyrants—can Francis do anything about Vladimir Putin?
Daily Comment
Benedict XVI and the German Church He Served Seek Forgiveness in Very Different Ways
The Church hierarchy has been signalling a new openness to change, but a plea from the Pope emeritus, following the release of a report on abuse, follows an old path.
Daily Comment
Pope Francis Is Still Trying to Call Attention to the Migrant Crisis
World leaders have drawn together to combat climate change and COVID, Francis noted, but little has been done to help migrants.
Daily Comment
Pope Francis and Joe Biden Will Meet in Rome but Not, Alas, in Glasgow
The Pontiff and the President have common goals on climate change—and similar problems at home.
Daily Comment
The Catholic Bishops’ Brawl Over Denying Joe Biden Communion
The majority’s proposal is both hard-hearted and shortsighted.
Annals of Religion
The Women Who Want to Be Priests
They feel drawn by God to the calling—and won’t let the Vatican stop them.
Daily Comment
The Vatican’s Giant Step Backward on Same-Sex Unions
A scathing Church ruling leaves Catholics wondering what Pope Francis really thinks.