Bruce Morrill

Media Appearances

• The Mar-A-Lago 'Catholic' Event, March Madness, and an interview with Bruce Morrill

  Heidi, Fr. Daniel, and David look at the recent ‘prayer’ event held in support of Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago, and Heidi and Daniel teach David some things about basketball. Also, Heidi interviews Bruce Morrill, Chair of Catholic Studies at Vanderbilt University.

  March 28th, 2024

• Vatican shift on gay blessings has 'deep pastoral implications,' say theologians

  Jesuit Fr. Bruce Morrill, the Edward A. Malloy Chair in Roman Catholic Studies at Vanderbilt University, said that the declaration was consistent with Francis' pastoral focus and his impulse toward accompaniment and inclusion throughout his papacy.

  December 19th, 2023

• The history of religious traditions

  Ben Hall is joined by Dr. Bruce Morrill, a professor from Vanderbilt Divinity School, to discuss the significance of traditions such as Communion in the church and how they have changed over the years on this episode of Issues of Faith.

  June 10th, 2022

• You will never regret going to the funeral

  “Ritual is what humans do to help each other navigate through life’s ambiguities,” Bruce Morrill, S.J., the Edward A. Malloy Chair of Roman Catholic Studies at Vanderbilt University, tells me. And for Catholics the funeral Mass helps point us to the promise of everlasting life. It uses the sad occasion of the death of a loved one to remind us that the Eucharist is always “a foretaste of the heavenly banquet,” Father Morrill says. The funeral Mass, he says, is “a kind of counterpoint to the grief. It doesn’t erase the grief, but it is a hopeful, forward-looking ritual.”

  January 14th, 2022

• In Germany, Vatican ban on blessing same-sex couples catches church 'in process'

  The doctrinal correctness of the statement aside, some Catholic leaders have reacted to both the emphasis and the timing of the statement. “If their genuine concern is to teach, they blew it,” said the Rev. Bruce Morrill, a Jesuit and a professor of Roman Catholic studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Tennessee, noting that doctrine “means teaching.”

  March 19th, 2021

• 4 reasons why the rush to reopen churches goes beyond politics

  “For Christianity in general, assembling on Sunday is a most ancient tradition,” said Bruce Morrill, a Roman Catholic priest and a professor of theological studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School. “It’s at the very origins of Christianity, and it remains important for this day.”

  May 24th, 2020

• Why Joe Biden was denied communion at a church

  Former Vice President Joseph Biden, who is a Roman Catholic, recently stopped on the campaign trail to attend Sunday Mass at a church in Florence, South Carolina. But the pastor, Robert Morey, refused to give him Communion.

  November 5th, 2019

• What Is Urbi et Orbi? Here's the Meaning Behind the Pope's Easter Message

  Literally speaking, "Urbi et Orbi" is Latin for "to the City and to the World." This message, which is delivered by the Pope, is directly addressed to the city of Rome and the worldwide or universal church. "In the history of this papal tradition, the worldwide church is the Roman Catholic Church, as catholicos means 'universal.' More recently, the notion has broadened to all Christians and people of goodwill open to receiving the message," explains Bruce Morrill, PhD, the Edward A. Malloy Chair of Catholic Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

  April 21st, 2019

• What Is Good Friday and Why Do We Celebrate It?

  As Lent, a period of reflection in preparation for Easter, comes to a close, many Christians observe Good Friday. “Good Friday is the day Christians commemorate the suffering and execution of Jesus by the Roman-occupying empire in Jerusalem,” says professor and Jesuit priest Bruce Morrill, PhD, Edward A. Malloy Chair of Catholic Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville. “The day focuses on the passion and death of Jesus.”

  February 22nd, 2019

• Before the digital age, how religious groups increased the numbers in their order

  A monastery of 10 nuns on the Italian island of Sardinia is using social media to share their community’s work and ensure its very survival. This might appear surprising considering these nuns chose a life of quiet work and prayer separated from the world. But as a Catholic theologian focusing on liturgical and religious life, my research shows the nuns’ turn to cyberspace is only the latest chapter in a long history of religious orders’ using the best means of communication. The story of how the Jesuits grew their order back in the 16th century provides an interesting case study.

  June 12th, 2017