Who becomes a saint in the Catholic Church, and is that changing?
A scholar explains the long process to sainthood and what Pope Francis' recent order might change.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Catholic church
Displaying 1 - 20 of 102 articles
Why the Catholic Church bans gluten-free communion wafers
The Catholic Church prohibits the use of gluten-free bread for Communion. The reasons lie in the challenges faced by the Catholic Church in the past.
How the Catholic Church’s hierarchy makes it difficult to punish sexual abusers
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church requires nearly absolute obedience. This makes it difficult to speak up against superiors. And by the same token, superiors too can protect offending priests.
Vale Anthony Foster – a man of deep courage and quiet determination
Anthony Foster's attention to detail and his clarity about the evil perpetrated in the systematic institutional abuse of children was often the object of media analysis.
We need to talk about Zambia as it falls from grace under President Lungu
The world's media, which has in the past found Zambia uninteresting, are suddenly paying more attention to the impoverished nation, for all the wrong reasons.
Inside the Philippines’ long journey towards reproductive health
The ongoing debate is a continuation of the Philippines' long journey towards reproductive health - and its having been turned into a political and moral issue by various actors.
Do passages in the Bible justify cutting down forests?
In countries that identify predominantly as Christian, scripture and its interpretations carry serious sociopolitical weight.
Two key takeaways from the pope’s TED talk
What Pope Francis did in his surprise TED talk was to relate the social message of Catholicism to people’s real lives.
The untold story of thousands of Italian children sent away from their parents in the 1950s
When floods hit the toe of Italy, children were sent away, often for years.
Royal commission hearings show Catholic Church faces a massive reform task
Last week's hearing into the Catholic Church's response to child sex abuse made for grim listening, and showed there is still much reform work to be done.
Pope Francis, the superstars of radical nonviolence, and a bold move to change the politics of peace
We are living in a world war fought piecemeal. It is everyone's responsibility to fight for peace.
Religion shapes Cuba despite Castro’s influence
Under Fidel Castro, Cuba declared itself as an atheist state. Castro's relationship with religion, however, was far more complex. It left a deep impact on the religious identity of Cuba.
Is God really dead? How Britain lost faith in the church
50 years after Time magazine's famous 'Is God Dead?' cover, Church attendance numbers are tumbling. But that doesn't mean Christianity is on the way out.
Theresa May’s plans to relax faith school admissions will do nothing for social justice
Allowing new faith schools to religiously select 100% of their pupils is not only problematic in terms of social integration, it is simply unfair.
Pope and archbishop hope ‘unity pilgrimage’ will calm their own warring factions
The two church leaders want to promote togetherness between Catholics and Anglicans, but their own churches are bitterly divided.
Two miracles and 19 years later: why Mother Teresa’s journey to sainthood took so long
Called a saint in her lifetime, it has not been a straightforward process to canonise Mother Teresa.
TV news stories about birth control quote politicians and priests more often than medical experts
TV news stories often frame contraception as a political or social issue, rather than a medical issue, depriving the public of vital health information.
Beyond Brexit, the world’s still turning: global stories you might have missed
Islamic State lost ground, Colombia got a chance at lasting peace, and the Pope sounded a liberated note on homosexuality.
Election FactCheck: is the Australian Sex Party right about religious organisations, tax and record-keeping?
Is it true that religious organisations are exempt from paying tax and from standard accounting and record-keeping obligations?
Catholic church starts small but is clearly thinking big on fossil fuel divestment
A year ago Pope Francis called for better protection for the environment. Now Catholic institutions look poised for widespread divestment from fossil fuels.
Top contributors
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PhD Student, Faculty of Law, Monash University
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Senior Lecturer in Theology, Australian Catholic University
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Director of the Digby Stuart Research Centre for Religion, Society and Human Flourishing, University of Roehampton
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Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle
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Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Western Sydney University
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Senior Lecturer in History, La Trobe University
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PhD Student in the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
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Director of the Yarra Institute for Religion and Social Policy, University of Divinity
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Professor of Health and Social Policy, University of Liverpool
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Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University, Villanova University
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Executive Director, Public Policy Institute, Australian Catholic University
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Postgraduate Associate at the Institute of Latin American Studies, La Trobe University
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PhD Candidate, Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies, University of Bath
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Professor of History, University of Michigan
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Lecturer in Religion and Peacebuilding, University of Liverpool
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