Christopher White

At the General Assembly of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life, the message could not have been clearer: Catholics need to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and help make it possible for others to do the same.

Pope Francis on Sept. 29 named Bishop Robert Brennan of Columbus, Ohio, as the new bishop of Brooklyn, New York.

Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington said he is "saddened" by the tensions in the U.S. church and sees it part of his job to bolster Pope Francis' ministry. 

Pope Francis has refused the resignation of Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the embattled archbishop of Cologne, Germany, and has instead granted him a six-month period of spiritual reflection following an investigation into his handling of clergy sexual abuse cases. 

Cardinal George Pell said that among the recent popes he was closest to Benedict XVI. Pell spoke during a webinar as part of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross' "The Church Up Close" series for journalists.

One of the pope's closest advisers, Cardinal Michael Czerny, encouraged U.S. Catholic leaders to reclaim the words on the Statue of Liberty, "even when some federal, state or local leaders are hostile towards immigration."

Newly published remarks from Pope Francis' meeting with Slovakian Jesuits include mention of a "large Catholic television channel" that is critical of him. The pope also spoke his more welcoming approach to marriage and family life, his recovery from his recent surgery and traditionalist priests. 

Pope Francis on Sept. 15 said the question of whether pro-choice Catholic politicians should receive Communion is "pastoral" and warned against bishops and priests who wade into politics. 

No one should be kept away from the church, Pope Francis said while visiting an ostracized Roma community in Slovakia.

Christian faith is not demonstrated by worldly power but through lived witness, Pope Francis said on Sept. 14 in Slovakia.

Slovakia's "fragile" freedom will not be strengthened through isolationism or engaging in culture wars Pope Francis said on Sept. 13, but rather through authentic dialogue and openness.

Pope Francis delivered an implicit rebuke of political strongmen as he arrived in the Hungarian capital Sept. 12.

Francis will spend less than seven hours in Budapest, Hungary, before he heads to Slovakia, crisscrossing the country with an aim to spotlight interreligious dialogue, ecumenism, and collaboration over isolationism.

When terrorists wreaked havoc on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, it forever altered global affairs — including, inadvertently, paving the way for a relatively unknown Argentine cardinal to eventually become Pope Francis.

The Pillar's controversial reporting on Msgr. Jeffrey Burrill gained national attention. Yet a review of past operations, the connections of its editors, undisclosed conflicts of interest and improper use of anonymous sources reveals a history of questionable journalistic ethics.

On the first-ever World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly July 25, Pope Francis will be elevating a theme he has sought to promote throughout his papacy: how "old age is a gift" and how the elderly link generations.

Msgr. Jeffrey Burrill has resigned as general secretary of the U.S. bishops' conference following allegations of "possible improper behavior."

Pope Francis may have considerable work ahead of him in his efforts to get the American Catholic hierarchy to embrace his priorities. But he does have opportunities in episcopal appointments on the horizon.

Wisconsin Fr. James Altman has been removed as pastor of his parish and restricted from ministry. According to a new decree issued by La Crosse Bishop William Callahan, Altman is only allowed to celebrate Mass in private and is barred from preaching.

Following a meeting at which a majority voted to advance a divisive document on the Eucharist, the U.S. bishops' conference is seeking to clear up its own mixed messaging and is insisting the document will no longer target Catholic politicians.