Row concave Shape Decorative svg added to bottom

Essays by Ilia Delio

Website Ilia_20240509_ILIA_[SQR] copy

Ilia Delio, OSF, PhD, is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC, and an American theologian specializing in the area of science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics, and neuroscience and the import of these for theology.

Ilia currently holds the Josephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University and is the author of twenty books, including "Care for Creation" (coauthored with Keith Warner and Pamela Woods), which won two Catholic Press Book Awards in 2009: first place for social concerns and second place in spirituality.

Her book "The Emergent Christ" won a third-place Catholic Press Book Award in 2011 for the area of Science and Religion. Her recent books include "The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution, and the Power of Love" (Orbis, 2013), which received the 2014 Silver Nautilus Book Award and a third-place Catholic Press Association Award for Faith and Science. Ilia holds two honorary doctorates, one from St. Francis University in 2015, and one from Sacred Heart University in 2020.

Learn more about Sr. Ilia and her publications.

2026-02.2 Blog (Delio) Square

The Unraveling: How Monotheism Severed Humanity from Its Cosmic Roots

Although countless commentators analyze the crises of our age, I am haunted by a more fundamental question: What conditions have made possible the election of manifestly unfit political leaders across…

2026-02 Blog (Delio) Square

The Great Work of Love: Chaos, Justice, and Divine Evolution

The images emerging from Minnesota—multitudes converging in defiance of bitter winter winds, voices rising in collective lament and resistance—continue to command our attention. These are not merely protests; they are…

2025-12 FundraiserP3New Year's Blog Squarer

Rewiring Our Lives Together, the Franciscan Way

The Season of Incarnation We are in the season of Incarnation—God becoming flesh. It is a beautiful time of the year that brings out the best of humanity, even in…

2025-12-ilia-delio-blog-incarnation-gods-life-is-our-life-square

InCarnation: God’s Life is Our Life

Yesterday, I stopped by a local Starbucks for a hot coffee. Outside the store sat a homeless man asking for money and food. I was struck by his appearance—his sad…

ilia-delio-love-and-political-order-blog-winter-fundriaser

Love and Political Order: The Evolutionary Path to Unity

We live in an age of fragmentation. Politically, we witness the hardening of tribal identities and nationalist divisions. Ecologically, we confront a world torn between exploitation and preservation. Socially, we…

mission-for-an-evolutionary-christianity-ilia-delio

Mission for an Evolutionary Christianity

We are living through tumultuous times. Political polarization intensifies, violence against vulnerable populations escalates, and the foundational principles of human dignity face erosion. For many, the cognitive dissonance between professed…