America (magazine)

America Magazine
EditorSam Sawyer, S.J.
Former editors
CategoriesChristianity (Catholicism)
FrequencyMonthly
Circulation45,000
PublisherAmerican Jesuits
Founded 1909 (1909-month)
CompanyAmerica Media
CountryUnited States
Based inNew York City
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.americamagazine.org Edit this at Wikidata
ISSN0002-7049

America is a monthly Catholic magazine published by the Jesuits of the United States and headquartered in midtown Manhattan. It contains news and opinion about Catholicism 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,[1][2] and has been described by The Washington Post as "a favorite of Catholic liberal intellectuals".[2]

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 from 1936 to 1944.[3]

Matt Malone 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 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.[4]

In 2022 Matt Malone concluded his editorship after ten years.[5][6]

Sam Sawyer became the fifteenth editor.[7]

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 on homosexuality, priestly celibacy, birth control, the debate about induced abortion and other matters. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith proposed a committee of censors to review the magazine's content. Reese resigned in May 2005. The National Catholic Reporter asserted that Reese's resignation was forced by the Vatican,[8] although America and the Jesuit generalate in Rome denied this.[9]

In 2009, under the leadership of Drew Christiansen, the editorial board gave support to an invitation for US President Barack Obama to receive an honorary degree at the University of Notre Dame. This was controversial, since the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had discouraged Catholic Universities from honoring politicians and activists that supported abortion rights.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Thompson, Damian (May 9, 2018). "Caught in the culture wars | CatholicHerald.co.uk". CatholicHerald.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Boorstein, Michelle (28 June 2013). "America, a popular intellectual Catholic magazine, bans terms 'liberal', 'conservative'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  3. ^ LaFarge, John (July 1, 1956). "Obituary: Father Francis Xavier Talbot, S.J., 1889–1953". Woodstock Letters. LXXXV (3): 341. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019 – via Jesuit Online Library.
  4. ^ "Welcome to jesuitical". 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  5. ^ Malone, Matt. 2022. "A Last Word." America 227 (5): 3.
  6. ^ "After Ten Years at the helm of the venerable Jesuit magazine America." First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life, no. 326, Oct. 2022, p. 68.
  7. ^ O'Loughlin, Michael J.(2022) "Father Sam Sawyer Named 15th Editor in Chief of America Magazine." America 227.1: 1–2.
  8. ^ Tom Roberts and John L. Allen, Jr., "Editor of Jesuits' America magazine forced to resign under Vatican pressure, National Catholic Reporter, May 6, 2005
  9. ^ "Signs of the Times". America. May 23, 2005. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  10. ^ "Inside the Obama-Notre Dame Debate". The Nation. May 14, 2009. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.