Pope Leo XIV greets Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago during an audience at the Vatican Oct. 9 with a pilgrimage of labor union leaders from Chicago. (CNS/Vatican Media)

In sign of confidence, Chicago Cardinal Cupich named to Vatican governing commission

Vatican

The nomination comes as Pope Leo begins to name appointments in key Vatican positions after months of quiet discernment following his election to the papacy in May. 

Solar panels are seen from the roof of the Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican in this November 2008 photo. (CNS/Reuters/Tony Gentile)
Vatican

Vatican pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 28%

Brian Roewe
A Maasai woman carries her baby outside her hut in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Evictions have hit women and children especially hard, disrupting education, health care and family livelihoods. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)
News

As COP30 nears, Maasai evictions expose the dark side of carbon markets

Doreen Ajiambo

The Latest

Missouri's Catholic bishops call for merciful, just immigration policies

Jay Nies/The Catholic Missourian, OSV News

Vatican report says clergy sex abuse victims need reparations and tangible sanctions to heal

Nicole Winfield, Associated Press

New Hampshire court rules in clergy abuse case that 2020 law cannot be applied retroactively

Holly Ramer, Associated Press

Editors' Choice

The interactive exhibit "The Ancestry of Pope Leo XIV: An American Story" opened to the public Oct. 4 at the American Ancestors building in Boston. (NCR photo/Brian Fraga)

In Focus

Boston exhibit highlights Pope Leo's family tree

The exhibit "The Ancestry of Pope Leo XIV: An American Story" features a chart of the pope's lineage that spans 15 generations. The exhibit also aims to shed light on the pope's ancestral ties to other countries.

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Most Read Stories

Pope Leo's hands
Editorial

#1
Editorial: Pope Leo delivers breathtakingly bold salvo on wealth, elitism and poverty

Prophetic in the truest sense, Dilexi Te is an uncompromising assessment of how wealth and faith in contemporary economic ideologies and markets have misshapen Christianity.

ByNCR Editorial Staff
(Unsplash/Qihai Weng)
Book Reviews

#2
New book demythologizes Mary, emphasizes her political and ecclesial role

In The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus, James D. Tabor demythologizes the "passive, nonsexual, nonpolitical" Mary, inviting us to consider her through a historical, critical lens.

ByDiane Scharper
Jelly Roll performs during a concert in St. Peter's Square for the conclusion of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity at the Vatican, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)

#3
Jelly Roll's Vatican performance offers hope to those impacted by addiction

Jelly Roll's growing, worldwide fanbase is populated with people like me: ordinary, struggling people whose lives have been impacted by addiction. His returning to, and offering of, light is why we seek out his music.

ByMaureen O'Brien

#4
Pope Leo blasts elitism, indifference toward poor in first major document

#5
In Chicago, clergy and faith-based protesters say ICE is threatening their religious freedom

#6
Pope Leo's Francis-aligned take on Durbin controversy backfires on conservatives

Opinion

An appreciation for Marc Maron's 'WTF' podcast at the end of an era

Sought in pilgrimage, Venerable Augustus Tolton is still inspiring faith and justice

Callistus Ibeh, right, exchanges the sign of peace with fellow Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, seminarian Juan Herrera-Posada during their ordination to the transitional diaconate at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York., Nov. 9, 2024. (OSV News/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Wondering about the sign of peace? Here's what to know.

Guest Voices

Years out from social distancing practices, the form for exchanging peace during Mass is often unclear. Jim McDermott turns to liturgical experts to find out what parishioners need to know about the sign of peace.

Trump's assault on democratic norms is only getting worse

NCR Voices

Jane Goodall saw nature as a spiritual sanctuary

Pope Leo XIV talks to visitors during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Oct. 8. (CNS/Lola Gomez)

Pope Leo sides with the poor

Guest Voices

In his first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te ("I have loved you"), Pope Leo XIV is clear: The love of money really is the root of all evils.

Vatican

Pope Leo XIV greets Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago during an audience at the Vatican Oct. 9 with a pilgrimage of labor union leaders from Chicago. (CNS/Vatican Media)

In sign of confidence, Chicago Cardinal Cupich named to Vatican governing commission

The nomination comes as Pope Leo begins to name appointments in key Vatican positions after months of quiet discernment following his election to the papacy in May. 

Pope Leo XIV presides over a Rosary vigil for peace in St. Peter's Square on the 63rd anniversary of the start of the Second Vatican Council, at the Vatican Oct. 12, 2025. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)

Vatican report says clergy sex abuse victims need reparations and tangible sanctions to heal

The Vatican's child protection board said the Catholic Church has a moral obligation to help victims of clergy sexual abuse heal, and identified financial reparations and adequate sanctions for abusers and their enablers as essential remedies.

ByNicole Winfield, Associated Press
Pope Leo XIV attends the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of World Food Day at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome Oct. 16. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo urges world leaders 'not to look the other way' in fighting global hunger

"In a time when science has lengthened life expectancy, allowing millions of human beings to live, and die, struck by hunger is a collective failure, an ethical derailment, an historic offense," he said.

ByGiada Zampano, Associated Press
Solar panels are seen from the roof of the Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican in this November 2008 photo. (CNS/Reuters/Tony Gentile)
Vatican News

Vatican pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 28%

The Holy See said it will cut its emissions within the Vatican City State by at least 28% by 2035 compared to 2011 levels.  

ByBrian Roewe

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Pope urges Italy to remain open to migrants during rite of passage visit to presidential palace

Vatican News

Brazilian leader praises papal document on poverty, invites pope to COP30

Vatican names judges for trial of former Jesuit artist Rupnik accused of abuse by over 20 women

EarthBeat

A file photo shows a Zimbabwean man walking through his drought-affected corn field outside Harare. Drought and other environmental disasters attributed to climate change are affecting the world's most vulnerable communities, according to Catholic and other Christian groups that took part in a March 20 event with members of Congress in Washington to discuss "the moral imperative" of supporting these vulnerable communities. (OSV News photo/Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo)

Tackle ecological debt, protect biodiversity and change hearts, says Vatican diplomat

The Holy See's diplomat to the United Nations has called for three key priorities in addressing the global crises of poverty, conflict and climate change.

Solar panels are seen from the roof of the Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican in this November 2008 photo. (CNS/Reuters/Tony Gentile)
Vatican News

Vatican pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 28%

The Holy See said it will cut its emissions within the Vatican City State by at least 28% by 2035 compared to 2011 levels.  

ByBrian Roewe

Jane Goodall saw nature as a spiritual sanctuary

She reminded us that 'sacred' is best defined not by doctrine but the living planet we call earth, and that the true test of faith is whether we can treat the earth and all its inhabitants, human and other-than-human, with the reverence they deserve.

ByJoshua M. Greene, Religion News Service
Vatican News

Brazilian leader praises papal document on poverty, invites pope to COP30

During a private audience with Pope Leo XIV, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva invited the pope to the upcoming U.N. Climate Change Conference, being held for the first time in the heart of the Amazon region.

ByCarol Glatz, Catholic News Service

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Sisters turning 25 acres in Kenya into a model for mixed farming

Church, government leaders set sights on COP30 at Vatican climate meeting

At Laudato Si' conference, Catholics stress hope, heart to animate church on climate

Culture

(Unsplash/Qihai Weng)
Book Reviews

New book demythologizes Mary, emphasizes her political and ecclesial role

In The Lost Mary: Rediscovering the Mother of Jesus, James D. Tabor demythologizes the "passive, nonsexual, nonpolitical" Mary, inviting us to consider her through a historical, critical lens.

Jelly Roll performs during a concert in St. Peter's Square for the conclusion of the World Meeting on Human Fraternity at the Vatican, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)

Jelly Roll's Vatican performance offers hope to those impacted by addiction

Jelly Roll's growing, worldwide fanbase is populated with people like me: ordinary, struggling people whose lives have been impacted by addiction. His returning to, and offering of, light is why we seek out his music.

ByMaureen O'Brien
In this file photo, Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., accuses Haldore Hanson, key State Department official, of "pro-Communist" activities dating back to 1938, during a Senate foreign relations subcommittee, March 13, 1950. Author Clay Risen explores Congress's investigation of Communism in the federal government and Hollywood in the 1950s in his book Red Scare. (AP photo/Herbert K. White, file)
Book Reviews

Q&A with 'Red Scare' author Clay Risen on McCarthyism and modern America

In Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America, author Clay Risen explores Congress's investigation of Communism in the 1950s. Risen spoke with NCR about parallels between that era and today. 

ByJason Berry

In 'The Promised Land,' Moses’ desert trek is reimagined as a workplace comedy

Envisioned as a "mockumentary" series shot in the style of "The Office" and "Abbott Elementary," the show's pilot was released last year. Its first season debuted Oct. 1, tackling the often tragic narrative of Moses and the Israelites with a wink and a nod.

ByKathryn Post, Religion News Service

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

New book calls for a politics that mirrors Jesus' Beatitudes

Kendrick Lamar and Thea Bowman: Mystics of resistance

Nonreligious Americans might not be as spiritual as we thought

Sr. Mary Meyers bandages the foot of a patient at Project Hope in Wheeling, West Virginia. She works on Pittsburgh's Duquesne University campus during the week and volunteers on weekends, providing health care for those in need. (Courtesy of Mary Meyers)

Q&A with Sr. Mary Meyers, providing health care to uninsured and underserved populations

"Health care in this country is fractured, insurance is impossible for many low-income people, and now we have an administration who is trying to destroy it from within. God help us!" she says.

(Unsplash/Tom Podmore)
Columns

What 'Downton Abbey' and 'Hamilton' taught me about forgiveness and history

Each of us have, to varying degrees within us, visceral memories of earlier value systems. How do we embrace our differences and move forward together in ways that respect each person’s needs, hopes and dreams?

ByNancy Sylvester
Hairdressing and beauty therapy students participate in a lesson at the Euphrasia Vocational Training Institute, a project of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd in Ngong, Kenya. (Courtesy of Justicia Nekesa)

Q&A with Sr. Justicia Nekesa, empowering girls in Kenya through skill-based training

Sr. Justicia Nekesa said girls' education is not a priority for most parents, and young brides are weighed down by poverty as they solely depend on their polygamous husbands for support. 

By
graphic shows a house and a pagoda

Sisters Adorers walk with vulnerable girls and women in Japan

The sisters work with survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, exploitation or abandonment in several cities.

By

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Learning to weave taught me how to rebuild my life, thread by thread

Q&A with Sr. Jannette Pruitt, sewing custom vestments that celebrate Afro heritage

Sister-led church-state collaboration brings leprosy-cured Indians dignity, support