Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J.

Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J., is a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University where he focuses on religion and public policy and is director of the Woodstock International Visiting Fellows Program. Father Reese has an M.Div (Master of Divinity) from the Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley (1974), and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley (1976). From 1998 to 2005, he was editor of America, the national Catholic weekly magazine, where he encouraged discussion and debate on issues facing the Catholic church and the world.

Father Reese is a widely recognized expert on the U.S. Catholic Church and is frequently cited by journalists. He is author of a trilogy examining church organization and politics on the local, national and international levels: Archbishop: Inside the Power Structure of the American Catholic Church (Harper & Row, 1989), A Flock of Shepherds: The National Conference of Catholic Bishops (Sheed & Ward, 1992) and Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church (Harvard University Press, 1997). His books have been widely and favorably reviewed. Inside the Vatican has been translated into Dutch, German, Polish and Portuguese.

Prior to being editor at America, he was a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center (1985-98), a visiting fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (1994-95), associate editor of America (1978-85), a lobbyist for tax reform and a writer for Tax Notes (1975-78). 

He is a regular contributor to newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith.