The Roman Catholic Future, in the US and Around the World

Making News

Consumer Confidence and the Holiday Shopping Season ()

It's Christmas Eve, the last day of the shopping season and, despite the sagging economy, retailers have not lapsed into panicked fire sales. That's according to Kathleen Madigan, economics columnist for the Dow Jones Newswires.

Guests:

• Kathleen Madigan: Economic Columnist, Dow Jones Newswires

Main Topic

The Catholic Church, the Next Generation ()

On this Christmas Eve, we take another look at the evolution of the Roman Catholic Church, an ancient institution in a fast moving world. Los Angeles, America's largest Catholic Archdiocese, is now 70 percent Latino and will soon will be led, for the first time, by a bishop born in Mexico. To replace outgoing Archbishop Cardinal Roger Mahony, a relatively liberal leader of Irish-American stock, Pope Benedict XVI has named Jose Gomez, who's associated with the conservative group Opus Dei. Both facts are telling about the Church in America and the views of the Vatican. In Europe, there's talk of a "post Christian era," and two-thirds of the world's one billion Roman Catholics live in Asia, Africa and Latin America. How long will church teachings remain the same? (This segment was originally broadcast on April 12, 2010)

Guests:

• John Allen: Senior Correspondent and Columnist, National Catholic Reporter
• Richard McBrien: Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame
• Andrew Small: Director, US Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for the Church in Latin America
• Patrick Ryan: Professor of Religion and Society, Fordham University

Links:

• Archbishop Jose Gomez, WWLA segment on
• Pew Forum on religion and the millennials
• Allen on the impact of naming a Latino to lead the Los Angeles Archdiocese
• Allen's 'The Future Church: How Ten Trends Are Revolutionizing the Catholic Church'
• McBrien's 'The Church: The Evolution of Catholicism'

Reporter's Notebook

Two Perspectives on a Reporter's Kidnapping ()

Two months after his marriage to artist-photographer Kristen Mulvihill, New York Times correspondent David Rohde was abducted by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Since kidnapping isn't an ordeal for the victim alone, his seven months in captivity changed both their lives. They've co-written a book about their experiences, A Rope and a Prayer: A Kidnapping from Two Sides.

Guests:

• Kristen Mulvihill: Co-author, 'A Rope and a Prayer'
• David Rohde: Reporter, New York Times

Links:

• Rohde's five-part NYT series on his kidnapping