Voices of the Bay: Bristol’s Michael O’Loughlin

In January, Michael O’Loughlin was named executive editor of National Catholic Reporter (NCR), whose mission is to connect Catholics to church, faith, and the common good through independent news, analysis, and spiritual reflection. The independent news source, founded in 1964, is published biweekly in print and daily online, with approximately 1.5 million readers monthly.

As the first openly gay person in the role at NCR, O’Loughlin hopes others in the LGBTQ community will see the appointment as an opportunity to participate in leadership roles within Catholicism. The Bristol resident holds a Master’s Degree in religion from Yale Divinity School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology from St. Anselm College.

EARLY INFLUENCE: I grew up Catholic, and I was always interested in journalism. In my final year at Yale, I interned at America: The Jesuit Review. I discovered religion and journalism fused my interests, and I pursued that.

SHINING A LIGHT: I think if it [my appointment] helps other LGBTQ Catholics feel like they can envision themselves in leadership roles in Catholic organizations, that’s great. To me, it doesn’t affect my journalism. In my previous job, running outreach, I worked with a specific LGBT ministry, so that was my primary focus. In this role, my primary focus is doing good journalism and helping the team do good journalism. NCR is fiercely independent, so even though we cover the church, I don’t think it was an issue for them to hire me. The Jesuits’ decision to hire and appoint me to that role was not without controversy, and I give them credit for that.

LEAVE OR STAY: In my book Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear, I write quite a bit of my own struggles and wanting to leave [the Catholic church], but then sort of finding my way back in and just deciding that I would stay. With Pope Francis, there was a sense that we could talk about these things honestly, and there seemed to be some willingness among some priests to find ways to help people make their faith work with whatever’s going on in their lives. It also depends on  where you are geographically in the church, too. I think there are some bishops and priests who are more open to that kind of faith than there are in other places. I’ve had a great experience. Other people have not.

MEMORABLE AUDIENCE: Meeting Pope Francis and presenting him a copy of my first book, The Tweetable Pope, was an inspiring and unforgettable experience. We spoke, through an interpreter, about his efforts to build peace, make the church more welcoming, and the church in the United States. A few years later, I was honored to receive a letter from him, praising my book Hidden Mercy. I’m grateful for his leadership and was honored to have these interactions with him.

POPE LEO XIV: I’m optimistic. Early indicators suggest he’s someone very much in the style of Pope Francis. The couple of times he’s weighed in on US politics, he seems to want to kind of move beyond the culture wars. He seems very pro-immigrant. The kind of bishops he’s appointing suggests that he wants the church to be more in the Pope Francis style.

AMERICAN ROOTS: Pope Leo understands the United States. I think there was a segment of the Catholic church, particularly conservative Catholics, who tried to dismiss Pope Francis by saying he didn’t really understand the US. They won’t be able to anymore. I think he will be very careful about when he weighs in, but he does seem to want to leave his mark.

EASTER TRADITION: For me, the resurrection story of good triumphing over evil is important, especially as there’s so much bad news. I want to remain hopeful that good triumphs. My husband and I host our family in Bristol for Easter Sunday. We have two young nephews, so it’s a lot of fun and has become a nice tradition.