Notre Dame historian John McGreevy: Quick: Name the countries with the most baptized Catholics. You might guess Brazil (172.2 million) or the United States (72.3 million). You might miss Mexico (110.9 million) and the Philippines (83.6 million). You might be...
catholicism
Priests in cars in Milwaukee
Over JSTOR Daily, Livia Gershon, with the help of historian Peter Cajka, explains how the automobile changed Milwaukee Catholicism. Here is a taste: With the rise of cars, and especially after 1945, these boundaries loosened. Many Catholics moved out of...
Catholic historian Christopher Shannon discusses Catholic and Evangelical historiography
If you have been reading Current this week you may have noticed that we featured an interview with historian Christopher Shannon and a review of his new book American Pilgrimage: A Historical Journey Through Catholic Life in a New World....
The Author’s Corner with Jeroen Dewulf
Jeroen Dewulf is Queen Beatrix Professor in the Department of German & Dutch Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. This interview is based on his new book, Afro-Atlantic Catholics: America’s First Black Christians (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022)....
Vin Scully: The guy didn’t just do baseball
Watch: Some context:...
Should Catholics promote democracy?
This is the title of a Commonweal podcast with Catholic historian and University of Notre Dame provost John McGreevy. A summary: For most of its history, the Catholic Church clung to a deep skepticism concerning the legitimacy of democracy. But...
More on Jim Harbaugh’s pro-life views
Last week we did a post on the University of Michigan football coach’s speech at a pro-life event sponsored by Michigan Catholics. In the days since that speech, Harbaugh has elaborated on his pro-life views. Here is ESPN: Michigan football coach...
Jim Harbaugh: Pro-lifer
The University of Michigan football coach spoke at a pro-life event in Michigan this week. Here is Detroit Catholic: Fr. John Riccardo and coach Jim Harbaugh, two well-known names in their respective professions, were the keynote speakers July 17 during...
The Catholic Fox News
I used to occasionally watch EWTN. As a former Catholic (I am confirmed in the church and a friend who is a priest tells me that all I need to do is go to confession and I’m back in), I...
The anti-Catholicism of some “Catholics” (and Marjorie Taylor Greene)
America contributing editor Bill McCormick S.J. writes on a recent Marjorie Taylor Greene interview with Michael Voris from an organization called “Church Militant.” A taste: For many Catholics, there was no real story in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s recent interview with Michael Voris...
Why do Christians give up chocolate for Lent?
Historian Miles Pattenden explains at History Today. Here is a taste of his piece, “The Theology of Chocolate”: Chocolate has a history but, for Catholics, it also has a theology. Long and learned treatises were written about whether it was...
Revisiting the Catholic baptism pronoun controversy
Last week we brought to your attention the Phoenix, Arizona Catholic priest who resigned after he used the wrong pronoun while performing baptisms. Over at The Washington Post, Michelle Boorstein gets Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit and religion journalist, to...
It’s “I baptize,” not “we baptize”
A Catholic priest has resigned after using the wrong formula while baptizing thousands of children. Here is The New York Times: The Rev. Andres Arango was leading a baptism at St. Gregory Catholic Church in Phoenix last year when some...
Some Catholic priests are conducting exorcisms to dispel the evil spirits left by racial justice activists
According to Audrey Clare Farley at The New Republic, some conservative Catholic priests believe they are engaged in a spiritual war against Black Lives Matter, Marxism, critical race theory, intersectionality, and wokeness. Here is a taste of her piece: Last...
Remember your death
Over at The New York Times, Ruth Graham has a fascinating piece on Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble of the Daughters of St. Paul convent in Boston. Here is a taste: These days, Sister Aletheia has no shortage of skulls. People...
Pope Francis reaches out to Italian Pentecostalism
As someone shaped by Roman Catholicism, evangelicalism, (though not Pentecostalism), and Italian-American culture (which I realize is quite different from Italian culture), I was pleased to see this. Here is Vatican News: Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to the...
Joe Biden’s Georgetown pastor: “The Eucharist is not to be used as a weapon”
The U.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops is divided over whether Joe Biden can uphold pro-choice policies on abortion and still partake of communion. Here is a taste of Michelle Boorstein’s piece at The Washington Post: The Rev. Kevin Gillespie, pastor...
Obama 2.0?
As my piece today at Current suggests, I see a lot of continuity between the Obama and Biden presidencies. Obama inherited the 2008 recession. Biden inherited COVID-19, an economic recession, racial tensions, and the Trump-induced threats to American democracy. Both...
Steve Bannon will need to find another location for his “Catholic political academy.” Italy says no.
I had no idea Bannon was trying to establish what Reuters calls a “right-wing Catholic political academy” in Italy. Here is Philip Puella’s piece: Steve Bannon, the former adviser to ex-U.S. President Donald Trump, has lost a legal battle to...
Jesuits come to grips with slavery
Here is Rachel Swarns at The New York Times: In one of the largest efforts by an institution to atone for slavery, a prominent order of Catholic priests has vowed to raise $100 million to benefit the descendants of the...