Official Sites
Vatican.va The official website of the papacy. It contains all of the documents of modern popes plus links to the work of many Vatican committees and a wealth of resources related to church life, teaching and history. The site bears perusing and is searchable.
Pontifical Academy of Sciences The academy brings together eminent scientists and professors from all parts of the world to explore contemporary issues at the nexus of science and faith. This learned society is one of two modern reincarnations of the Accademia dei Lincei, a society of 17th century scholars that once numbered Galileo Galilei among its members. Galileo's portrait rests atop the desk of the chancellor of the academy. The website has links to the papers and proceedings of the academy, most of which are in English.
Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences This academy is under the same administration as the Academy of Sciences and similarly explores research and scholarship at the nexus of social issues and faith. The website has links to its papers and proceedings, many of which are in English. In 2012 the academy published Universal Rights in a World of Diversity - The Case of Religious Freedom, the proceedings of its plenary meeting of the year before.
Pontifical Council for Culture Blessed John Paul II founded this council in 1982 with the purpose of "establishing dialogue between the Church and the cultures of our time, so that they could open themselves up to the Christian faith, creator of culture and source of science, letters and the arts." Cardinal Ravasi, the president of the council, recently founded a forum called The Courtyard of the Gentiles for a cultural dialogue with the unchurched and non-believers. The website of the council has some useful links and also appears to be still in development, as you can tell from the untitled catalogue of the electronic journal, Cultures and Faith, linked under The Review in Tools.
Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue This very important council was founded in 1964 by Pope Paul VI. It's history as reflective of the development the Catholic Church's thinking about the common theological yearning and points of contact between the religions of the world is admirably given by the late Jacques Dupuis, S.J. in Towards a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism (1997). The webpage is part of the Vatican site and has links to major addresses of the council and its members.
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace This body of scholars is housed at San Callisto in Trastevere, which is an extraterritorial possession of the Vatican. It is responsible for the very valuable recent Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, which is linked on our site under Catholic Social Justice.
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity The origins of this council which is concerned with ecumenical relations between the Christian churches date to the Secretariat for Christian Unity founded by Blessed Pope John XXIII in 1960. The webpage has links to Vatican documents related to dialogue with many Orthodox and Protestant communions. There is also a link to Vatican documents on the Catholic dialogue with Judaism since the Second Vatican Council.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The website of the collegial body of American Catholic bishops, with many resources available through links.
Archdiocese of San Francisco The website of the metropolitan administration of the Catholic Church in Northern California and adjoining regions centered in San Francisco and governed by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.
Diocese of Oakland The website of the local administration of the Catholic Church centered at the Cathedral of Christ the Light and governed by Bishop Michael Barber.