Joshua J. McElwee

"The Light From the Southern Cross," a report commissioned by Australia's bishops and religious orders, recommends a series of radical changes to the way the Catholic Church operates across the country.

It is a bit early to assess the effect of Pope Francis' new global system for how the Catholic Church evaluates reports of clergy sexual abuse or cover-up by individual bishops, say canon lawyers.

In a May 21 statement to NCR, Gian Franco Mammì emphasized the Vatican bank's "maximum attention" to Pope Francis' environmental encyclical, Laudato Si', and "respect for the principles set forth" in it.

Max Hohenberg, former communications official, told NCR that while he doesn't know of a specify policy against fossil fuels, the bank's traditional investment practices mean that it is unlikely to have money in that industry.

Pope Francis said May 12 that the global coronavirus pandemic has highlighted "deficiencies" in how countries provide healthcare and called on global leaders to invest in their healthcare systems as "the primary common good."

Several theologians are expressing concerns about a set of guidelines forwarded by the U.S. bishops' conference to Catholic prelates across the country over how to restart public celebration of the Mass despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. Catholic magazine, a storied national outlet published by the Claretian Missionaries, has quietly unpublished from its website two recent articles that were critical of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan's flattering comments about President Donald Trump.

Days after the U.S. bishops' conference forwarded a set of suggestions for how Catholic prelates might restart the public celebration of the Mass during the coronavirus pandemic, the national organization of diocesan liturgical officials has published its own separate set of recommendations.

The U.S. bishops' conference has forwarded a set of recommendations to Catholic prelates across the country, proposing various paths forward for how they might restart the public celebration of the Mass in their dioceses despite the continued fear of the spread of the coronavirus.

Many church leaders have portrayed the council endeavor as something of an opportunity of last resort — a final chance to convince Catholics and wider society that the church has reformed in how it handles sexual abuse cases and can still be culturally relevant in this era.

"We cannot go on the way we have," said Bishop Vincent Long. "We must humbly and boldly address the biggest challenge of our time and build a healthier church for future generations."

In NCR interviews, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy and Cheyenne Bishop Steven Biegler urged laity to develop their prayer lives and reach out to those in need in this unprecedented time.

Social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic have largely put a stop to the Catholic practice of confession. This has revived conversation around a basic question: Why can't we do this by phone?

Most of the members of Pope Francis' new commission to study the ordaining of women as deacons in the Catholic Church appear not to have focused on the matter in their scholarly work.

Pope Francis has created a new commission to study the ordaining of women as deacons in the Catholic Church, the Vatican announced April 8.

Pope Francis says he hopes the global Covid-19 pandemic will help the Catholic Church better know how to be both an institution, with certain rules and regulations, and more free-form, able to respond to people's pastoral needs in creative ways.

Just hours after Australia's highest court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic sexual offenses against children, Pope Francis offered a prayer April 7 for those who had suffered "unjust sentences."

Welcome to NCR's Coronavirus Tracker, where you can find the latest news about the coronavirus pandemic as it relates to the Catholic Church and other institutions.

Social service and emergency care providers are pressed to find new ways to address people's needs in a time of health care crisis around the world. How will the pandemic change the way the church's social mission is perceived — and supported — in the future?

Welcome to NCR's Coronavirus Tracker, where you can find the latest news about the coronavirus pandemic as it relates to the Catholic Church and other institutions.