Thomas J. Reese

Thomas J. Reese, SJ, brother of Edward A. Reese, SJ, is an American Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, author, and former editor in chief of America, a weekly Catholic magazine.

Resignation

Fr. 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.^[1] Over a period of five years, the congregation objected to various editorial decisions made by Reese concerning certain issues addressed in the magazine, notably priestly celibacy and the ordination of women. At “America” Reese deferred editorially to Fr. Thomas Smolich, a Jesuit Provincial at the time.

Following his resignation, Reese spent a year-long sabbatical at Santa Clara University before being named a fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center in Washington, D.C. The center is scheduled to close on June 30, 2013 due to a lack of Jesuit staff.

Publications

Books

• The Politics of Taxation. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1980.
• Archbishop: Inside the Power Structure of the American Catholic Church, San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989.
• Episcopal Conferences: Historical, Canonical, and Theological Studies (editor), Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 1989.
• The Universal Catechism Reader (editor), San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1990.
• A Flock of Shepherds: The National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Kansas City, MO.: Sheed & Ward, 1992.
• Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church, Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University, 1996.

  In Het Vaticaan: De Organisatie van de Macht in de Katholieke Kerk, Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Bert Bakker, 1998.

  Im Inneren des Vatikan: Politik und Organisation der katholischen Kirche, Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer, 1998.

  O Vaticano por dentro: A Política e a Organização da Igreja Católica, Bauru, Brasil: Editora da Universidade do Sagrado Coração, 1999.

  No Interior do Vaticano: A Política e Organização da Igreja Católica, Portugal: Publicações Europa-América, Lda., 1998.

Monographs

• Communication II: Decision-Making Examined, Jesuit Self-Study California/Oregon Provinces, 1969.
• The Generation Gap, Jesuit Self-Study California/Oregon Provinces, 1971.
• 95th Congress Rated on Tax Reform, Arlington, VA: Taxation with Representation, 1978.
• Co-Discipleship in Action: Bishops and Laity in Dialogue, Woodstock Theological Center, 1991.

References

• America magazine: Publications by Thomas J. Reese, SJ
• Roberts, Tom and John L. Allen, Jr., "Editor of Jesuits' America magazine forced to resign under Vatican pressure", National Catholic Reporter, May 6, 2005. . accessed 5 November 2005