Pope Francis' new constitution for the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, is a reform aimed at nothing less than a conversion of the way power is exercised in and from Rome, and by extension in the global Catholic Church.
Distinctly Catholic: To what degree have the U.S. bishops, and the staff they have assembled at the conference headquarters in Washington, embraced the magisterium of Pope Francis and to what degree are they resisting his lead?
Distinctly Catholic: Like the church, the meeting is traditional but unpredictable; mainstream society will largely ignore it; and it is difficult to believe in the current leadership.
Distinctly Catholic: The newly published book by Gerard O'Connell provides an unprecedented, if unverifiable, inside look at the 2013 conclave that made Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio pope.
Commentary, Part 3 of 3: The church's cover-up debacle owes greatly to John Paul II. In 1989, U.S. bishops sought the authority to defrock child predators. John Paul refused. For years, I wondered why.
Distinctly Catholic: I think this is the question the pope wants them to ask: Whence your credibility as a bishop? While there will always be some ministers who are clueless, how could a culture form that such patterns of evil behavior covering up the crimes of the perpetrators were so widespread?
It is hard to know what to think of the bombshell dropped by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who released a scalding letter on Sunday calling on Pope Francis to resign.
Distinctly Catholic: An important conversation has begun about how the US bishops should address the problems the McCarrick episode reveals, including an unhealthy hierarchic and clerical culture.
Distinctly Catholic: As the scandal surrounding former cardinal Theodore McCarrick unfolds, I am concerned about commentaries that darken counsel instead of enlightening it.
