James Martin

Martin spent six years in corporate finance at General Electric, disliked it enough to enter the Society of Jesus at twenty-seven, and now edits a Jesuit magazine in New York and appears constantly on American television explaining Catholicism to people who are not Catholic. He worked with refugees in Kenya for two years during his training. Learning to Pray is a practical book for beginners rather than a theology. Building a Bridge, in 2017, argued for respect between the church and its gay members, cost him speaking invitations, drew organised attack from traditionalists, and was followed by two private audiences with Pope Francis, which most observers read as an answer to the attackers.