A Global Church

Mother Tekla: The most powerful woman in Rome

Lifestyle

Mother Tekla Famiglietti, head of the Bridgettine Order, runs a small empire of hotels, restaurants, and guesthouses around the world. She has left a distinctive imprint at the Vat

Picturing a global church

Lifestyle

For a new pope, issues of a global church

Jorge Mario Bergoglio elected pope: White smoke rising in St. Peter’s Square

First Latin American pope speaks softly and carries an allegedly dark past

Evangelicals challenge Catholic Church’s dominance in Brazil

As Brazilian Catholics celebrate the first Latin American pope, the church has a close eye on shifting dynamics in the world’s most Catholic country.

The significance of Pope Francis, first Jesuit pontiff

In electing a member of the Society of Jesus, the Catholic Church for the first time elevates a ‘foot soldier of the pope’ to lead.

Lebanon’s Catholics fear incursion of Islamic fundamentalism

Post-war Lebanon is often praised as an example of inter-religious harmony, but the balance appears to be shifting.

Irish Catholics continue to flee the church

Lifestyle

A combination of clergy sex abuse revelations and a more secular climate has created a stigma against attending Mass.

Catholic Church takes on reproductive rights in Philippines, risks further alienation

The world’s third most Catholic country finds the church increasingly out of step with its values.