Why church conflict in Ukraine reflects historic Russian-Ukrainian tensions

Last updated on: February 20, 2022 at 10:10 am By The Conversation

The current split in Ukrainian Orthodoxy reflects a fundamental question: Are Ukrainians and Russians one people or two separate nations? Read more

Pope Benedict faulted over sex abuse claims: New report is just one chapter in his – and Catholic Church’s – fraught record

Last updated on: January 29, 2022 at 6:33 pm By The Conversation

Pope Benedict XVI’s many years of wrestling with the abuse crisis highlight the Catholic Church’s broader challenges addressing it. Read more

What St. Thomas Aquinas can teach us about hope in times of despair

Last updated on: January 24, 2022 at 5:12 pm By The Conversation

A scholar of democratic virtues explains why Dominican monk Thomas Aquinas’ thoughts on hope are relevant today. Read more

As spiritualism’s popularity grows, photographer Shannon Taggart takes viewers inside the world of séances, mediums and orbs

Last updated on: January 24, 2022 at 5:09 pm By The Conversation

Alternative beliefs like spiritualism seem to experience resurgences in times of crisis. Taggart has spent the past 20 years exploring the oft-misunderstood religion. Read more

Buddhist nuns and female scholars are gaining new leadership roles, in a tradition that began with the ordination of Buddha’s foster mother

Last updated on: January 24, 2022 at 5:08 pm By The Conversation

Traditionally, Buddhism has been opposed to women taking on leadership roles. However, nuns in many Buddhist-majority countries are challenging the patriarchal rules. Read more

Pope Benedict accused of mishandling sex abuse cases: 4 essential reads

Last updated on: January 24, 2022 at 5:05 pm By The Conversation

A German report accused retired Pope Benedict XVI of mishandling several cases of sexual abuse in the 1970s and 1980s. Here are a few of our related articles on the Catholic Church’s crisis. Read more

Thich Nhat Hanh, who worked for decades to teach mindfulness, approached death in that same spirit

Last updated on: January 23, 2022 at 11:09 am By The Conversation

Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings, which earned him a global following, gave simple instructions on mindfulness and emphasized how it could be practiced anytime, even when doing routine chores. Read more

What is the Synod of Bishops? A Catholic priest and theologian explains

Last updated on: October 17, 2021 at 3:45 pm By The Conversation

The Catholic Church’s two-year synodal process formally opened Oct. 10 at the Vatican. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia By William Clark of College of the Holy Cross On Oct. 10, 2021, Pope Francis formally opened a two-year process called “a synod on synodality,” officially known as “Synod 2021-2023: For a Synodal Church.” In brief, the process involves an expansion of an established institution, called the “Synod of Bishops.” This means that bishops around the world will consult with everyone from parishioners to... Read more

Caring for the environment has a long Catholic lineage – hundreds of years before Pope Francis

Last updated on: October 14, 2021 at 9:14 pm By The Conversation

Environmentalism may seem like a new mindset, especially in the Church. But care for creation has been woven into Catholicism for centuries. Read more

Cherry-picking the Bible and using verses out of context isn’t a practice confined to those opposed to vaccines – it has been done for centuries

Last updated on: October 11, 2021 at 11:23 am By The Conversation

A historian of the Bible in American life explains how Bible verses are being picked out of context to make a case for the anti-vaxxer movement. Read more