Thomas J. Reese, SJ, brother of Edward A. Reese, SJ, is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Roman Catholic Jesuit

Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

 priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

, author, and former editor in chief

Editor in chief

An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...

 of America

America (magazine)

America is a national weekly magazine published by the American Jesuits that contains news and opinion about Catholicism and how it relates to American politics and cultural life....

, a weekly Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 magazine.

Fr. Reese resigned after seven years as the editor of America due to pressure from the Vatican

Roman Curia

The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...

 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...

. 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

Ordination of women

Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...

.

Following his resignation, Reese spent a year-long sabbatical at Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...

 before being named a fellow

Fellow

A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...

 at the Woodstock Theological Center

Woodstock Theological Center

The Woodstock Theological Center is an independent, nonprofit Catholic theological research institute in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1974, the center takes its name from Woodstock College, a former Jesuit seminary located in Maryland. The center is an affiliate member of the Washington Theological...

 in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

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.

Fr. Thomas Reese caved in to Fr. Smolich – now the #1 Jesuit in America.
Reese, then the Editor of America, sent a 2004 email to Fr. Thomas Smolich (now the highest USA Jesuit) about the suspiciously deceased Jesuit Fr. James Chevedden's upcoming 2004 article on Infant Communion that Reese had already accepted for publication. Reese asks Jesuit Fr. Smolich whether he should publish it. Smolich tells Reese not to publish the article and Reese caved in.