Appreciation: Apart from his achievements in many areas of historical scholarship, Jesuit Fr. John O'Malley embraced the importance of studying history itself. His question, one of his favorite phrases, was, "So what?"
Book Review: If you have ever dreamed of being the proverbial fly on the wall during the election of a pope, then Gerard O'Connell's The Election of Pope Francis might make your dream come true.
Though the new film about a series of encounters between Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis is largely fictional, it deals well with church history, the papacy, the mysteries of faith and communion. It also has something to say about the antagonistic level of public discourse in the U.S.
The Pan-Amazon Ecclesial Network (REPAM) viewed Laudato Si', and in particular its section on integral ecology, as confirmation of their work and has helped shape the upcoming Synod of Bishops focused on the Amazon region, its peoples and ecological significance.
Distinctly Catholic: The newly published book by Gerard O'Connell provides an unprecedented, if unverifiable, inside look at the 2013 conclave that made Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio pope.
Distinctly Catholic: Since the cardinals elected him as pope in March 2013, Francis has retrieved a sense of synodality that had been obscured, though never eliminated from the church.
Argentina's bishops expressed disappointment with the approval of an initiative that moves toward legal abortion while pledging to review their social ministries to better attend to youth and women.
The new documentary from award-winning director Wim Wenders is like a cinematic pulpit for Pope Francis to share his concerns about humanity and the earth. The film has a mystical, poetic, contemplative quality.
In the five years since his election, Francis has implemented in the church a dynamic, well-considered transformation process, based on the principles of the Second Vatican Council.
