Thomas Reese

Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese's column for Religion News Service, "Signs of the Times," appears regularly at National Catholic Reporter.

Reese entered the Jesuits in 1962 and was ordained in 1974. He was educated at St. Louis University, the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, and at the University of California Berkeley, where he received a Ph.D. in political science. He worked in Washington as a writer and lobbyist for tax reform from 1975 to 1978. He was an associate editor of America magazine, where he wrote on politics, economics and the Catholic Church, from 1978 to 1985 and editor-in-chief from 1998 to 2005. He was a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center from 1985 to 1998 and 2006 to 2013. During the summers, he works as a visiting scholar at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. 

While at Woodstock, he wrote the trilogy on the organization and politics of the church: Archbishop: Inside the Power Structure of the American Catholic Church (1989), A Flock of Shepherds: The National Conference of Catholic Bishops (1992), and Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church (1996). He also edited The Universal Catechism Reader (1990), an analysis of the first draft of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and Episcopal Conferences: Historical, Canonical and Theological Studies (1989). He is also author of a NCR e-book, Caring for Our Common Home: A Readers’ Guide and Commentary on Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment (2015).

In 2014, Reese was appointed by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission that reviews the facts and circumstances of religious freedom violations and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. He was reappointed to another two-year term in May 2016, and he was elected to a one-year term as chair of the commission in June 2016. His writings for NCR do not necessarily reflect the views of the commission.

Reese was senior analyst for the NCR from March 2013 to June 2017. He is based in Washington, D.C.

By this Author

US flag, Vatican flag seen with US capitol dome in background with scaffolding

The US needs an ambassador to the Holy See

Signs of the Times: Joe Biden will soon be the first Catholic president to nominate an ambassador to the Holy See, something that in earlier days would have been anathema to American Protestants.

Vatican says yes to gay people, no to blessing gay unions

Since the Catholic Church forbids same-sex marriage as a sacrament, some Catholics, and even some bishops, have discussed having a blessing for such couples as an alternative. But the Vatican said no.

Pope Francis' pilgrimage to Iraq improves relations with Muslims

Pope Francis' pilgrimage to Iraq helped to show pastoral solidarity with his suffering Christian flock, call for peace and reconciliation for the Iraqi people and establish improved relations between Christians and Muslims.

Workers deserve a living wage, not just a minimum wage

For more than a century, Catholic social teaching has advocated not for a minimum wage but for a living wage for workers. Sadly, however, the U.S. Congress cannot even increase the minimum wage because of parliamentary rules and Republican opposition.

We must take care of our children

If a nation's moral character can be measured by how it treats its children, the United States is not doing well. 

Have a digital Lent to get through the pandemic

I suggest we should use our digital gadgets to celebrate Lent better, especially during the pandemic that has made it so difficult to go to church. 

Yes, the Catholic Church benefited from federal PPP loans. Good for them.

An extensive report from The Associated Press documents how Catholic dioceses and other Catholic institutions received at least $3 billion in federal aid from a program aimed at protecting jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nuns with the Little Sisters of the Poor rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington March 23, 2016, as the court hears arguments to allow birth control in health care plans. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Can Joe Biden solve the Little Sisters of the Poor dilemma?

Signs of the Times: After the Obama and Trump administrations, the Biden administration has been left to pick its way through a minefield regarding the Little Sisters of the Poor and the contraceptive mandate.

Catholic bishops answer Biden executive orders with flood of press releases

Since Biden's inauguration, the bishops' conference has been busy putting out press releases that for the most part welcome the new administration's policy initiatives, including those that reverse core policies of the Trump administration.

Can Catholic bishops work with the Biden administration?

U.S. Catholic bishops are getting ready to wage war on the new administration — and possibly each other — over the Catholic president's positions on abortion, gay rights and religious freedom.

With vaccinations, an army of gray volunteers is coming

The morning of Jan. 21, I received my first COVID-19 vaccination, which means that two weeks after my second shot, I will be free to leave my house. What will I do with that freedom?

Catholic bishops split on how to deal with Biden

A small but vocal minority wants to punish the new president for his support of legalized abortion, gay rights and birth control. These are the bishops who consider Biden a bad Catholic who should not be allowed to go to Communion. But even the late Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, no liberal, thought this was a bad idea and told his priests not to play cop at the Communion rail.

 

Don't impeach Trump. Shun him.

Signs of the Times: Trump has been a national obsession since he began running for president in 2015. He consumes all the oxygen in the room. Every conversation eventually turns to him. There are few if any Trump-free zones in the country, even in church on Sunday.

Kyla Harris, 10, writes a tribute Nov. 24 to her grandmother Patsy Gilreath Moore, who died at age 79 of COVID-19, at a symbolic cemetery created to remember and honor lives lost to COVID-19 in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami. (AP/Lynne Sladky)

2020 has tested the heart and soul of America

We have been hit by a worldwide pandemic, economic collapse, to say nothing of political chaos. It has truly been a horrible year.

Pope's new book speaks to Americans on racism, immigration and gender equity

Signs of the Times: Pope Francis' concern with capitalism and racism seems pointed at the American manifestations of these ills.

US Catholic bishops' response to McCarrick report is sad but predictable

Sad because the bishops failed to communicate that they understood the report's implications; predictable in that some bishops defended John Paul II against the report's finding that the pontiff shared culpability in the McCarrick case.

McCarrick scandal shows why popes, like John Paul, should not be canonized

The recent report detailing the Vatican’s response to the scandal surrounding ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick shows why it’s a mistake to canonize popes (or anyone) quickly after their deaths.

Worse than bungling, McCarrick report shows Vatican failed to take abuse seriously

It makes one wonder how many other accusations against bishops were treated in the same way.  

Once feared as Vatican meddling, Catholic ideas could help America move forward

In this time of division, pandemic, racism and global warming, we could do worse than implementing a truly Catholic agenda.

In 2020, 'nonexistent' Catholic vote will be crucial — again

Signs of the Times: It's the eternal conundrum of the so-called Catholic vote — Catholics no longer vote as a bloc as they once did, nor do they necessarily support candidates who favor the bishops' agenda, such as being anti-abortion. 

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