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Jesuit College and University Experts Available to Provide Commentary on Papal Visit

Thomas Groome
Contact: 860-739-6092 (home); 617-865-5325 (cell); 617-552-8449 (office); 617-243-3039 (home)   E-mail: groomet@bc.edu
Groome is director of the Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College and a professor of theology and religious education. His areas of expertise include the contemporary and historical Roman Catholic Church, the laity, the papacy and Catholic education. He is the author of the books What Makes Us Catholic: Eight Gifts for Life and Educating for Life: A Spiritual Vision for Every Teacher and Parent, as well as the textbook series Coming to God, used in elementary and secondary religious education throughout the country.

Rev. Raymond Helmick, S.J.
Contact: 617-552-8215 (Boston College); 617-325-1300 (St. Theresa rectory)     
E-mail: helmick@bc.edu
Fr. Helmick is an expert on conflict resolution and reconciliation and has been directly involved in mediation efforts in the Middle East, the Balkans and Northern Ireland. He has studied the religious and ethnic issues in the Middle East and is a founder of the US Interreligious Committee for Peace in the Middle East. He is the author of the book Negotiating Outside the Law: Why Camp David Failed.

Rev. David Hollenbach, S.J.
Contact: 617-552-8855   E-mail: hollenb@bc.edu
Fr. Hollenbach is the University Chair in Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College, specializing in Catholic theology and in Christian social ethics, particularly human rights, justice and the role of religion in social and political life. He has been a visiting professor at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa and at the Jesuit Philosophy Institute in Ho Chi Minh City and has traveled to Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. He has received the John Courtney Murray Award for outstanding contributions to theology from the Catholic Theological Society of America.

Rev. Robert Imbelli
Contact: 617-965-3934   E-mail: frimbell@bc.edu
Fr. Imbelli, associate professor of theology at Boston College, studied in Rome during the Second Vatican Council era. He is an expert on the papal authority and influence. He is editor of the book Handing on the Faith: The Church's Mission and Challenge, which was honored by the Catholic Press Association. He has served as a Roman Catholic representative in the Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue USA.

Stephen Pope
Contact: 617-552-3892   E-mail: popest@bc.edu
Pope is a professor of theology at Boston College who specializes in Roman Catholic ethics, particularly issues related to forgiveness, reconciliation and social and economic justice. He also is well-versed in the relationship between the Catholic Church and politics and other contemporary issues. Pope is editor of the book Common Calling: The Laity and the Governance of the Church and author of the book Evolution and Christian Ethics.

Lisa Sowle Cahill
Contact: 617-552-3890   E-mail: lisa.cahill.1@bc.edu
Cahill is Boston College's J. Donald Monan, SJ professor of theology. Her areas of expertise include bioethics, marriage and divorce, just war theory and women and gender issues within the Catholic Church. She has served as president of both the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Society of Christian Ethics. She is author of the books Sex, Gender and Christian Ethics; 'Love Your Enemies': Discipleship, Pacifism and Just War Theory, and Bioethics and the Common Good.

COLLEGE OF THE HOLY CROSS

Mathew N. Schmalz
Associate Professor of Religious Studies; Director of the College Honors Program Contact: mschmalz@holycross.edu; 508-793-2557 (office) 508-831-7044 (home)
Schmalz specializes in global Catholicism, the Papacy, and Catholicism/culture issues in the U.S.  A frequent media commentator, he has provided expert analysis on a multitude of issues, including the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI, to outlets including the Associated Press, USA Today, The Boston Globe, The San Francisco Chronicle, U.S. News & World Report, and NPR. 

Rev. Thomas Worcester, S.J.
Associate Professor of History
Contact: tworcest@holycross.edu; 508-793-2784 (office)
Fr. Worcester teaches a course on the papacy, and can comment on the history of papal travel to various parts of the world, especially since the 1960s.

Rev. Mario Farrugia, S.J.
International Visiting Jesuit Fellow Theologian, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome Contact: mfarrugi@holycross.edu; 508-793-3501 (office)
Fr. Farrugia, a Maltese Jesuit, teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, the University of Malta, and the Pontifical Theological Faculty in Naples. Specializing in theological anthropology, he is a visiting fellow at Holy Cross this semester, and is currently teaching a course at the College titled "Catholicism in Word and Image."

William Shea
Director, Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture
Contact: wshea@holycross.edu; 508-793-3735 (office)
Shea is an expert on the history of American religion, with a special interest in evangelical and Catholic relations. He is the author of several articles and books, including most recently Lion and the Lamb: Evangelicals and Catholics in America (Oxford University Press).

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY

Dennis Hamm, S.J.
Professor, Department: Graff Chair in Catholic Theological Studies
Office Phone: 402-280-2507  Dept. Phone: 402-280-2507   E-mail: dhamm@creighton.edu
Expertise: New Testament; Catholic understanding of Scripture; Jewish/Christian relations; Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles; Catholic Social Teaching

Roger C. Bergman, Ph.D.
Director of Justice & Peace Studies, Department: Sociology
Office Phone: 402-280-1492   E-mail: ROGERBERGMAN@creighton.edu
Expertise: Catholic social teaching, including ethics of war and peace; Moral development and moral education, especially education for justice in Jesuit higher education

Eileen C. Burke-Sullivan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department: Theology
Office Phone: 402-280-3285   E-mail: e_burkesullivan@creighton.edu
Doctorate of Sacred Theology
Expertise: Liturgical theology Ignatian Spirituality; The nature, structure, history and theology of the Christian movement, especially the Catholic Church; Church leadership structures, the historical development of the Catholic Church, Lay formation for ministry, the development of lay leadership and service in the Catholic Church over the last 50 years.

John O'Keefe, Ph.D.
Professor, Department: Theology
Office Phone: 402-280-4799  Department Phone: 402-280-2501   E-mail: jokeefe@creighton.edu
Expertise: Contemporary Catholic life; Developments in Catholicism since Vatican II

John Carlson, Ph.D.
Professor, Department: Philosophy
Office Phone: 402-280-4765  Department Phone: 402-280-2834   E-mail: jackc@creighton.edu
Expertise: Catholic Social teaching in relation to American public policy issues: Thought on Pope John Paul II; American Catholic Universities.

Sue Crawford, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department: Political Science
Office Phone: 1-402-280-2569  Department Phone: 1-402-280-2836   E-mail: Crawford@creighton.edu
Expertise: Faith and Politics

FAIRFIELD UNVERSITY

Jeffrey von Arx, S.J.
President, Fairfield University
Father von Arx will be in the meeting with Pope Benedict on April 17 in Washington, D.C. with other college presidents.  An historian by discipline, Fr. von Arx taught at Georgetown University before being named Dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill in 1998.  He has served as a trustee at Boston College, Canisius College, Loyola Marymount and Xavier Universities. 
Expertise:  The Catholic University; The Modern Papacy

Nancy Dallavalle, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Fairfield University
Dr. Dallavalle teaches a course on the papacy and is the author of "Facing east:  In anticipation of Benedict's visit," in the April 4, 2008 issue of the National Catholic Reporter. She has been interviewed by CNN Daybreak, CNN NewsNight, and CBS-TV New York, the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and her commentary has been carried in Commonweal.
Expertise:  Popes and the Papacy; Pope as a World Leader; Media treatment of the Pope; Women and the Church

Paul Lakeland, Ph.D.
Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. Professor of Catholic Studies, Fairfield University
Dr. Lakeland is Director of the Center for Catholic Studies and author of  "The Liberation of the Laity:  In Search of an Accountable Church," awarded first place 2004 Catholic Press Award.  He has been interviewed by CBS-TV New York,, CNBC, New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Associated Press, The Tablet in the U.K., National Catholic Reporter.
Expertise:  U.S. Catholic Church; Role of the Laity in the Church; Re-Centralization of authority under recent Popes;  History of the Papacy

Richard Ryscavage,S.J.
Professor of Sociology/International Studies, Fairfield University
Fr. Richard Ryscavage, S.J., was a member in 2006-07 of the official delegation of the Holy See to the 61st session of the UN General Assembly in New York and is a former national director of the Jesuit Refugee Service USA.  He is the director of the Center for Faith and Public Life at Fairfield University.  He has been interviewed by MSNBC, The Christian Science Monitor, Sirius Radio and the Stamford Advocate.
Expertise:  The Pope and the United Nations; The Vatican and issues of migration and the Common Good.

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY

Rev. Anthony J. Ciorra, Ph.D.
Dean of the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education
Father Ciorra can discuss the significant themes of the Benedict XVI papacy (including key differences with those of John Paul II), issues that Benedict XVI may confront during his pontificate, and the future of the church.

Rev. Claudio M. Burgaleta, S.J.
Assistant Professor of Theology
Father Burgaleta can discuss the thought of Benedict XVI, Ignatian spirituality and Jesuit history (especially in Latin America and Spain), similarities and differences among the Catholicisms of Latin America, Latino/a ministry in the United States (especially the formation of lay ecclesial ministers) and contemporary Roman Catholic theology.

George Demacopoulos, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Theology and Co-Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Program
Professor Demacopoulos can discuss the Church's ongoing dialogue with the East (under Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI) and the ancient papacy.

Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J.
Professor of Theology
Father Lienhard is a Church historian who can discuss the history of the papacy and the contributions of Pope Benedict XVI to the Church.

Mark S. Massa, S.J.
Professor and Co-director of The Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies
Father Massa can discuss the Vatican's relationship with American Catholicism.

Rev. Patrick Ryan, S.J.
Vice President for Mission and Ministry
Father Ryan can discuss interreligious dialogue, secularization, Pope Benedict XVI's theology and the Church's presence in the modern world.

Msgr. Thomas J. Shelley, Ph.D.
Professor of Theology
Author of the history of the New York Archdiocese in its bicentennial year, Msgr. Shelley can discuss nineteenth and twentieth-century American Catholicism, with particular attention to the development of the Catholic Church in New York.

Maureen A. Tilley, Ph.D.
Visiting Professor of Theology
A past president of the North American Patristics Society, Dr. Tilley studies the history of the early Church. She can provide historical background, context and detail on topics such as papal customs and Church traditions.

Terrence W. Tilley, Ph.D.
Professor of Theology and Chair of the Department
The incoming president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, Dr. Tilley can discuss Catholic theology, Christology, the Church's relationships with world religions and recent developments in Church-university relations.

To contact an expert, please call Syd Steinhardt at (212) 636-6534.

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

Chester Gillis
Amaturo Chair in Catholic Studies in the Department of Theology; Director of the Program on the Church and Interreligious Dialogue in the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.
An expert on the U.S. Catholic Church, the history of Catholicism, and the papacy, including Pope Bendedict XVI, his other areas of expertise include interfaith dialogue, feminist theology, world religions and Jesus Christ. He is the author of Roman Catholicism in America, Pluralism: A New Paradigm for Theology, A Question of Final Belief, Catholic Faith in America and editor of The Political Papacy and is currently working on a manuscript on interfaith marriages.

Rev. John Langan, S.J.
Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Chair of Catholic Social Thought at Georgetown's Kennedy Institute of Ethics.
He is a Jesuit priest with a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Michigan and holds graduate degrees in classics and theology. His research interests include ethics and international affairs; human rights in theory and practice; capital punishment; Catholic social teaching; and the place of religion in liberal political thought. He is currently working on a manuscript on the ethics of humanitarian intervention.

Thomas J. Reese, S.J.
Senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown; former editor of America magazine.
At Woodstock, Father Reese focuses on contemporary Catholic Church issues, ethics and public policy, and religion and politics. 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).

To contact an expert, please call Andrea Fereshteh at (202) 687-4328 or after hours at (202) 459-1498.

Editor's note: A studio-quality ISDN service is available free of charge to radio news outlets who would like to interview Georgetown University faculty. If you are interested in scheduling a live or pre-recorded interview via the ISDN line please contact the Office of Communications at (202) 687-4328. For more information about the service, please visit: http://communications.georgetown.edu/services.html.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY

Thomas Rausch, S.J.
Chilton Professor, Catholic Theology
Office:  University Hall #3722
Telephone:  (310) 338-7670 or (310) 338-2931  Departmental FAX:  (310) 338-1947   E-mail: trausch@lmu.edu
Expertise: Ecclesiology, Christology, Ecumenism, Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO

Dr. Richard Costigan, S.J.
Associate Professor, Theology 
Contact: 773-508-2354 or rcostig@luc.edu
Expertise: Historical Theology, Papacy, Church Development, History of Ecclesiology and Ecclesio-Political Development, Councils, and Religio-Political Controversy

Dr. Jon Nilson
Associate Professor, Theology
Contact: 773-508-2374 or jnilson@luc.edu
Expertise: Systematic Theology, Papacy, Ecclesiology, Ecumenism, Roman Catholicism in the 19th and 20th Centuries, Theological Method, and African-American Religious Thought

David Stagaman, S.J.
Professor, Theological Studies
Contact: 773-508-2370 or dstagam@luc.edu
Expertise: Philosophy of Language, Church in the World, Wittgenstein, Hermeneutics, Church Authority, Papacy and Episcopacy

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NEW ORLEANS

Fr. Donald Hawkins
Pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Church at Loyola NO. 
E-mail: dhawkins@hnjchurch.org
Expertise: Church History 

MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY

Dr. Ulrich Lehner
Assistant Professor, Department of Theology
(414) 288-7333   E-mail: ulrich.lehner@marquette.edu
Expertise: Knows Pope Benedict XVI personally; studied in his department at the University of Regensburg in Germany. Expert in Catholic history.

Dr. Patrick Carey
William J. Kelly, S.J., Chair in Catholic Theology
(414) 288-718   E-mail: patrick.carey@marquette.edu
Expertise: Current trends in American Catholicism, Church history, historical theology, Catholic American history

Dr. William Thorn
Chair/Associate Professor, Department of Journalism
(414) 288-3447   E-mail: william.thorn@marquette.edu
Expertise: Catholic Church and media, Vatican and media, Catholic press, religious communication, media and religion. Attending White House reception for pope on April 16.

Rev. Steven Avella
Professor, Department of History
(414) 288-3556 (office) or (414) 672-0316 (mobile)  
E-mail: steven.avella@marquette.edu
Expertise: Office of the Pope, American hierarchy and the papacy in Rome, Pope John Paul II, American religious history

REGIS UNIVERSITY

Rev. Michael J. Sheeran, S.J.
President, Regis University
Fr. Sheeran was interviewed extensively by the media during the Papel transition in 2005 and in 1993 when Pope John Paul and President Clinton visited the Regis University campus.

SPRING HILL COLLEGE

Rev. Christopher J.  Viscardi, S.J.
Professor and Division Chair,  Philosophy and Theology, Spring Hill College
Contact: 251-414-3203 or 251-380-4662   E-mail: viscardi@shc.edu
S.T.D. Gregorian University, Rome
Expertise: Church History, Jesuit History, Catholic Social Thought, Religion and Current Events

Dr. Stephen Wilson
Associate Professor, Theology, Spring Hill College
Contact: 251-414-3203, 251-380-4666   E-mail: wilson@shc.edu
Ph.D. University of Notre Dame
Expertise: Worship, Social Ethics (e.g., social justice, war and peace, and nonviolent social change), Theology and Popular Culture

UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY

John Staudenmaier, S.J.
Director, Office of Mission and Identity at UDM; Editor, Technology & Culture: The International Journal of Society of the History of Technology
Contact: (313) 993-1622 or (313) 993-3391
E-mail: staudejm@udmercy.edu
Expertise: Technology and faith (the current Pope's likely understanding of American patterns of culture [beliefs, commitments, etc.]); Globalization and its effects on spirituality

UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON

James Brian Benestad, Ph.D.
Professor of Theology, The University of Scranton
Contact: 570-941-4359 or benestadj1@scranton.edu; or 570-941-7662; (public relations office) or 570 575 4994 (cell)
Expertise: Pope Benedict XVI, (has studied the writings of Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger, since the 1970s); Pope as a world leader; Faith and Politics.

XAVIER UNIVERSITY

Gillian Ahlgren, Ph.D.
Professor, Theology
PhD: University of Chicago
Contact: 513-281-4564 (cell) or ahlgren@xavier.edu
Expertise: Church history; Pope as a world leader; ecclesiology (study of/theories of church); spirituality; faith and politics

Art Dewey, Th.D.
Professor, Theology
ThD: Harvard University
Contact: Office 513-745-2051 or snake@fuse.net or dewey@xavier.edu
Expertise: reviewed a book critiquing the Pope's biblical scholarship; faith and politics

Rabbi Abie Ingber
Adjunct Professor, Theology and Hillel Director
Contact: Office: 513-221-6728  Cell: 513-646-2924  Email: abie@hillelcincinnati.org
Expertise: the Pope as a world leader in Catholic-Jewish dialogue; one of the creators of "A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People" exhibit

John Sniegocki, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Theology
PhD: University of Notre Dame
Contact: Office: 513-745-3287 or Home: 513-351-4939  or sniegocj@xavier.edu
Expertise: Catholic social teaching, including the social teaching of current Pope