WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- The Vatican has forced the editor of a Jesuit magazine to resign after editorials in the publication became increasingly critical of Catholic philosophy.
The Rev. Thomas Reese, editor of New York-based America magazine and one of Pope John Paul II's most persistent critics, used the period between the pope's death and his successor's ascension to sharpen the tone of his attacks, the Washington Post reported Saturday.
After the election of Pope Benedict XVI, Reese ran an editorial saying, "A church that cannot openly discuss issues is a church retreating into an intellectual ghetto."
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican department formerly headed by the current pope, pressured leaders of the Jesuit order to oust Reese, observers said.
Reese gained notoriety for using the magazine as a platform to debate abortion, homosexuality and other controversial subjects.
