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

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. 

With 9 new electors, Pope Francis remakes the college of cardinals

Signs of the Times: Pope Francis, in a surprise announcement on Sunday, Oct. 25, named 13 new cardinals, nine of whom will be able to vote for a new pope when Francis dies or resigns.

Pope Francis delivers his message on the occasion of the weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican Oct. 21. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)

Six things you need to know about Pope Francis and gay civil unions

Signs of the Times: Francis is not changing dogma or doctrine or even canon law. He is talking about civil law, an area of prudential judgment.

Dear Pope Francis, six reasons you should wear a mask

Signs of the Times: Dear Pope Francis, it is extremely disappointing that almost all the photos of you since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have shown you without a mask.

How to make our politics better: Pray first, says a Jesuit guide

Signs of the Times: True, almost every politician says pious things about God and prayer, but can prayer actually help politics become less partisan and more beneficial to the common good?

Election checklist: Five ways Catholic parishes can keep politics out of church

Signs of the Times: Other than hiding in the basement, what can parishioners ask their pastors to do to keep their parishes from turning into partisan war zones?

Five things to look for in Pope Francis' new encyclical, 'Fratelli Tutti'

Signs of the Times: Fratelli Tutti, the new papal encyclical on fraternity and social friendship, is an important teaching document that must be read by anyone who wants to know where Pope Francis is coming from.

Vatican causes chaos by invalidating baptism formula

Signs of the Times: Even under Pope Francis, who is all about compassion and forgiveness, the literalists appear to be alive and well in the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. 

Amy Coney Barrett's religion is important but irrelevant

Signs of the Times: Some who oppose Amy Coney Barrett's appointment argue that her beliefs will influence how she decides cases before the court. 

National Catholic Prayer Breakfast award for Barr divides Catholics

Signs of the Times: Prayer breakfasts are generally not controversial events in the Catholic world, except when they are stages for giving awards to people like Attorney General William Barr.

Is Kamala Harris anti-Catholic?

Signs of the Times: President Donald Trump's supporters are trying to paint Kamala Harris as being anti-Catholic, a fantastical accusation considering that her running mate, Joe Biden, is a Catholic.

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