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

Nov 06, 2017

Churches are usually reluctant to push tax reform, but Catholic bishops are trying

Signs of the Times: Like everyone else, the bishops support tax reform as long as it does not touch them. The popular definition of tax reform is anything that cuts my taxes and raises somebody else's.

Oct 31, 2017

The ecumenical movement is as important historically as the Reformation

Signs of the Times. Ecumenism did so much during the last century to heal the divisions among Christians. That is what should be celebrated on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

Oct 25, 2017

Beyond Halloween: Witches, devils, trials and executions

Signs of the Times: Alertness to human irrationality and some self-doubt, especially when it comes to the ways we restrict, punish and scapegoat others, are certainly challenges from the witch hunts. But then, there's not much in the last century to suggest we'll ever learn.

Oct 10, 2017

Conference revisits 'Amoris Laetitia'

American Catholic: Parishes need to be more welcoming to families, especially families in difficulties. Rather than greeting them with a list of rules to be followed, the document encourages "listening" as the first response.

Oct 03, 2017

More Catholic than the pope

American Catholic: Catholics need to grow up and learn to live in a church where arguments take place, but we should not let disagreements break up the family.

Sep 26, 2017

Kneeling at NFL liturgies

American Catholic: What is clear from the experience of the NFL and the Catholic Church is that symbolic gestures mean different things to different people.

Sep 20, 2017

Scandals in the Catholic Church: Bad news and good news

American Catholic: Leaders in the Catholic Church, like leaders in any organization, hate scandals. They wish that they never happen, and when they do, they try to deal with them internally so as not to get a lot of bad publicity.

Sep 13, 2017

US bishops should thank Steve Bannon

American Catholic: Attacking the bishops is almost always counterproductive, especially if you are Catholic. Rule No. 1 for politicians: Never debate theology with bishops.

Sep 12, 2017

Reforming Catholic liturgy should be like updating software

American Catholic: Over its 2,000-year history, the Catholic liturgy has constantly changed in response to new situations and cultures. Like software, it must continue to be updated and adjusted to the people and cultures of today.

Sep 06, 2017

Religion journalists singing country and blues in Nashville

America Catholic: I am looking forward to the annual Religion News Association meeting in Nashville. I enjoy the company of religion journalists, but I know many old friends won't be there.

Aug 31, 2017

Face to faith with Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich

American Catholic: "Some of the greatest Christians I know are people who don’t actually have a faith system that they believe in, but in their activity, in the way they conduct themselves, there is a goodness there.”

Aug 28, 2017

The religious left is going to miss Steve Bannon

American Catholic: Steven Banon's ouster may have been a victory for a more inclusive America, but in the internal politics of the Republican Party it also signals the triumph of the corporate and interventionist wings of the party, which should scare the religious left.