This thematic Collection seeks to critically examine the political, social and cultural dimensions of Catholicism today. We invite submissions, including interdisciplinary perspectives, that explore Catholicism as a dynamic and contested force, negotiated between tradition and reform, public authority and personal faith, doctrine and practice, silence and visibility. Scholars are encouraged to draw on diverse methods and global case studies to interrogate how Catholicism is lived, expressed, mediated and challenged in the contemporary era. Historical perspectives are also welcomed.

Tradition, reform and Catholic identity

• The resurgence of traditionalist movements and debates over Vatican II
• Gender, sexuality and intra-Church tensions
• Theological diversity, lay agency and ecclesial authority
• Competing visions for the future of Catholicism (e.g. synodality)
• Tensions between pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II interpretations of doctrine, liturgy and Church authority

Catholicism and political life

• Catholic nationalism and religious populism
• The Church’s role in democratic movements, authoritarian regimes and peacebuilding
• Catholic political mobilisation across global contexts
• Church–state relations and legal pluralism

Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and public ethics

• Contemporary applications of key documents (e.g. Rerum Novarum, Laudato si’)
• Catholic responses to migration, inequality, climate change and labour rights
• Workers’ rights and Catholicism (e.g. legacy of Leo XIII’s teachings)
• Tensions between CST and dominant economic or political ideologies
• CST in non-Western and postcolonial settings

Cultural Catholicism and national identity

• Catholicism as heritage, symbol or memory in secular societies
• Country-level perspectives: Italy, Ireland, Spain, France, Quebec, Latin America
• Ritual and identity among non-practising or “cultural” Catholics
• The Church’s role in shaping national myths and moral narratives
• Tensions between inherited pre-Vatican II religious cultures and contemporary secular Catholic identities

Catholicism in the arts and media

• Catholic themes in literature, film and visual culture
• The influence of Vatican II on 1960s and post-1960s artistic expression
• Representations of Catholicism in popular culture: continuity, rupture and reimagination
• Media portrayals of Catholic figures, doctrine and controversies
• Religious aesthetics, symbolism and critique in contemporary culture

Catholicism in the digital age

• Catholic influencers and social media evangelists
• Online tensions between traditionalist and progressive communities
• Digital catechesis, spiritual authority and algorithmic fragmentation
• The Church’s institutional presence online

Global and postcolonial Catholicisms

• Indigenous and non-Western expressions of Catholicism
• Mission legacies and decolonial critiques of Church institutions
• Transnational faith networks, migration and diasporic Catholicism
• Intersection of race, class, language and belief

Interfaith dialogue and religious pluralism

• Catholic participation in interreligious and ecumenical dialogue
• Nostra Aetate and emerging Church teachings on pluralism
• Theological, pastoral and diplomatic approaches to multifaith contexts
• Catholicism and secularism in pluralistic societies

The papacy as cultural and political symbol

• The figure of the pope in global media, politics and theology
• Papal diplomacy and international relations
• Papal infallibility and authority
• Popular fascination with the papacy across belief systems
• Continuities and shifts in papal leadership over time

Submissions are welcome from scholars across the humanities and social sciences, including sociology, political science, religious studies, anthropology, cultural studies, theology, media studies and history. Interdisciplinary and comparative work is strongly encouraged.