A faithful reads during a Latin Mass at Rome's ancient Pantheon basilica, in Rome, Italy on Oct. 29, 2021. (AP/Luca Bruno)

Is the trad Catholic trend about tradition — or about individual proclivities?

Spirituality

Stephen Adubato writes that what we call "traditional Catholicism" is less the fruit of a living legacy shared between generations than it is the product of an artificial culture constructed to pick and choose elements from the past that fit the ideological and aesthetic tastes of its adherents.

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Editors' Choice

Focus

U.S. President Donald Trump signs documents in the Oval Office at the White House on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20 in Washington. He signed a series of executive orders including on immigration, birthright citizenship and climate. Trump also signed an order directing the U.S. government to only recognize two sexes, male and female. (OSV News/Reuters/Carlos Barria)

In Focus

Bishops condemn Trump's immigration orders for stoking fear, anxiety

Catholic advocacy groups, southern border dioceses and the U.S. bishops' conference are expressing deep concern after President Trump signed a series of executive orders targeting immigration on his first week in the Oval Office.

Most Read Stories

Pope Francis, wearing a sling on his right arm after a fall, poses for a photo with Edmond Brahimaj, right, leader of the Bektashi community of Muslim Sufis from Tirana, Albania, during a meeting at the Vatican Jan. 16, 2025. The Vatican said the pope injured his arm in a fall and while nothing was broken, the arm was immobilized as “a cautionary measure.” (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Vatican News

#1
Pope Francis falls and injures arm

Pope Francis suffered a fall and injured his right arm, the Vatican announced on Jan. 16. 

ByChristopher White
Pope Francis talks with U.S. President Donald Trump during a private audience at the Vatican May 24 (CNS photo/Paul Haring).
Vatican News

#2
Pope Francis to Trump: Reject 'hate, discrimination or exclusion'

Pope Francis on Jan. 19 denounced President Donald Trump's provisional plans to carry out a massive deportation of migrants as a "disgrace."

ByChristopher White
line of people staring at smartphones
Vatican News

#3
Tool of faith or digital distraction? Catholic Church offers indulgences to faithful who fast from social media

Among the traditional religious activities that can earn one an indulgence — such as pilgrimage to holy sites, acts of charity and saying special prayers — Pope Francis introduced a new option: a call to fast from the internet and social media.

ByHeidi A. Campbell, The Conversation

#4
US bishops set down some markers on immigration

#5
Catholics on edge as Trump's second term brings migration crackdown, climate deal exit

#6
Why I remain a Catholic priest, despite the devastation of scandals

Opinion

Your letters: Catholics "on edge," hope during Trump and deportation

Letters to the Editor

The unpardonable pardons of both presidents

NCR Voices
President Donald Trump, left, watches as Bishop Mariann Budde arrives at the national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP/Evan Vucci)

Editorial: Addressing Trump, Bishop Budde did what a Christian is obliged to do

Editorial

Episcopal Bishop of Washington Mariann Budde's plea to Trump gave a human face to those who, in the approach of a heartless administration, are a faceless group, shamefully maligned and made into a national scapegoat.

Read the 1985 editorial when NCR exposed the clergy sex abuse scandal

Editorial

These difficult times require us becoming 'mature disciples'

NCR Voices
Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich is pictured in a 2019 photo. In remarks Jan. 19 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where he was participating in a pilgrimage, Cupich reassured migrants in his archdiocese that the Catholic community stands with them in the face of reported plans for a mass deportation by the new Trump administration of people in the U.S. without authorization. (OSV News/Bob Roller)

US bishops set down some markers on immigration

NCR Voices

President Donald Trump came out swinging on the issue of immigration, writes Michael Sean Winters. The leaders of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy do not throw punches. But they are setting down some markers.

Vatican

Pope sits on raised dais, people seen watching.
Vatican News

AI is human creation that must be controlled by humans, pope says

Artificial intelligence or any other technology that worsens inequality around the world and increases fake news should not be embraced as "progress," Pope Francis told business and government leaders meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Francis, the comic strip: With so little love in the world, Brother Leo helps Francis find some.
Francis, the comic strip

Francis, the comic strip: The world needs love

Francis, the comic strip: With so little love in the world, Brother Leo helps Francis find some.

ByPat Marrin
The pope shown shaking Correa's hand.
Vatican News

Sodalitium confirms its suppression after news of it leaks with no Vatican confirmation

The controversial lay movement Sodalitium Christianae Vitae was forced to confirm news that it was suppressed by Pope Francis after two of its members leaked the news to a Catholic news outlet.
 

ByJunno Arocho Esteves, OSV News
Francis, the comic strip: The cartoon version of the inauguration is very cold!
Francis, the comic strip

Francis, the comic strip: Inauguration

Francis, the comic strip: The cartoon version of the inauguration is very cold!

ByPat Marrin

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Vatican News

Pope Francis to Trump: Reject 'hate, discrimination or exclusion'

Vatican News

Tool of faith or digital distraction? Catholic Church offers indulgences to faithful who fast from social media

Vatican News

Let hope lead your lives, pope tells seminarians

The writer's dog, Monte (Griffin Cunningham)
Viewpoints

I practice mercy in the meta-crisis by moving from my head to my heart

The overwhelming nature of the climate crisis can paralyze our ability to think and act toward a more sustainable future. What becomes possible when we approach it not from the head, but from the heart? 

The pope stands speaking into microphone with hand to chest.

'My heart is with LA': Pope prays for people of Los Angeles as they endure wildfires

Francis referred to the disaster during his weekly general audience Wednesday and invoked Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is revered by many Latino Catholics.

ByAssociated Press
Peak in background, foregrounded are group of people and U.S. flag.
Politics

Alaska Native leaders call to preserve Denali name for Mount McKinley

A few hours after his second inauguration address on Monday, Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming Denali to Mount McKinley.

ByDaysha Eaton, Religion News Service
Mother Mary Queen of Peace Shrine sits atop Kabiyet Hill in western Kenya. Established by the Catholic Diocese of Eldoret, it has become a site of community gathering and environmental conservation. (Shadrack Omuka)
Faith

At Kenya's Kabiyet Hill Catholic shrine, conservation meets spiritual well-being

Kabiyet Hill in western Kenya is now home to a Catholic shrine that provides a shared space for worship while also facilitating conservation efforts to address environmental degradation in the area.

ByShadrack Omuka

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Faith

Catholic family in Altadena holds off flames, looters with courage — and prayer

Science

'Grim but not hopeless': Catholics reflect as 2024 is hottest year on record

Indifference, pride fuel world's horrors; selfishness is suicide

Culture

Aerial view of Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, in flames on April 19, 1993, following a 51-day siege by the FBI and law enforcement. (Wikimedia Commons/FBI)
Book Reviews

'We Burn Daylight' uses fiction to explore the line between church and cult

In We Burn Daylight, Bret Anthony Johnston tells a fictional story similar to 1993 Waco siege to engage questions about religious freedom, state-sanctioned violence and the blurry line between church and cult.

"Planetwalker" is a documentary about John Francis, an uncommon globetrotter who embarked on a yearslong silent trek for the environment. (Los Angeles Times)

Inspired by Thomas Merton, this 'Planetwalker' traversed the world in silent activism

"Planetwalker" is a documentary about John Francis, an uncommon globetrotter who embarked on a yearslong trek for the environment, with 17 of those years observing a vow of silence.

ByRyan Di Corpo
This is a scene from "Into Great Silence," a documentary by filmmaker Philip Groning about monks at a Carthusian monastery in the French Alps. (CNS/courtesy of Zeitgeist Films)
Book Reviews

New book combines reading with cinema for a highly spiritual experience

In A Whole Life in Twelve Movies, authors Kathleen Norris and Gareth Higgins seed fruitful conversation and fulfill the human need for "art that's steeped in the mystery of life."

ByMaryanne Hannan
Keira Knightley as Helen Webb in the Netflix series "Black Doves" (Netflix/Ludovic Robert)

'Black Doves' turns a religious symbol on its head

There are moments in "Black Doves" that feel like any given show about a spy organization full of deceit, murder and revenge. But at its core, the show is about moral code, human connection and spiritual renewal. 

ByLindsay Simpson

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Book Reviews

Trans theology is subject of recently released book, 'Glorious Bodies'

Notre Dame's first concert a 'moment of grace' for young composer of Marian choral piece

Sienese exhibition at MET illuminates pivotal moment in history of religious painting

Residents of Kanlungan ni Maria Home for the Aged in Antipolo City, Philippines, pose for a photo together with the nuns and staff. (GSR photo/Oliver Samson)

Q&A with Sr. Herminia Mamarion, caring for neglected elderly in the Philippines

In Filipino culture, caring for aging parents is the responsibility of the children. But when that does not happen, the Kanlungan ni Maria Home for the Aged steps in.

Pope Francis kisses a gift presented to him by Sr. Jane Wakahiu during an audience with the board of directors of the Conrad Hilton Foundation at the Vatican on Jan. 22. Standing to the right is Sr. Joyce Meyer, a member of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and member of the foundation's board of directors. (CNS/Vatican Media)

Hilton Foundation announces major grant for aging sisters

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation announced Jan. 22 a $15 million effort to help care for Catholic sisters who are aging and live in underserved communities.

ByGSR Staff
Faith

In Valencia, sisters bring comfort and assistance to flood survivors

After devastating, deadly floods in Valencia, Spain, Catholic sisters have contributed to recovery with spiritual help and physical labor, hand in hand with volunteers who are cleaning up affected towns.  

By
A statue of Mary rests nearly untouched in the rubble of a destroyed home in Altadena, Calif., Jan. 17, 2025, in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, which began Jan. 7. (OSV News/Bob Roller)
Faith

Catholic sisters flee to safety from LA's 'absolutely heartbreaking' fires

Sr. Maribeth Larkin, whose Sisters of Social Service evacuated to stay with the Sisters of Notre Dame, advised other congregations to talk to each other, and "have an up-to-date plan, not one you dust off from 20 years ago."

ByDan Stockman

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Global Sisters Report acquires A Nun's Life Ministry

Decolonization, a personal journey

As Trump returns, we cannot fear repercussions for standing up, speaking out

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