A woman raises her arms against a background that includes a body of water and a sunset. (Unsplash/William Farlow)
Book Reviews

In new book, Chanequa Walker-Barnes explains care for the sacred self

Culture

Author Chanequa Walker-Barnes identifies "self-care" as a practice that must be grounded in a theological reflection of our divine creation. Her new book Sacred Self-Care is an inspiring, empowering read.

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Focus

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, vice president of the U.S. bishops' conference, speaks during a news conference at a Nov. 15, 2023, session of the bishops' fall general assembly in Baltimore. The bishops approved supplements to "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" -- a teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics. (OSV News/Bob Roller)

In Focus

US bishops again declare abortion 'preeminent priority' for Catholic voters

The U.S. Catholic bishops decided on Nov. 15 at their general assembly that "the threat of abortion" will remain the "preeminent priority" for their political guidance to Catholic voters in the year leading up to the 2024 presidential election.

Most Read Stories

Cardinal Raymond Burke applauds during a news conference at the Italian Senate, in Rome, on Sept. 6, 2018. Pope Francis has taken measures to punish one of his highest-ranking critics, Cardinal Raymond Burke, by yanking his right to a Vatican apartment and salary in the second such radical action against a conservative American prelate this month, according to two people briefed on the measures. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)
Vatican News
#1

Pope Francis to remove Cardinal Burke's Vatican apartment and salary, sources say

Pope Francis has punished one of his highest-ranking critics, Cardinal Raymond Burke, by yanking his right to a subsidized Vatican apartment and salary in the second such radical action against a conservative American prelate this month, according to two people briefed on the measures.

ByNicole Winfield
Bishop Vincent Long of Parramatta, Australia (Courtesy of Parramatta Diocese)
#2

Franciscan bishop implements Jesuit pope's synodal vision in Australia

Australian Bishop Vincent Long tells NCR in an interview: "I try to follow Pope Francis' lead by focusing on pastoral priorities such as a church that is more inclusive, participatory, open to the gifts of all members."

ByChristopher White
Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, and other U.S. bishops concelebrate Mass in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica Jan. 20, 2020, during their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican. The Holy See Press Office announced Nov. 11, 2023, that Pope Francis has "relieved" Bishop Strickland from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Tyler. (OSV News/CNS file photo, Paul Haring)
Guest Voices
#3

Joseph Strickland was my bishop. Here's why he had to go.

Briana Jansky of Tyler, Texas, explains how Bishop Joseph Strickland — removed from his post this month by the Vatican — led her flock astray and nearly sabotaged her faith.

ByBriana Jansky, Black Catholic Messenger
#4

Kevin Vallier offers a precise, thoughtful analysis of an unhinged movement

#5

Pope Francis cancels trip to Dubai for UN climate conference

#6

'Excuse me, Your Eminence, she has not finished speaking'

Opinion

Cardinal Burke wasn't 'punished,' he just lost some perks

NCR Voices

Letters to the editor on US bishops' 'preeminent priority' for Catholic voters

Letters to the Editor
People walk through an alleyway at dusk in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Nov. 18. (AP/Felipe Dana)

What is the meaning of Advent in our broken world?

NCR Voices

It can be difficult to acknowledge the presence of Advent, let alone take any time to reflect on its meaning. Fr. Dan Horan returns to two of Thomas Merton's essays to renew our understanding of the liturgical season.

Adventurer to create healing: Sr. Simone Campbell on her Southern tour

Guest Voices

At COP28, short-term changes matter more than long-term goals

NCR Voices
A doctor uses a hand-held Doppler probe on a pregnant woman to measure the heartbeat of the fetus, Dec. 17, 2021, in Jackson, Mississippi. (AP/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Ending the death sentence: Black maternal health and the Catholic Church

Guest Voices

If we want to have serious discourse about being pro-life, it's imperative that we as church put the issue of Black maternal health at the forefront of the movement, and address structural racism in our medical system.

Vatican

A green book and a blue book stand next to each other on a red background
Vatican News

Canon law must be part of church's mission of mercy, pope says

All the Catholic Church's structures, including tribunals and faculties of canon law, must undergo a "pastoral and missionary conversion" to ensure the church is giving the world "the only thing it needs: the Gospel of the mercy of Jesus," Pope Francis wrote.

U.S. Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, arrives for a working session of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican Oct. 16. (CNS/Lola Gomez)
Vatican News

Exclusive: Synod felt 'sorrow' over church's treatment of women, says Bishop Flores

Listen: In this episode of "The Vatican Briefing," Bishop Daniel Flores says the prelates at the recent major Vatican summit wanted to express "a certain amount of sorrow" over how women have been treated by the church.

ByJoshua J. McElwee, Christopher White
Bishop speaks at microphone. Another cleric listens.
Vatican News

Top Vatican diplomat: Christian unity essential for peacemaking

If Christians want to be successful peacemakers in the world, it will require overcoming divisions among the various Christian denominations, the Vatican's foreign minister said on Nov. 27. 

ByChristopher White
A Black woman wearing a colorful outfit and headscarf leans down to talk to Pope Francis, who is seated
Vatican News

Pope asks theologians to help 'de-masculinize' the church

Asking pardon for speaking plainly, Pope Francis told members of the International Theological Commission that "one of the great sins we have had is 'masculinizing' the church," which also can be seen by the fact that only five of the commission members are women.

ByCindy Wooden, Catholic News Service

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Vatican News

Pope Francis says he has acute bronchitis, canceled travel to avoid temperature changes

Francis, the comic strip

Francis, the comic strip

Vatican News

Ailing Pope Francis holds weekly audience, but aide reads his remarks

People walk through the venue for the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, with the Al Wasl Dome in the background, at Expo City, Nov. 29, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP/Joshua A. Bickel)
Viewpoints

Cardinal Tobin: Faith leaders can influence the world on climate change

Cardinal Joseph Tobin: We must align our spiritual values with our actions toward the planet and each other.

An older white man wearing a clerical collar stands behind a podium that says COP27 Egypt and in front of Egyptian and UN flags
Politics

Cardinal Parolin to read pope's address to climate conference in Dubai

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, will deliver Pope Francis' speech to the U.N. climate conference, COP28, and will help inaugurate a faith pavilion after the pope canceled his trip due to health concerns.

ByCarol Glatz, Catholic News Service
A worker sets up at the COP28 U.N. climate summit Nov. 30 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP/Rafiq Maqbool)
Faith

US bishops on COP28: Decarbonization is 'preeminent environmental challenge'

The U.S. bishops added their voice to calls for the U.N. climate summit to usher in a decisive transition toward clean energy, describing decarbonization as "the preeminent environmental challenge faced by all nations."

ByBrian Roewe
People are silhouetted against a logo for the COP28 U.N. climate summit, Nov. 29, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
Politics

Catholics at COP28 vow to carry ill pope's call for action on climate change

A U.N. climate summit facing the daunting task to put countries back on track to prevent catastrophic global warming will take place without Pope Francis. Catholics heading to COP28 vowed his message would still be heard.

ByBrian Roewe

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Faith

Evangelization includes care for the poor and the Earth, pope tells conference

Justice

An archdiocese in Kenya advocates for river conservation among local communities

Science

Will climate cookbooks change how we eat?

Culture

A woman raises her arms against a background that includes a body of water and a sunset. (Unsplash/William Farlow)
Book Reviews

In new book, Chanequa Walker-Barnes explains care for the sacred self

Author Chanequa Walker-Barnes identifies "self-care" as a practice that must be grounded in a theological reflection of our divine creation. Her new book Sacred Self-Care is an inspiring, empowering read.

A girl with long hair looks at the sky.

Disney's 'Wish' speaks to our God-given desires

Disney's "Wish" is no theological treatise. But if allowed, it might remind us that our deepest desire, our wish, is God's very self within us, dreaming about who we might yet be — no stars necessary. 

ByEric Clayton
Aaron Neville performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on May 4, 2019, in New Orleans. (AP/Invision/Amy Harris)
Book Reviews

Aaron Neville on singing, crashing and St. Jude

The esteemed role of St. Jude in Aaron Neville's life flickers through his new memoir, Tell It Like It Is. The book recounts the musician's years of addiction, collisions with cops, stretches behind bars and the unstinting love of his wife.

ByJason Berry
"Saint Augustine" (circa 1645), by Philippe de Champaigne (Artvee)
Book Reviews

Revolutionizing tradition with Kathleen Bonnette's book '(R)evolutionary Hope'

The new book (R)evolutionary Hope: A Spirituality of Encounter and Engagement in an Evolving World weaves together scholarly insights, personal anecdotes and an examination of the complex political landscape of the contemporary U.S. Catholic Church.

BySteven Salido Fisher

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Book Reviews

New book 'bell hooks' Spiritual Vision' celebrates and examines hooks' interior life

'Join or Die' documentary insists community groups will save democracy

Book Reviews

'Beyond Homelessness' shows the problem is more than housing

A group of people with backpacks walking on a path amid grass and trees ahead.

Sisters accompany each other on journeys through religious life

From A Nun's Life podcasts –  Each sister's vocation — past, present and future — celebrates and vindicates every other sister's commitment to religious life.  

A child walking through the flooded water in Samburu, northern Kenya, on Nov. 9. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

Africa cries out for 'loss and damage' funds to combat effects of climate change

Religious leaders, including sisters attending COP28, have vowed to advocate for funds to be adopted and immediately disbursed to vulnerable communities impacted by the effects of climate change and who are unable to adapt to significant loss of lives and livelihoods.

ByDoreen Ajiambo
A statue of Jesus with two children (Pixabay/ariyandhamma)

We need a childlike simplicity to enter God's kingdom

Horizons - Look to the youngest saints (and soon-to-be saints) we have in our tradition for examples to imitate. They are who Jesus says is the greatest in the kingdom.

By
Nun, with back to camera, talks to a group of people.

In India, Salesian nuns bring hope to women with addictions

Salesian Sisters run one of the few rehabilitation centers that treat  women with substance abuse addictions in India. 

ByThomas Scaria

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Adventurer to create healing: Sr. Simone Campbell on her Southern tour

Sr. Ilia Delio examines the reach of Merton's Fourth-and-Walnut breakthrough

Sisters among those attending Talitha Kum leadership training

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