Archbishop of Granada Francisco Javier Martinez and priests prostrate in front of the altar to seek pardon for sexual abuse in the Church at the cathedral in Granada, southern Spain, Nov. 23, 2014.
Pepe Marin/Reuters
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.
President Trump stands beside Pope Francis at the Vatican on May 24, 2017. An unidentified priest looks on.
Evan Vucci/AP
The GOP was once the political home of anti-Catholicism. And the Vatican, it was believed, would use a Catholic president as a way to meddle in US politics.
A bison on its way in the Bialowieza forest in Poland.
By Herr stahlhoefer - Own work, Public Domain,
The Pope hasn’t actually opened the door for married priests. But in rethinking celibacy, he has shown his mastery of the art of containing people without actually making big changes to the Church.
A woman holds Pope Francis’ head during his meeting with representatives of indigenous peoples at the Vatican on Feb. 15, 2017.
L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP
Pope Francis appears to have defended Native American protests on the North Dakota pipeline issue. Indigenous cultures have a right to defend ‘their ancestral relationship to the Earth,’ he said.
Islamic State lost ground, Colombia got a chance at lasting peace, and the Pope sounded a liberated note on homosexuality.
A year after Pope Francis called for action to protect the environment, Australian Catholic groups have announced plans to divest from fossil fuels.
AAP Image/Newzulu/Fabrizio Belluschi
A year ago Pope Francis called for better protection for the environment. Now Catholic institutions look poised for widespread divestment from fossil fuels.
Preaching to the converted.
EPA/L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO/Handout
As part of a collaboration between The Conversation and PBS’s Point Taken, a professor from The Ohio State University examines some common misconceptions about Syrian refugees.
Pope Francis exhorts the faithful to accompany each other on their life journey, and help each other be free in love.
Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi
Pope Francis’ new book provides an insight into the theology and life experiences underpinning his unorthodox approach to the papacy. Does his rhetoric conceal Church doctrine as hardline as ever?
Crowds cheer as Pope Francis arrives at Kololo airstrip in Kampala, Uganda.
Reuters/Giuseppe Cacace
Given the conservative stand of the Catholic Church on gays and lesbians, Pope Francis had a wonderful opportunity to extend his message of tolerance to both the religious and social realms.
Professor of Management & Organizations; Professor of Environment & Sustainability; Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the Ross School of Business and School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan