NCR Editorial Staff

We say: It's going to be a wild ride with the new Republican-controlled House. And any hints we have of the GOP agenda indicate that important tenets of Catholic social teaching will be missing from the chaotic mix.

We say: At the vanguard of the ideological shift in the judicial branch is Associate Justice Samuel Alito, author of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision. NCR editors have named Alito our Newsmaker of the Year for 2022.

We say: There is no denying it — fossil fuels lead to death. But the COP27 negotiators chose to remain attentive to the influence of the fossil fuel industry and to a political culture of instant gratification.

We say: For their conference president, U.S. bishops chose a culture warrior known for opposing the priorities of Pope Francis. Despite Francis' attempts to be a more welcoming church, the U.S. bishops seem out of step.

We say: An intruder broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home and assaulted her husband, Paul. But outrage over political violence is replaced with misinformation. Catholics must oppose both violence and lies. 

We say: Catholics must vote, and they must also examine their consciences about whom they vote for, prioritizing candidates who stand for the rule of law and for accepting election results. 

We say: More transparency from the Vatican is the only way to heal after decades of this scourge of sex abuse and cover-up. Recent cases prove that now is the time for greater transparency and less secrecy.

It's not hard to determine that using vulnerable people as objects to a political end is not consistent with Catholic teaching about humans' inherent dignity. We're talking to you, Govs. Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis.

We say: Twenty years after abuse cases in the Boston Archdiocese shined a harsh light on the church's disgusting propensity to doubt sexual abuse victims and protect their abusers, have church leaders learned nothing at all?

We say: It is clear through both words and actions that creation care is a priority of the Vatican and the leader of the Catholic Church. Yet, it continues to feel like the U.S. bishops have missed the memo.

We say: President Biden recently signed the first piece of gun control legislation in nearly 30 years. We understand the legislative process, and we know that you can't get everything in Washington. Still, we want more.

We say: In the 10th year of his papacy, Pope Francis certainly still knows how to surprise, whether it's in the latest announcement of 21 new cardinals, or in a recent meeting with Franciscan Fr. Richard Rohr.

As we at NCR have long argued, making abortion illegal is not the only — or even necessarily the most effective — way to bring about a reduction in the number of abortions in this country.

We say: Now it is time to step up to the plate and defend democracy. We are called to find out who serves as election officials and to determine if they are trustworthy. We are called to challenge those who aren't.

We're sick of hearing the same song after a mass shooting. The song always adds a new verse — but always one where more of our children are butchered and no one in authority does anything. How long must this song go on?

We say: It's time for all Catholic institutions — parishes, dioceses, schools and universities, and, yes, publications — to invest resources in ministries that center Latino Catholics.

We say: Network, a Catholic social justice lobby of religious women, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. For five decades, it has tirelessly worked for the common good, and the United States is a better place for it.

We say: The announcement of the official end to Title 42, the Trump-era pandemic restrictions that effectively blocked migrants from entering the United States, is long overdue. But it is just a first, small step.

We say: The church must do more to proclaim its message of racial justice, in homilies and in statements from bishops. The church also must do more to prioritize racism among other social justice issues.

We say: Whatever is happening behind the scenes, it is time for Pope Francis to speak the truth about the murderous assault on Ukraine. It is time to call things as they are. This is Putin's war and it is evil.