Briley Piper in a 2025 picture at the South Dakota State Penitentiary (Courtesy of Briley Piper)

He converted to Catholicism while on death row. It began with one question about God.

News

NCR begins a three-part series about Briley Piper, the only prisoner on South Dakota's death row, and the Catholic conversion he experienced after being sentenced to death for his role in a 2000 murder.

The Latest

Vatican News

Pope Leo quotes Bob Dylan song in book foreword calling for nuclear disarmament

Courtney Mares, OSV News

CRS receives State Department funds to 'significantly expand' humanitarian aid to Cuba

Gina Christian, OSV News

Synod study group report on same-sex attraction continues to draw mixed reactions

Gina Christian, OSV News

Editors' Choice

Four bishops lie on the floor as they are given episcopal consecration during a Mass in a tent set up outside the Society of St. Pius X seminary, in Econe, Switzerland, July 1, 2026. (Cyril Zingaro/Keystone via AP)

In Focus

Traditionalist Catholics face a difficult choice after Vatican cuts off breakaway group

For traditionalist Catholics who worship at churches affiliated with the breakaway Society of St. Pius X, Sunday Mass now comes with an extraordinary question.

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Most Read Stories

Four bishops lie on the floor as they are given episcopal consecration during a Mass in a tent set up outside the Society of St. Pius X seminary, in Econe, Switzerland, July 1, 2026. (Cyril Zingaro/Keystone via AP)

#1
Traditionalist Catholics face a difficult choice after Vatican cuts off breakaway group

For traditionalist Catholics who worship at churches affiliated with the breakaway Society of St. Pius X, Sunday Mass now comes with an extraordinary question.

ByHolly Meyer, Associated Press
Pope Leo XIV speaks with leaders of the "continental bodies" representing Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, the Middle East and North America, together with the coordinators of the continental synodal teams, during a private meeting at the Vatican June 25, 2026. (CNS/Vatican Media)
NCR Voices

#2
In plans for 'Amoris Laetitia' meeting, Pope Leo continues to show his hand

We learned more about how Pope Leo XIV intends to implement the reforms his predecessor introduced when the Vatican released a "thematic framework" for a meeting to discuss Pope Francis' Amoris Laetitia.

ByMichael Sean Winters
Peter Thiel speaks with attendees at the 2022 Converge Tech Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

#3
Tech billionaire Peter Thiel takes on popes, delves into end-times theology

In the last two weeks, venture tech capitalist Peter Thiel has accused Pope Leo XIV of being a Chinese communist agent because of his teaching on AI, and has insinuated that Pope Francis was an Antichrist figure.

ByBrian Fraga

#4
Pope Leo shares meal with vulnerable guests at Castel Gandolfo

#5
Podcast: Theologian Ronald Rolheiser talks about a spirituality for our wisdom years

#6
Jesuits will create 2 novitiates from 5 current US and Canada novitiates

Opinion

Podcast: 'Racism has injured us all,' says racial healing leader Catherine Meeks

Guest Voices

Religious ignorance is as problematic as anti-religious bias

NCR Voices
President-elect John F. Kennedy shakes hands with Fr. Richard J. Casey, pastor of Holy Trinity Church, after attending Mass at the church prior to inauguration ceremonies in Washington Jan. 20, 1961. (CNS/Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington)

Can civil religion make a comeback?

NCR Voices

It is difficult to see how we bind the nation's wounds without some kind of shared national mythos and telos, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.

The US has entered a national era of cruelty

Guest Voices

Editorial: Catholic support for press freedoms must be unwavering

Editorial
Newly consecrated Society of St. Pius X Bishop Michael Goldade is seen kissing the ring of Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta during an SSPX liturgical celebration July 1, 2026, in Écône, Switzerland. (OSV News/CPP)

Editorial: Following schism, SSPX leaders must work for unity

Editorial

The leaders of the Society of St. Pius X made decisions that carry major implications. Their actions will need to be unpacked, and in some cases, undone, if the group seeks to have unity with the Catholic Church.

Vatican

Vatican News

Pope Leo quotes Bob Dylan song in book foreword calling for nuclear disarmament

Pope Leo XIV said the conscience of just one person can "be worth the entire world" when it comes to preventing a nuclear catastrophe, in a new book foreword that also quotes an unpublished Bob Dylan song about the atomic bomb.

Synod study group report on same-sex attraction continues to draw mixed reactions

Weeks after the release of a synod study group report on controversial pastoral issues, experts have continued to express mixed opinions about the document's treatment of same-sex attraction.

ByGina Christian, OSV News
Laura Sgro, a lawyer representing a former religious sister that has reported sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse committed by Fr. Marko Rupnik, speaks at a news conference in Rome Feb. 21, 2024. (CNS/Justin McLellan)

Vatican denies rumors of Rupnik acquittal

The proceedings remain underway, the Holy See Press Office said July 22, rejecting as "completely unfounded" rumors that the case had concluded and absolved the artist and former Jesuit of any wrongdoing.

ByJustin McLellan
Vatican News

As bishop in Peru, future Pope Leo showed himself ahead of the curve on synodality

Despite the controversy surrounding synodality, the pope's ministerial record shows that the principles of a participatory church are deeply embedded in his pastor's DNA.

ByJustin McLellan

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The Leo Chronicles

The Leo Chronicles: The beautiful game

Traditionalist Catholics face a difficult choice after Vatican cuts off breakaway group

Rates of HIV, AIDS down, but children still vulnerable, says Vatican diplomat to UN

EarthBeat

The inaugural Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal, which the pope himself will present at Castel Gandolfo in October during the 2026 Villanova International Sustainability Conference in Rome. (OSV News/Courtesy of Villanova University)

Villanova unveils Pope Leo XIV Sustainability Medal ahead of Rome conference

A new award created by Villanova University, named after its most famous — and only papal — alumnus, will recognize extraordinary efforts in caring for the Earth and the common good.

Benedictine Br. Joseph Byron, monk at Portsmouth Abbey and boarding school in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, stands on top of the abbey's wind turbine in March 2006. (Courtesy of Joseph Byorn)

How a Benedictine monk built Rhode Island's first utility-scale wind turbine

The project was a test of whether Portsmouth Abbey and its school were willing to act on environmental values. "This is kind of a put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is kind of deal," says Br. Joseph Byron.

ByCamillo Barone
A priest celebrates a funeral Mass in La Guaira, Venezuela, July 15, 2026, for 2-year-old Kalani Martinez and her mother, Ashley Martinez, 29, victims of the earthquakes. Two catastrophic earthquakes hit Venezuela in quick succession June 24, leaving at least 5,000 dead with thousands still missing. (OSV News/Reuters/Pablo Sanhueza)

Death toll in Venezuela nears 5,000 as earthquake recovery intensifies

Twin earthquakes in Venezuela have left nearly 5,000 people dead, according to government officials, triggering a massive mobilization of humanitarian aid organizations.

ByJunno Arocho Esteves, OSV News
The mining facility in La Oroya, Peru, is photographed in 2014. (Wikimedia Commons/Heiner Amado Cadillo)

Peruvians exposed to lead as children reach $150M settlement, with Catholic help

Lawyers for Peruvian plaintiffs reached a $150 million settlement with Doe Run and the Renco Group, bringing an end to a 19-year lawsuit that was supported along the way by the Catholic Church in Peru and the U.S.

ByBrian Roewe

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Las Cruces Diocese demands jury trial, just compensation in feds' effort to seize pilgrimage site

'Keep Venezuelans in your hearts' after earthquakes, says Catholic relief worker

Soul Seeing

Could Henry David Thoreau be a synodal conversation partner?

Culture

Matt Damon as Odysseus and Zendaya as Athena appear in a scene from "The Odyssey," by director Christopher Nolan. (OSV News/Universal/Melinda Sue Gordon)

Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' demands we consider the cost of war

Nolan's film is fundamentally about how war changes everyone; when dehumanization and murder is institutionalized, social morals disappear. 

Bible in a Year Family Edition

'Bible in a Year' podcast announces upcoming 'Family Edition' with Black Catholic priest Josh Johnson

A new podcast encouraging biblical literacy for youth is set to launch in 2027 with one of the nation's most prominent young Black Catholic priests.

BySheila Hodges , Black Catholic Messenger
Spain's Lamine Yamal (19) and Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) embrace after during the World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP/Seth Wenig)

What remains after the World Cup ends

In an age of distraction and isolation, we were for six weeks invited into presence and community. But if the beautiful game is a microcosm of life, what lessons can we take with us?

ByMichael O'Connell
In the upcoming documentary "Mario," the faith and politics of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo are a stark contrast against today's Catholic politicians. (Life Stories)

In new documentary, Mario Cuomo is a stark contrast to today's Catholic politicians

In the forthcoming documentary "Mario," which recently debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Catholic faith of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo takes center stage.

ByJim McDermott

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Spiritual lessons from World Cup penalty kicks

The unshakable faith of Ms. Rachel

The early church fathers are showing their swag on TikTok

Sr. Tasiana Eni Susilawati facilitates social mapping on the livelihoods of women and children in the coastal community of Teluk Nipah, Indonesia, in July 2025. The session, conducted with the Good Shepherd program team in Batam and the MDO Indonesia team, gathered data on the community's economic realities and challenges. (Maria Anggelina)
Columns

In Indonesia, Good Shepherd Sisters accompany children across an archipelago

Good Shepherd Sisters have ministered in Indonesia since 1927. One of their most unique ministries is in Batam City, an archipelago of 329 large and small islands in the Riau Islands Province.

Catholic sisters in Kenya shape a sustainable future at AOSK 2026 general meeting

As the association prioritizes long-term sustainability, sisters reflected on strengthening the prophetic voice of Catholic sisters, formation for mission in the 21st century and synodal leadership.

ByLourine Oluoch
Sr. Catherine Gill leads an orientation session on Talitha Kum with major religious superiors in Lahore on Feb. 4, 2025. (Courtesy of Catherine Gill)
Columns

Q&A with Sr. Catherine Gill, working to prevent human trafficking

Gill, a Franciscan Missionary of Mary and the principal of an all-girls school in Karachi, Pakistan, hopes to save youth from exploitation through Sunday school classes and faith formation.

By
Women Wage Peace leaders speak at the People’s Peace Summit 2025 in Jerusalem. (M.A. Kirk)
Columns

Israeli and Palestinian women wage peace and share light

Those advancing the Mothers' Call for Peace lead with the light proclaiming, "No child should be raised to kill or be killed." Our faith calls us to be the peace we seek.

By

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

As US Catholic nuns age, more congregations turn to outside leaders

With Judith Forum, congregations collaborate to empower widows in India

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Weeds, wheat and God's patience