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February 22, 2020 at 12:02 PM

NCR Weekend Edition: Feb. 22-23, 2020

Father Josh: A married Catholic priest in a celibate worldby Tim Sullivan, The Associated PressFr. Joshua Whitfield is a husband, a father of four and a relentlessly good-natured priest beloved by the parishioners. He is, he says, "an ecclesiastical zoo exhibit," one of the tiny community of married…

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February 21, 2020 at 10:31 PM

Archbishop Wester responds to recounting of pope's words about Jesuit Fr. James Martin

Archbishop Wester responds to recounting of pope's words about Jesuit Fr. James Martinby Archbishop John WesterArchbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, responds to a Catholic News Agency article that said Pope Francis had expressed displeasure over how Jesuit Fr. James Martin had acted follow…

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February 21, 2020 at 12:16 PM

Editorial: 'Querida Amazonia' has flaws of omission but gives us plenty to act on

Editorial: 'Querida Amazonia' has flaws of omission but gives us plenty to act onby NCR Editorial StaffWe say: The undertaking was daunting from the start and disappointing in some respects at the end; compared to what went before, though, we prefer the new pathway that Pope Francis has opened. Feat…

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February 20, 2020 at 7:06 PM

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February 20, 2020 at 3:06 PM

Catholic schools slow to accept cultural significance of black hair

Catholic schools slow to accept cultural significance of black hairby Sarah SalvadoreThe problem of hair discrimination disproportionately affects black students, and one Catholic school in the Brooklyn Diocese faces a lawsuit over its policies. Featured Advertisers Looking to Hire? Offering Ret…

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February 19, 2020 at 7:01 PM

'Nothing' bishop gets frank on married priests, Vatican under Francis

'Nothing' bishop gets frank on married priests, Vatican under Francisby Joshua J. McElweeBishop John Michael Botean, who leads the Eparchy of St. George's in Canton, Ohio, the Romanian Greek Catholic Church's only diocese abroad, spoke with unusual candor in a Feb. 18 interview. Featured Advertisers…

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February 19, 2020 at 1:05 PM

How is Germany looking to reform its church? Latest news from the synodal way

Reformers' ideas gain momentum in German synodal wayby Donald SnyderAmid a shrinking Catholic Church in Germany, participants in the first session of synodal way meetings brought up questions about sexual morality, the ordination of women, and compulsory celibacy. German theologian spearheads transi…

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February 18, 2020 at 12:02 PM

Disgraced religious order tried to get abuse victim to lie

Disgraced religious order tried to get abuse victim to lieby Nicole Winfield, Maria Verza, The Associated PressYolanda Martínez's son had been sexually abused by a priest of the Legion of Christ, a disgraced religious order. But when she called Cardinal Valasio De Paolis — the Vatican official appoi…

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February 17, 2020 at 7:01 PM

Sponsored: See the Grace, Beauty and Magic in the Ordinary

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February 17, 2020 at 12:01 PM

Ursuline Sisters of Thailand exemplify service through interfaith education

Ursuline Sisters of Thailand exemplify service through interfaith educationby Guy WagnerThailand's entire Catholic community is less than one percent of the population of more than 68 million. But in Bangkok, Ursuline sisters run an all-girls K-12 Catholic school that is thriving. Featured Advertise…

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February 15, 2020 at 12:02 PM

NCR Weekend Edition: Feb. 15-16, 2020

South Asian Americans protest Modi's crackdown from afarby Sonia Paul, Religion News ServiceIndia's Citizenship Amendment Act, an initiative of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, fast-tracks citizenship for refugees of all major South Asian faiths from Pa…

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February 14, 2020 at 7:03 PM

Theologians, activists comment on 'Querida Amazonia'

Querida Amazonia, Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on the Amazon was released Feb. 12. You can catch up on all of the news here. Disappointment, outrage over papal document on the Amazonby Heidi SchlumpfPope Francis' apostolic exhortation on the Amazon disappointed those hoping for an opening of …

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February 14, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Excommunicated hermits — and their cats — finally find peace

Excommunicated hermits — and their cats — finally find peaceby Claire Giangrave, Religion News ServiceExcommunication is the latest step in a long journey by the three companions who, for years, have tried to cut themselves off from the sins of the world, as they see it, so they can live closer to G…

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February 12, 2020 at 3:16 PM

Francis declines to answer Amazon synod's requests for married priests, women ministers

Francis declines to answer Amazon synod's requests for married priests, women ministersby Joshua J. McElweePope Francis has not granted a request from the Catholic bishops of the Amazon to allow for the priestly ordination of married men in their territories in order to address a severe lack of mini…

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February 12, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Editorial: Hypocrisy on display in Duquesne's religious liberty win

Editorial: Hypocrisy on display in Duquesne's religious liberty winby NCR Editorial StaffIn recent weeks, the courts rendered decisions in two cases involving First Amendment guarantees of the free exercise of religion. We agree with both decisions, but deplore one of the outcomes. Featured Advertis…

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February 11, 2020 at 12:04 PM

NCR Connections: A way out of the US bishops' tight ideological and partisan corner

A way out of the US bishops' tight ideological and partisan cornerby Tom RobertsNCR Connections: Recent talks by McElroy and Cupich model communication that starts with the belief that God is active in the lives of people and that well-formed Catholic consciences deserve respect. Featured Advertiser…

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February 8, 2020 at 12:15 PM

NCR Weekend Edition: Feb. 8-9, 2020

Oscar hopefuls include some of Sister Rose's favorites — but not allby Sr. Rose PacatteCommentary: Of the 50 or so Oscar-nominated films, I have seen 29, a number of them among my top 13 favorites of 2019. My test: Is the story told in such a compelling way that I would watch this film again? Nigeri…

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February 7, 2020 at 11:06 PM

NCR Editorial: Heroes of the impeachment imbroglio

Editorial: Heroes of the impeachment imbroglioby NCR Editorial StaffIt's reasonable to feel that the U.S. Senate's failure to convict President Donald Trump is cause for despair. Yet there were heroes in the process, who stepped up for truth at a time when falsehood is the coin of the political real…

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February 7, 2020 at 12:02 PM

Bishop McElroy on voting with faith and a conscience

Bishop McElroy on voting with faith and a conscienceby Bishop Robert McElroy It is primarily through the votes of Catholic women and men, rooted in conscience and in faith that the Church enters into the just ordering of society and the state. Featured Advertisers Learn farming with monks. A 10 …

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February 6, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Rwandan rehabilitation center cares for children with mental illness

Rwandan rehabilitation center cares for children with mental illnessby Aimable TwahirwaThe St. Vincent de Paul Children Rehabilitation Center, run by the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul of Lendelede, often treats children who have been abandoned by their parents because of their disabilities. Feature…

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February 5, 2020 at 12:04 PM

As evangelicals gain, Catholics on verge of losing majority in Brazil

As evangelicals gain, Catholics on verge of losing majority in Brazilby Eduardo Campos LimaIn 20th-century Brazil, with the world's largest Catholic population, "the Catholic Church lost about 1% of its followers per decade," notes one expert. "From the 1990s on, it started to shrink about 1% per ye…

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February 4, 2020 at 5:46 PM

Nationalist event in Rome warns against 'pink police state,' Pope Francis

Nationalist event in Rome warns against 'pink police state,' Pope Francisby Joshua J. McElweeThe daylong conference organized by the National Conservatism project mixed clarion calls against "hegemonic progressivism" with occasional warnings about Pope Francis' vision for the Catholic Church. Featur…

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February 4, 2020 at 1:04 PM

Isolation doesn't have to be part of the vocation: Catholic moms seek out community online

Catholic moms seek out community onlineby Maria BeneventoCatholic mothers today are finding support in communities they build online: Blogs, Facebook groups and Catholic websites can provide social interaction, create a forum for prayers, advice and encouragement, and can help moms make time for the…

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February 3, 2020 at 7:02 PM

Editorial: Reaping what we sow in the impeachment trial

Editorial: Reaping what we sow in the impeachment trialby NCR Editorial Staff"Remind our senators that they alone are accountable to you for their conduct." Every day, the Senate chaplain would plead to the heavens for courage and integrity. Alas, he got little of both. Featured Advertisers Lear…

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February 3, 2020 at 12:04 PM

Tensions brew between church and Spain's 'progressive coalition'

Tensions brew between church and Spain's 'progressive coalition'by Jonathan LuxmoorePrime Minister Pedro Sánchez's left-wing "progressive coalition," modern Spain's first, faces tough challenges — not least a threatened confrontation with the influential Catholic Church.  Featured Advertisers Le…

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February 1, 2020 at 12:03 PM

NCR Weekend Edition: Feb. 1-2, 2020

Should we have kids?by Brittany WilmesWhen a couple marries in the Catholic Church, they vow during the sacrament to be open to life. What does that mean in a post-Laudato Si' world? NCR talked to millennials about raising children and caring for all creation. For some Latinos, grappling with their …

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January 31, 2020 at 1:04 PM

Faith influences Iowa's Catholic college voters

Faith influences Iowa's Catholic college votersby Heidi SchlumpfVoters under 30 — including Catholic ones — could have enormous influence on the 2020 presidential election. College students told NCR that their political priorities have been informed by their Catholic faith. Featured Advertisers …

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January 30, 2020 at 1:31 PM

Peace scholar says finding disappeared victims of Mexico's drug war 'a moral issue'

Peace scholar says finding disappeared victims of Mexico's drug war 'a moral issue'by Claire Schaeffer-DuffyPietro Ameglio Patella thinks the phrase "drug war" does not accurately describe the conflict in Mexico. "What really is happening in Mexico is a trans-national, inter-capitalist war for the m…

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January 30, 2020 at 12:53 PM

A unique platform for a range of voices

I recently celebrated 11 years as a columnist at National Catholic Reporter. Some longtime readers may recall that I began as a member of the first cohort of NCR's Young Voices columnists. After a few years, Tom Fox, who was then our editor, invited me to write …

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January 29, 2020 at 7:02 PM

NCR Connections: Trump seals his Catholic deal

Trump seals his Catholic dealby Tom RobertsNCR Connections: The Catholic Church in the U.S. has been used and manipulated by the era's most unconscionable con artist. But there is an alternative model to being captive of far-right political operatives. Featured Advertisers Healing harp therapy C…

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January 29, 2020 at 1:31 PM

NCR Editorial: We are wary of answers for sale

We are wary of answers for saleby NCR Editorial StaffWe say: Some of the greatest beneficiaries of lay engagement in the post-Vatican II era are the entrepreneurs who understand the advantages of being an individual seller to a captive audience in a top-down organization where the hierarchy is, for …

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January 29, 2020 at 12:49 PM

Be a "Tiny Ripple of Hope"

Dear Reader, I'm compelled to write to you personally because of a disturbing statistic I read last year. Almost seventy percent of American Catholics agreed with this statement: "I have more fear than hope about America's future." Today, we have challenges i…

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January 28, 2020 at 12:36 PM

Where else will you get the Catholic angle?

The religious left needs help. And you can help it. My colleague Heidi Schlumpf recently reported on a "Vote Common Good" summit in Des Moines that was organized by a group of left-leaning evangelicals and Roman Catholics. The only presidential candidate to atte…

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January 27, 2020 at 7:02 PM

Sponsored: New for Lent by Joan Chittister: A Time to Weep

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January 27, 2020 at 6:03 PM

Survey finds tension between professional and 'missionary' campus ministers

Survey finds tension between professional and 'missionary' campus ministersby Heidi SchlumpfA national survey has identified two major challenges facing campus ministers: a desire to help young Catholics transition from college to parish life, and the need for better collaboration. Featured Advertis…

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January 27, 2020 at 12:41 PM

One big source of hope

Dear NCR friends, I write as a member of the broad-minded, big-hearted family of believers that is the NCR community. If, like me, you are gravely concerned about the lack of Gospel values and accountability--whether in the Catholic Church or in the U.S. gov…

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January 27, 2020 at 11:02 AM

Cardinal Cupich: Promoting human dignity is our baptismal call

Cardinal Cupich: Promoting human dignity is our baptismal callby Cardinal Blase CupicCardinal Blase Cupich: "When we fail to make what Christ is doing the starting point as we take up the social ministry of the Church, we end up with a distorted view of the Church and our very call to holiness." Fea…

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January 25, 2020 at 12:01 PM

NCR Weekend Edition: Jan. 25-26, 2020

Netflix 'Messiah' series is provocative, worthwhile, even for the non-religiousby Sr. Rose PacatteReview: Michael Petroni says of his show, "Your perception is only through the character's point of view and human experience, and this leaves it up to you, the audience, to decide the meaning of what's…

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January 24, 2020 at 7:02 PM

Editorial: Dolan investigating DiMarzio points up flaws of 'Vos Estis'

Editorial: Dolan investigating DiMarzio points up flaws of 'Vos Estis'by NCR Editorial StaffFor the confidence of the people of God, the abuse charges against Bishop DiMarzio cry out for an investigation. Our problem is with making diocesan neighbor Cardinal Dolan responsible for leading an inquiry.…

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January 24, 2020 at 2:05 PM

On abortion, young Catholics express frustration with terms of the debate

On abortion, young Catholics express frustration with terms of the debateby Brian RoeweTwentysomething Catholics shared their perspectives on abortion with NCR. For many of them, the ongoing national debate and its binary sides fall short of the issue's complexities. Featured Advertisers Need fr…

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January 23, 2020 at 1:04 PM

Iowa caucus Feb. 3 may belong to the most dedicated

Iowa caucus may belong to the most dedicatedby Brian RoeweThe question of whether there is a "Catholic vote" in Iowa most often leads political watchers to Dubuque County, where over half the 96,000 residents identify as Catholic. Featured Advertisers Need fresh ideas for your homilies?  More th…

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January 22, 2020 at 12:02 PM

Focus group of Catholic parishioners talks politics in Detroit suburb

Focus group of Catholic parishioners talks politics in Detroit suburbby Peter Feuerherd2020 election: These parishioners of St. Ambrose in Grosse Pointe Park, a Democrat-leaning suburb in the highly contested state of Michigan, worry that Christian faith has been co-opted into Republican Party polit…

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January 21, 2020 at 12:03 PM

Catholic immigration activists step up in battle against Trump policies

Catholic immigration activists step up in battle against Trump policiesby Sarah SalvadoreA growing number of Catholic religious and laypeople are participating in civil disobedience movements across the U.S., protesting what they say is inhumane treatment of immigrants at the border. Featured Advert…

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January 20, 2020 at 7:02 PM

Sponsored: Get 5-star rated Maximilian Kolbe daily Lenten booklets for your friends and family today!

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January 20, 2020 at 12:01 PM

Journalist who covered civil rights activism reflects on the MLK legacy

Journalist who covered civil rights activism reflects on the MLK legacyby Arthur JonesCommentary: For Martin Luther King Jr. Day, NCR former editor Arthur Jones shares reporting from the March on Washington in 1963, and the 1964 Democratic National Convention, where he met King. Featured Advertisers…

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January 18, 2020 at 1:02 PM

NCR Weekend Edition: Jan. 18-19, 2020

Editorial: US foreign policy belies the veneer of noble purposeby NCR Editorial StaffThe U.S. assassination of Qassem Soleimani has occasioned a new round of all-too-familiar rhetoric about enemies deserving of death, even if questions are being raised about the strategy and its fallout. Dorothy Day…

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January 17, 2020 at 11:50 PM

Appeals court rules to throw out youth climate change case

Appeals court rules to throw out youth climate change caseby Brian RoeweA federal appeals court on Friday directed the dismissal of a high-profile lawsuit brought by 21 youth plaintiffs who had sued the U.S. federal government for its inaction on climate change. Featured Advertisers Join Sr. Joa…

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January 17, 2020 at 1:05 PM

New Matthew Kelly program sees parishes as fertile market for consulting

New Matthew Kelly program sees parishes as fertile market for consultingby Heidi SchlumpfDynamic Catholic is now focused on what is billed as "the largest parish renewal initiative the church has ever seen." Dynamic Catholic's consulting comes at a low price, which it can afford because of donations…

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January 16, 2020 at 1:03 PM

Matthew Kelly's companies do business with the nonprofit he founded

Matthew Kelly's companies do business with the nonprofit he foundedby Heidi SchlumpfIt is the relationship between some of Matthew Kelly's privately held for-profit companies and the Catholic nonprofit he founded that could be problematic. Featured Advertisers Join Sr. Joan Chittister on the Rhi…

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January 15, 2020 at 7:03 PM

Two men in white: Book saga shows need to rethink norms for retired popes

Two men in white: Book saga shows need to rethink norms for retired popesby Richard GaillardetzCommentary: As we approach the seventh anniversary of Benedict XVI's retirement from papal office, some ecclesiological difficulties have come to light. And there were hints of a problem right from the sta…

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