''America'' is a monthly Catholic magazine published by the
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
of the United States and headquartered in
midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...
. It contains news and opinion about
Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
and how it relates to American politics and cultural life. It has been published continuously since 1909, and is also available online.
With its Jesuit affiliation, ''America'' has been considered a liberal-leaning publication,
and has been described by ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' as "a favorite of Catholic liberal intellectuals".
History
The Jesuit provinces of the U.S.A. founded ''America'' in New York in 1909 and continue to publish the weekly printed magazine.
Francis X. Talbot was
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...
from 1936 to 1944.
became the fourteenth editor-in-chief on 1 October 2012, the youngest in the magazine's history. In September 2013, the magazine published an interview of
Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
with his fellow Jesuit
Antonio Spadaro.
In the spring of 2014, Malone announced that ''America'' would open a bureau in Rome with
Gerard O'Connell as correspondent.
On February 28, 2017, ''America'' launched a podcast,
Jesuitical, targeted at young Catholics.
With the July 2020 issue, the publication went from 28 issues to 14 issues per year; from the July 2022 issue, from 14 issues to 11, with the July/August issue as a double issue.
In 2022, Matt Malone concluded his editorship after ten years.
In late 2022, Sam Sawyer became the fifteenth editor.
Controversy
From 1998, when
Thomas J. Reese became editor-in-chief, the magazine became controversial for publishing articles and opinion pieces at variance with the teaching of the
Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
on
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
,
priestly celibacy,
birth control
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
, the debate about induced
abortion
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
and other matters. The
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...
proposed a committee of censors to review the magazine's content. Reese resigned in May 2005. The ''
National Catholic Reporter
The ''National Catholic Reporter'' (''NCR'') is a national newspaper in the United States that reports on issues related to the Catholic Church. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, ''NCR'' was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964. Hoyt wanted to bring t ...
'' asserted that Reese's resignation was forced by the Vatican, although ''America'' and the Jesuit generalate in Rome denied this.
In 2009, under the leadership of Drew Christiansen, the editorial board gave support to an invitation for US President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
to receive an
honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
. This was controversial, since the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic C ...
had discouraged Catholic Universities from honoring politicians and activists that supported
abortion rights
Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...
.
See also
*
John J. Wynne
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:America (magazine)
1909 establishments in New York City
Weekly magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 1909
Magazines published in New York City
Jesuit publications
Catholic magazines published in the United States