Thomas Paprocki

Commentary: The scandal in the U.S. church right now is the position of the bishops' conference that seeks to expel people in same-sex relationships from Catholic institutions, separating them from Catholic life.

The bishops pushing for a document about the denial of Communion to pro-choice Catholic politicians are the same prelates who have previously opposed Pope Francis' approach to pastoral life.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: A nightmare scenario with state election officials; Are climate goals still possible? Hamas and responsibility; Giggles via Scientific American

Distinctly Catholic: It's time for another installment, since tweets, columns and comments from certain conservative Catholics are piling up.

NCR Connections: The bishops, collectively at least, also have a history of blaming the media, most notably when journalists uncovered sexual abuse of children and the related coverup by bishops.

Distinctly Catholic: On Day One of the bishops' meeting, we saw all the things that served to cover up the sins of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and that now keep the bishops from acknowledging the sins of John Paul II.

Several U.S. bishops expressed concerns about the process for selecting bishops, unanswered questions about McCarrick's finances, the psychological and sexual health of priests and bishops, and both the progress and remaining challenges of transparency and accountability.

"Finding Hope in the New America" served as the theme of this year's Napa Institute summer conference, but in the sessions of the 2020 virtual conference, the titular hope seemed to be in short supply.