In the future, a program like AI Jesus could be used to hear confessions around the clock. But with no experience of having a human body, it cannot engage or absolve human sins.
Articles on Vatican II
Displaying all articles
The College of Cardinals is an important part of the church’s governance structure. Its members elect the next pope and help develop future policies for the church.
Supernatural horror film The Pope’s Exorcist fictionalises Amorth’s exorcism ministry, adding in a centuries-old Vatican cover up for good measure.
Catholics disagree over how to adapt the church’s doctrine and practices, especially marriage, to different cultures.
Catholics, Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Christians recognize the authority of the ‘fathers’ to guide teaching on doctrinal issues.
In the 1960s, the Catholic Church sought to downplay demonic possession, but its views since then have changed.
Pope Francis formally opened a two-year process called a “synod on synodality” for the Catholic Church on Oct. 10.
Prayers and symbols have the power to bind people together, writes a religion scholar, and so it is important to understand the history and context of Good Friday prayers.
The Vatican has clarified that Pope Francis’ support of civil unions did not change church doctrine. A theologian explains what Francis is doing is departing from Catholic rhetoric on the family.
As Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff in the nuclear era to call for total disarmament, all of us – whether secular or religious – can engage through creative and proactive moral responsibility.
There is rich Catholic heritage of resistance. Catholic protesters have used powerful religious symbols, including vials of their own blood, as an extension of Christ’s blood, to demand change.
For scholars, researching the Catholic Church can mean a laborious process involving several years. And talking to survivors of clergy sex abuse can carry its own pain and personal toll.
The Second Vatican Council made many doctrinal changes possible in the Catholic Church. An expert argues why the church needs another such council.
A liturgy expert explains that until the 12th century local bishops made decisions on Catholic liturgical practices even though the Catholic Mass was celebrated in Latin until 1970. How did that change?
This is going to be the most difficult trip of the Argentinian pontiff so far. Here’s why it’s worth paying attention to.
An extraordinary two weeks in Rome ended Saturday with a standing ovation. Pope Francis had invited 191 bishops and clergy to the Synod on the family to speak their minds on issues such as divorce, premarital…
Top contributors
-
Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
-
Professor in Historical & Contemporary Ecclesiology, Trinity College Dublin
-
Professor and Chair of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
-
Carole Sargent is a Friend of The Conversation.
Literary Historian, Georgetown University
-
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Texas State University
-
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross
-
Sessional Academic, The University of Queensland
-
Associate Professor of the History of Early Christianity, Southern Methodist University
-
Professor of Christian Social Ethics, Santa Clara University
-
Development Officer, External Relations, Boston College
-
Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Human Development, Georgetown University