National Catholic Reporter | The Independent News Source

May 23, 2022

Volunteers remove trees to restore San Antonio's only nature sanctuary

by Alexandra Applegate

May 23, 2022

Archbishop Cordileone says no Communion for Speaker Pelosi over position on abortion

by Julie Asher, Catholic News Service

May 20, 2022

San Francisco's archbishop declared May 20 that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is not "to be admitted" to Communion unless and until she publicly repudiates her position on legal abortion.

Pioneering feminist theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether dies at 85

by Heidi Schlumpf

May 21, 2022

Feminist and liberation theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether influenced generations of men and women in the causes of justice for women, the poor, people of color, the Middle East and the Earth. The scholar, teacher, activist, author and former NCR columnist died May 21. She was 85.

A sculpture is pictured outside the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Santa Fe, N.M., May 20, 2021. It is the oldest church in the United States dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe and is listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties.

Book Review

Novel explores Hispanic Catholic family's search for redemption

by Diane Scharper

May 21, 2022

Book Review: In Kirstin Valdez Quade's debut novel, 'The Five Wounds,' the 33-year-old protagonist believes that Jesus is a living witness to his sins — of which there have been many.

Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde and Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde in Season Three of "Ozark" (Courtesy of Netflix © 2020)

The many baptisms of 'Ozark'

by Cameron Bellm

May 21, 2022

In a series poised between two iterations of Christianity, the main characters of "Ozark" have their own rite of initiation.

Opinion

Cardinal Mario Grech, center, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, and other Vatican officials lead an online listening session with 30 people who have disabilities May 19. The meeting was part of the process in preparation for the Synod of Bishops.

Views

Seek the openness of synodality, not the barrenness of ideology

May 23, 2022

The synodal process benefits from embracing a Catholic worldview rather than ideology. The ability to resist ideology is absolutely necessary if the synodal process is to create a more vibrant and faithful church.

Commentary

Fordham conference on abuse highlights ways the church can foster healthier culture of sexuality

by Mark A. Levand

May 23, 2022

A sexually healthy church is a safer church. Until we make this a focus in the Catholic church, our abuse of sexuality will continue to produce faith-based sexual abusers — a fundamental contraction of the Gospel.

The many baptisms of 'Ozark'

by Cameron Bellm

May 21, 2022

Column | Soul Seeing

What would Jesus do in old age?

by Patrick G. Reardon , Patrick T. Reardon

May 21, 2022

Column | Scripture for Life

Sixth Sunday of Easter: God expects our synodality

by Mary M. McGlone

May 21, 2022

Book Review

Novel explores Hispanic Catholic family's search for redemption

by Diane Scharper

May 21, 2022

Vatican

Pope voices hope church in China can operate in freedom

by Frances D'Emilio, Catholic News Service

May 23, 2022

Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his spiritual closeness to Catholics in China, voicing hope that the church there operates in "freedom and tranquility,'' but making no mention of a 90-year-old cardinal who was recently arrested in Hong Kong.

Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, then-president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, arrives for a news conference at the Vatican in this Sept. 8, 2015. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Cardinals, theologians discuss decision-making role of laity in church

by Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

May 20, 2022

As the Catholic Church continues to reflect on synodality through a two-year process of listening and dialogue, a panel of six notable theologians and canonists discussed the nature of consultation and decision-making in a synodal church.

Relics and militants: Vatican fraud trial sprawls the globe

May 20, 2022

Cardinal: Pope ordered auditor to resign over spying charge

May 19, 2022

Vatican's major sustainability campaign the main focus of Laudato Si' Week 2022

May 19, 2022

Religious brothers can be superiors of orders with priests, pope says

by Cindy Wooden

May 18, 2022

Politics

Archbishop Cordileone says no Communion for Speaker Pelosi over position on abortion

by Julie Asher, Catholic News Service

May 20, 2022

San Francisco's archbishop declared May 20 that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is not "to be admitted" to Communion unless and until she publicly repudiates her position on legal abortion.

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, the Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, gestures to the cheering crowd during his primary night election party May 17 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. (AP photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Views

Pennsylvania bishops should speak out about Mastriano's Christian nationalism

May 20, 2022

Michael Sean Winters: Pennsylvania bishops should teach their flock that Catholic theology does not traffic in the often hateful, sometimes lunatic, ideas that Doug Mastriano claims are part of his divinely inspired platform.

Bishop praises US stance toward Cuba, lauds family reunification efforts

May 19, 2022

Links: Student debt relief; the Afghan withdrawal; a disinformation homily

May 19, 2022

Being pro-life and feminist after Roe includes supporting access to contraception

by M.T. Dávila

May 19, 2022

Links: Abortion extremism; culture war primary; new solar farm

May 17, 2022

People

Headquarters of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 7, 2011 file photo. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

Report: Top Southern Baptists stonewalled sex abuse victims

by Deepa Bahrath, Holly Meyer, David Crary, Associated Press

May 23, 2022

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention stonewalled and denigrated survivors of clergy sex abuse over almost two decades while seeking to protect their own reputations, according to a scathing 288-page investigative report issued Sunday.

Pioneering feminist theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether dies at 85

by Heidi Schlumpf

May 21, 2022

At 2022 commencement ceremonies, an ecological theme for several Catholic colleges

May 21, 2022

Archbishop Cordileone says no Communion for Speaker Pelosi over position on abortion

by Julie Asher, Catholic News Service

May 20, 2022

Relics and militants: Vatican fraud trial sprawls the globe

May 20, 2022

Mourning Art Winter, a mentor and NCR's early managing editor

by Rich Heffern

May 20, 2022

EarthBeat

Pope Francis delivers his blessing as he leads the "Regina Coeli" from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican May 22, 2022. (CNS/Vatican Media)

Pope calls for united efforts in care for creation during Laudato Si' Week

by Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

May 23, 2022

After he led the recitation of the "Regina Coeli" prayer with visitors in St. Peter's Square May 22, the pope invited everyone to take part in "Laudato Si' Week," which runs May 22-29.

Volunteers help cut down invasive tree species in the Headwaters Sanctuary in San Antonio to restore it to its natural state that will benefit the local wildlife. (Alexandra Applegate)

Volunteers remove trees to restore San Antonio's only nature sanctuary

by Alexandra Applegate

May 23, 2022

Chopping down trees may seem counterintuitive to restoration, but when it's invasive trees, it helps protect biodiversity. Volunteers are helping with that at Headwaters Sanctuary, run by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.

At 2022 commencement ceremonies, an ecological theme for several Catholic colleges

May 21, 2022

Book about villagers' need for clean water spurs student action

by Beth Donze, Catholic News Service

May 20, 2022

Vatican's major sustainability campaign the main focus of Laudato Si' Week 2022

May 19, 2022

9 million people die annually from 'overlooked' threat of pollution, says new health study

May 18, 2022

Culture

The many baptisms of 'Ozark'

by Cameron Bellm

May 21, 2022

In a series poised between two iterations of Christianity, the main characters of "Ozark" have their own rite of initiation.

Book Review

Novel explores Hispanic Catholic family's search for redemption

by Diane Scharper

May 21, 2022

Book Review: In Kirstin Valdez Quade's debut novel, 'The Five Wounds,' the 33-year-old protagonist believes that Jesus is a living witness to his sins — of which there have been many.

Catholic News Service shutdown is about more than just the news

by Bill Mitchell

May 19, 2022

Vital, challenging film tackles America's original sin

by Chris Byrd

May 14, 2022

Religion is central in film depicting last abortion clinic along Texas' southern border

by Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service

May 13, 2022

The 1619 Project: Making space for long-ignored truths

by Tom Roberts

May 7, 2022

World

Pope voices hope church in China can operate in freedom

by Frances D'Emilio, Catholic News Service

May 23, 2022

People gather near the White House in Washington July 25, 2021. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)

Bishop praises US stance toward Cuba, lauds family reunification efforts

May 19, 2022

The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace praised a statement announcing the lifting of restrictions against Cuba by the Biden administration, particularly those measures that will help family reunification.

US Vatican ambassador: World is looking to Pope Francis to help end Ukraine war

by Christopher White

May 18, 2022

Vatican minister visits Ukraine as pope toes delicate line

May 17, 2022

Pope rallies from knee pain to proclaim 10 new saints

May 16, 2022

Catholic-Anglican unity requires walking, working together, pope says

by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service

May 13, 2022

Global Sisters Report

The dawn of a new tomorrow is slow, but with hope in sight for those who love. Now that the elections are over in the Philippines, the future is wide open for history to repeat itself. (Marjorie Guingona)

After elections in the Philippines, life goes on with fear and hope

by Marjorie Guingona

May 23, 2022

Now that the elections are over in the Philippines, history may repeat itself. There is anxiety for those who have lived through martial law. Yet life has to go on with the hope that the truth will set us free.

A boy writes a message on a sidewalk May 18 in Buffalo, New York, where a mass shooting took place May 14 at a Tops supermarket. (CNS/Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

Monday Starter: Sisters condemn violence, white supremacy following Buffalo shooting

by Soli Salgado

May 23, 2022

The National Black Sisters' Conference, LCWR and several U.S. congregations released statements condemning white supremacy and gun violence following the May 14 shooting in Buffalo in which 10 Black people were killed.

Preservationists seek to acquire beloved Hollywood home to cloistered nuns

by Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service

May 20, 2022

UISG's new president speaks on the importance of embracing vulnerability

by Christopher White

May 20, 2022

How does the vow of poverty shape a sister's public policy work?

by Maxine Kollasch

May 20, 2022

When is enough enough?

by Eilis McCulloh

May 20, 2022

Justice

The altar is draped with a rainbow flag during the blessing service "Love Wins" in the Church of St. Martin in Geldern, Germany, May 6, 2021. (CNS photo/Rudolf Wichert, KNA)

Berlin archbishop asks forgiveness for homophobia in the church

by Catholic News Service

May 19, 2022

Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin has asked forgiveness for the church's discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation.

A group of Ajo Samaritans and volunteers pause for a moment before returning to Ajo town after spending half a day dropping off water and food for migrants in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.

Frontera: Arizona Samaritans soothe dire need on migrant desert trails

by Lisa Elmaleh, Peter Tran

May 19, 2022

A photographer and a writer join the Ajo and Tucson Samaritans to highlight the harshness of the experience of migrants who cross the U.S. border into the sprawling Sonoran Desert — where it's mostly about the water.

Buffalo makes it clear: Racism and gun violence are a Christian problem

by Daniel P. Horan

May 18, 2022

Poverty driving children into forced labor must be tackled, pope says

by Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

May 17, 2022

Bishops express sorrow, condemn racially motivated shooting in Buffalo

May 16, 2022

Egypt begins trial of man accused of killing Coptic priest

by Samy Magdy, Associated Press

May 16, 2022

Accountability

Report: Top Southern Baptists stonewalled sex abuse victims

by Deepa Bahrath, Holly Meyer, David Crary, Associated Press

May 23, 2022

Commentary

Fordham conference on abuse highlights ways the church can foster healthier culture of sexuality

by Mark A. Levand

May 23, 2022

Chicago archdiocese settles sex abuse suit for $1.2 million

by Associated Press

May 18, 2022

$121.5M settlement in New Mexico clergy sex abuse scandal

by Associated Press

May 18, 2022

Bishop to step down as abuse spokesman for German bishops' conference

by Catholic News Service

May 13, 2022

Vatican audit of Buenos Aires finds irregularities, no crimes

by David Agren, Catholic News Service

May 11, 2022

Coronavirus

Sr. Mary John Théophan Vénard Doan Thi Chuyen, far left, and another sister in medical gear serve a meal to two nuns with COVID-19 at Ho Ngoc Can Clinic in Xuan Truong district, Nam Dinh province. (Daughters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Bui Chu)

Vietnamese sisters look ahead after COVID-19 runs rampant through motherhouse

by Joachim Pham

Apr 14, 2022

Most sisters, novices and postulants from the convents and communities of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Bui Chu have been infected with COVID-19, since the pandemic hit their motherhouse in January.

People wait for a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Manila, Philippines, on Jan. 5. (CNS/Reuters/Eloisa Lopez)

As a world in pandemic seeks a return to normal, leaders urge vigilance, vaccines

by Chris Herlinger, GSR Staff

Apr 14, 2022

As the world seeks normalcy in the COVID-19 pandemic's third year, leaders and experts urge vaccination and vigilance amid complacency, vaccine opposition, economic hardship, and inequalities in vaccine access.

Government to lift health measure that blocks entrance of asylum-seekers

Apr 1, 2022

A pandemic is tough for new moms, but Catholic Latina moms faced added hurdles

by Melissa Cedillo

Mar 28, 2022

A hospital chaplain reflects on the power of memory during COVID-19

by Steven Salido Fisher

Mar 24, 2022

As pandemic eases, will the Communion cup ever make a comeback?

Mar 23, 2022

Parish

Faced with bishops' inaction, Canadian woman develops eco-investment toolkit

by Beatrice Ekoko

May 17, 2022

Catholic activist Agnes Richard, inspired by Pope Francis and Laudato Si', co-created the new Catholic Eco-Investment Accelerator Toolkit to help faith communities in Canada divest from the fossil fuel industry.

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Unsplash/Creative Commons/Channel 82)

Views

Why is the church failing in the West?

by Thomas Reese, Religion News Service

May 13, 2022

Thomas Reese: There are numerous signs that the Catholic Church is failing in Western countries. There are few vocations, church attendance is down and young people are leaving the church in droves. Why?

California Catholic bishops ask Supreme Court to review case challenging statute of limitations

by Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service

May 6, 2022

Editorial: Investment in Hispanic ministry is crucial to church's future

by NCR Editorial Staff

May 6, 2022

Mariachi Masses connect Mexican culture with Catholic liturgy

by Roman Flores

May 5, 2022

'Everything is Hispanic ministry': An interview with Bishop Alberto Rojas

by Melissa Cedillo

May 4, 2022

Spirituality

Pencil Preaching

Wind, fire and earthquake

May 23, 2022

Pencil Preaching for Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Pencil Preaching

Down by the river

May 22, 2022

Pencil Preaching for Monday, May 23, 2022

Eyes on the Prize

May 21, 2022

Your thoughts on being spiritual but not religious

by NCR Staff

May 20, 2022

The first synodal church