From his new name to the title he uses to introduce himself, a pope’s first appearance involves symbolic choices that signal his intentions as leader of the Catholic Church.
Articles on Pope
Displaying 21 - 40 of 61 articles
Becoming pope was a big deal for a cardinal and his family. Leading candidates known as papabili (pope-ables) began strategizing and negotiating even before a pontiff died.
As the first non-European pope in centuries, Francis was especially aware of colonialism’s impact and the need to embrace many cultures within the church.
The most pressing challenge facing African Catholicism is how to wean itself from western resources.
You don’t need to have met someone to grieve for them. But when a pope dies, how do we tell the difference between grief and the longing for meaning?
Pope Francis was transformative in shaping a Catholic Church that was not focused solely on Europe.
For centuries, the role has gone to a member of the College of Cardinals – and almost always to an Italian. Might we soon have our first pope from Asia or Africa?
The conclave – one of the most secretive processes in Christendom – is rooted in centuries of tradition.
Pope Francis was not one to shy away from controversial issues, whether inside or outside the church.
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, a day after greeting crowds at St Peter’s Square. From the very start of his papacy, he seemed determined to do things differently.
At the centre of the social and ecological polycrisis is a religious crisis of the human heart.
The pope leads the Catholic Church, but some 2,000 other people work at the Holy See and city-state.
The Catholic Church’s Holy Years have biblical roots, but have been evolving for nearly 1,000 years.
Luce carries symbols that have been associated with pilgrimage in Europe since the 12th century, particularly with the shrine of St. James in northwestern Spain.
Over the past century, Catholic leaders have wrestled with how much to embrace new forms of communication technology.
Historians may not know much about Silvester’s life, but the era he lived in was pivotal for Christianity.
The conclave system may seem dramatic, but it was developed after centuries of outside interference and looting.
The Vatican has said that the pilgrimage to Medjugorje, a small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina, can yield ‘spiritual benefits’ but refrained from calling the apparitions genuinely supernatural.
Timor-Leste is proud of being rated as the strongest democracy in Southeast Asia, but as it prepares to receive Pope Francis, tensions between activists and the authorities are rising.
A scholar of Roman Catholicism explains why Pope Francis’ visit to Mongolia, home to fewer than 1,500 Catholics, is significant.
Top contributors
-
Professor of History, Australian Catholic University
-
Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
-
Distinguished Professor of Humanities Emerita, College of the Holy Cross
-
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Dayton
-
Professor Emerita of Medieval History, University of Rhode Island
-
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, Australian Catholic University
-
Gudorf Chair in Catholic Intellectual Traditions, University of Dayton
-
Research Professor, World Christianity and African Studies, DePaul University
-
Professor of Early Modern Art History, History of Art, University of Edinburgh
-
Assistant Professor of Medieval History, Oklahoma State University
-
Full Professor / fondateur du programme d'étude des savoirs nucléaires, Sciences Po
-
Associate Professor of History, Wesleyan University
-
Assistant Professor, Case Western Reserve University
-
Professor of History, Iowa State University
-
Professor and Chair of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania