A Letter from the Publisher

The press and the hierarchy of the U.S. Roman Catholic Church have long had a somewhat wary, arm's length relationship. But that gap was partly bridged in 1971 when TIME Associate Editor Richard Ostling, representing the Religion Newswriters Association, helped negotiate an unprecedented arrangement that later opened the meetings of Catholic bishops to journalists. Previously, Ostling recalls, "the bishops' deliberations were secret, and reporters sat outside, talking among themselves." Meanwhile, pickets would vie for press attention, and lobbyists for varying causes would voice their grievances. Says Ostling: "Naturally, these groups would cozy up to the press corps to get coverage, and soon sideshows were upstaging the main event." After the veil was lifted, says Ostling, "there was a lull in press coverage. Some bishops thought that when they were more mysterious, they were more attractive. But soon enough, a tremendous interest in the bishops' every move was reborn."

As a correspondent for TIME since 1969 and Religion editor since 1975, Ostling has covered stories ranging from Satanism to yoga, squeezing out time for a twice-weekly Report on Religion that is syndicated by CBS radio, and a book fittingly entitled Secrecy in the Church. A veteran observer of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, Ostling more than a decade ago spotted TIME'S cover subject, Archbishop Joseph Bernardin, as "a key figure who possessed unusual competence." When Bernardin was elected president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1974, Ostling interviewed him in a Washington hotel room; later their paths recrossed in Rome during the 1977 and 1980 synods of bishops.

Ostling is not the only member of the cover team with impressive credentials. Assistant Managing Editor John Elson, who guided the cover project, was TIME'S Religion editor throughout the Vatican II period, writing numerous cover stories on the papacy and Protestant trends. Washington Reporter Jim Castelli was once religion editor of the Washington Star. Reporter-Researcher Michael Harris attended a Roman Catholic seminary for five years, and taught ancient and medieval philosophy, Latin and Greek at another seminary for three. New York Correspondent Bruce van Voorst has interviewed theologians from Rudolf Bultmann to Hans Kueng, while Chicago Correspondent J. Madeleine Nash covered the final days of Bernardin's controversial predecessor, the late John Cardinal Cody. Says she: "After the remoteness of the old-style bishops, Bernardin seems refreshingly approachable."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.