Marks is a lecturer in the theology department at the University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada. He is also the author of over a dozen articles in systematic theology and the author/editor of several texts in theology. His primary research area is contemporary systematic theology, although his doctoral work dealt with nineteenth-century German Protestant theology. […]

The National Catholic Reporter has a June 22, 2009, podcast and summary of a story, “Jesuit sees convergence of U.S., Vatican policies,” featuring an interview with the Rev. Thomas Reese about relations between the Vatican and the Obama administration.

Read a June 22, 2009, National Catholic Reporter story, “Progressive Catholics at home in Obama administration.”

Read a June 22, 2009, analysis of the encyclical’s themes, “Economic encyclical expands on church’s ‘best kept secret’,” by National Catholic Reporter columnist John L. Allen Jr.

Read a June 24, 2009, blog post at the Web site of the Jesuit magazine America, “Obama going to the Vatican,” by Michael Sean Winters.

Read a June 29, 2009, report on the pope’s comments about the encyclical, “In preview of new encyclical, Benedict reprises ‘dictatorship of relativism’ speech,” by National Catholic Reporter columnist John L. Allen Jr.

Read a June 29, 2009, article at the First Things Web site, “Economic Heresies of the Left,” by Michael Novak. Novak is considered a conservative Catholic writer who defends capitalism in this essay and elsewhere against interpretations of papal teachings that some say criticize the capitalist system.

Read a July 1, 2009, Religion News Service article, “Groundbreaking economic encyclical on the way,” by Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokesperson for the USCCB. It’s posted at the USCCB media blog site.

The media blog at the Web site of the United States Conference of Catholic bishops has a “Social Encyclical Primer” that sets out the history of papal encyclicals on social justice themes.