https://politicalresearch.org/ The latest research related to pope john paul ii en https://religiondispatches.org/2017/02/01/unified-catholic-opposition-trumps-muslim-ban-wishful-thinking It’s understandable that with people grasping for a light in the darkness in the wake of Trump’s Muslim travel ban, they would look to the leadership of the Catholic Church. After all, the institutional Catholic Church has consistently been a… Wed, 01 Feb 2017 04:33:02 EST Patricia Miller 9f19c1b7-f3aa-4f02-a290-22d9f494ac02 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/10/19/plot-turn-synod-plot It’s official—with Ross Douthat’s conspiracy-drenched Sunday column, the idea that the synod is somehow a “plot to change Catholicism” has leapt from the far-right Catholic fringe to the conservative Catholic mainstream. Conservatives have been pushing the idea for months that… Mon, 19 Oct 2015 02:40:05 EDT Patricia Miller eabe5245-83c6-4f71-941a-cf29438f71bb https://religiondispatches.org/2015/09/21/francis-visits-church-john-paul-broke Nearly two and one-half times as many current Catholics think Francis is “more liberal” than they are on “the environment, immigration and distribution of wealth” than those who think he is more liberal on “birth control, abortion and divorce.” -… Mon, 21 Sep 2015 12:19:26 EDT Patricia Miller 673197a8-c5ab-483a-bdd3-c4ddbc4eaeeb https://religiondispatches.org/2014/04/01/again-vatican-punishes-gender-equality-more-swiftly-sexual-abuse A Franciscan peace activist is removed from public life as a priest for celebrating mass with a woman. Tue, 01 Apr 2014 12:24:51 EDT Patricia Miller 86314d41-da27-4335-9abb-25fd577da6ec https://religiondispatches.org/2013/12/12/what-church-needs-more-good-pope As many have noted, Pope Francis’s latest interview offers a refreshing departure from his predecessors despite, among other things, the pope’s dubious perspective on women. But rather than more emphasis on Good Pope Francis, there’s another upside to wish for. Thu, 12 Dec 2013 05:53:14 EST Mary Hunt 47d1f644-bd2b-425e-94c0-722849190b4a https://religiondispatches.org/2013/07/30/will-francis-statements-women-and-gays-make-mess-inside-church Pope Francis turned heads with statements that suggest a course correction in the church’s attitude toward gays and women, but ultimately it’ll be what ministry, decision-making power, and moral authority women share that will answer the question. Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:36:21 EDT Mary Hunt 968641f3-6663-48cd-96f5-8b2a622a5360 https://religiondispatches.org/2013/07/25/new-popes-take-poor-all-new As Francis heads to Brazil, is the new pope signaling a shift away from John Paul-era “conservative restoration” or is this simply a return to JP’s image-conscious conservative populism? Thu, 25 Jul 2013 01:26:22 EDT Silvia Fernandes, Manuel A. Vásquez 1d924159-35b0-48a9-9816-7c8301cc0bcd https://religiondispatches.org/2013/01/28/popes-dubious-holocaust-remembrance I have a better idea. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:59:44 EST Evan Derkacz ae036706-3629-4f48-bd17-d65ce97819d0 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/05/08/only-5-million-real-catholics-us Perhaps the Vatican’s hard-line tactics are an intentional purge. Tue, 08 May 2012 04:01:18 EDT Marian Ronan ecfe159f-e889-476f-973b-8e6384dd46c4 https://religiondispatches.org/2011/12/27/pope-chef-krampus-merry-yikesmas What do Pope Benedict XVI and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain have in common? They both have a thing for Krampus. Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:15:38 EST Peter Manseau 62e802ea-cffa-43a4-a68b-a860adb44260 https://religiondispatches.org/2011/03/24/facebook-doesnt-kill-churches-churches-kill-churches Beyond a growing distaste for the rancor around hot-button issues like human sexuality, gender equity, and reproductive choice, people seem to be put off church because they are able to do the kind of work—tending the sick, advocating for the oppressed, caring for the earth, comforting those in trouble or need—that was long the stock in trade of local churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples, but which, through the modern corporatizing of mainstream religions, was largely outsourced to separate agencies. This is why you’ll probably find more people volunteering in any given week at Martha’s Kitchen food pantry in downtown San Jose, California than at Sunday services at the church across the street. If Facebook is killing the church, that is, it’s probably more accurate to call it an assisted suicide. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:05:34 EDT Elizabeth Drescher 35251620-e0fb-450b-a428-fe168d8062ac https://religiondispatches.org/2011/01/21/what-was-your-sign-pro-war-mlk-benched-headscarf RD would like to see a tallit on the basketball court. Fri, 21 Jan 2011 01:12:24 EST Michael J. Altman cc626b80-9348-4c7d-8b71-ee8fbd077944 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/11/04/religious-freedom-post-castro-cuba “The preschool teacher used to say to the kids, ‘Close your eyes, and ask God to give you a piece of candy,’[…] When the children opened their eyes, and saw there was nothing there, the teacher said, ‘See? God doesn’t exist.’” Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:30:16 EDT Lygia Navarro a725e5b2-661f-4b6b-88f2-b5c6ce3240f8 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/09/21/can-mormon-glenn-beck-unite-christian-right Glenn Beck’s efforts to become a religious leader for Tea Party America has a lot of commentators discussing the feasibility of a Mormon convert leading a wary evangelical and Catholic right in a faith-driven cause. Tue, 21 Sep 2010 10:02:53 EDT Kathryn Joyce d9dcb740-d9ea-40b0-a44e-1c3e3303a6ff https://religiondispatches.org/2010/03/23/vatican-seeks-virgin-amidst-all-sexual-impropriety Lost in (and sullied by) the sexual scandals is the Church’s investigation into an apparition of Mary. Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:52:35 EDT Louis A. Ruprecht a0f05451-0000-4ced-ad7f-9130f00c2bbe https://religiondispatches.org/2010/03/22/miracle-whip-pope-john-paul-ii-self-punishment-and-fast-track-sainthood At the same time as we learn of a new depth to the pedophilia crisis in the Church, we hear from a Vatican official that Pope Paul II had a regular practice of flagellation: chastising the body for the sake of the soul. What can we learn from this irony? Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:47:54 EDT Paul Gorrell a92043a4-7733-408e-ba2d-b998d48f5cbc https://religiondispatches.org/2010/03/22/training-gods-rottweiler-catholic-church-sexual-abuse-must-end A passionate call for reform from a scholar of religion and cradle Catholic. When does an institutional theology become so rotten that it needs to be taken out at the roots? It’s time for a new reformation, with justice for victims of sexual abuse. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:39:41 EDT Anthea Butler 7ab37b61-6116-43c3-902a-181d4d674997 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/01/27/sacred-texting-when-religious-writ-gets-wired The Vatican’s Web site considers a patron saint of the internet, Muslims debate divorce by text, and Jews pray by email; How does the inevitable transition to the virtual realm affect religious experience across the world? Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:53:13 EST Rachel Wagner c0dffd0c-b1f6-489e-94eb-8b36a43b0b3e https://religiondispatches.org/2009/05/26/capitalism-and-anti-modern-pope The Pope’s anti-modern critiques should not be waved off so easily, as many allegedly life-promoting institutions actually foster death. There is much in it that a progressive secularist could agree with—apart from feminism and sexual ethics. Tue, 26 May 2009 03:05:06 EDT Louis A. Ruprecht 4505345b-9ee4-40f6-9aa8-5e1fa0ad8351