The Vatican released a report on Tuesday (May 5) that included the testimony of two married gay Catholics and acknowledged the church's role in "the solitude, anguish, and stigma that accompany persons with same-sex attractions and their families." The report also reflects on the negative impacts of conversion therapy, or "the devastating effects of reparative therapies aimed at recovering heterosexuality."

When white smoke billowed out of the Sistine Chapel last May, NCR's former Vatican correspondent Christopher White was there. White thought it would be Robert Prevost: "His election may have been a surprise, but he isn't."

Pope Leo XIV met the leadership of Catholic Charities USA in an audience at the Vatican on May 4, offering words of encouragement to one of the country's largest disaster relief networks as it navigates growing demand for food and basic services to aid the poor in the United States.