Thomas J. Reese


Thomas J. Reese is an American Catholic Jesuit priest, author, and journalist. He is a senior analyst at Religion News Service, a former columnist at National Catholic Reporter, and a former editor-in-chief of the weekly Catholic magazine America.

Life and works

Reese entered the Society of Jesus in 1962 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1974. He has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in political science from University of California, Berkeley. He was an associate editor of America from 1978 to 1985, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center from 1985 to 1998, and editor-in-chief at America from 1998 to 2005. He resigned from America in 2005 and spent a sabbatical year at Santa Clara University, where he continues to contribute during the summers as a visiting scholar at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.
Reese resigned after seven years as the editor of America due to pressure from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Vatican. Over a period of five years, the congregation objected to various editorial decisions made by Reese concerning certain issues addressed in the magazine, including the use of condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS, religious pluralism, a lack of due process by CDF, homosexual priests, and Communion for pro-choice Catholic politicians.
On Reese's resignation, widespread media carried statements of regret that a voice from the loyal opposition to some current Church policy was leaving in silence.
In 2006 he returned as a fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center in Washington, D.C. Reese wrote for the National Catholic Reporter from 2013 to 2017, and was senior analyst there. In 2017, he became senior analyst at Religion News Service. He was appointed to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2014 and in 2016 was elected chair of the commission. His term as commissioner expired at the end of May 2018.
He drew criticism for his remarks that the Church should abandon efforts to make abortion illegal, focusing on reducing the number of abortions. Cardinal Timothy Dolan stated that “As chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities, I want to indicate my serious reservations about Reese’s strategy, considering it a capitulation to the abortion culture, and a grave weakening of the powerful pro-life witness."

Publications

Books