The “lived reality of men and women and children and families” and their “sufferings and challenges and joys” are at the center of “a moment of explicit theological renewal that will contribute enormously to the spread of the Gospel in this new millennium,” said San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy (pictured) in a June 26 keynote Read more
Christa Brown of Tennessee has for years called on Baptist churches to set up an independent panel to evaluate allegations of sexual abuse by clergy — such as the youth minister who sexually assaulted her as a teenager — and to keep predators from striking again at another church. Pastor Jimmy Hinton — a Somerset Read more
Fifty years ago this year, the church restored the permanent diaconate, opening the doors to married clergy who brought and continue to bring with them all the joys, sorrows, and complexities of family life to ordained ministry. In the case of my family, that included first-hand experience with LGBT people. In the fall of 2013, Read more
Many people are pessimistic about Millennials, but I believe the next generation is poised to transform the culture (and the world) for the good. For many churches and leaders, however, Millennials are (to borrow from Winston Churchill) “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” I would agree with Churchill’s statement on some levels, but the Read more
Pope Francis made an unexpected change Tuesday in the structure of the College of Cardinals, adding some curial officials to the rank of “cardinal bishops,” the highest rank within the college. The College of Cardinals is structured in three orders, or ranks: the order of “cardinal deacons,” the order of “cardinal priests,” and the order Read more
Innocence? I believe McCarrick is lying, and that he knows he is lying. I have been waiting for this story to break since 2002. Back then, I received a tip from a priest who had gone on his own dime to Rome, along with a group of prominent US Catholic laymen, to meet with an Read more
When drug traffickers shot Wayner Berduo seven times last year, they didn’t stop there. The men nearly beat him to death with their pistol grips, police reports say. One bullet pierced Berduo’s eye socket, so after the attack, surgeons removed his left eye and stitched back together his face and his right arm, which now Read more
Cultures recognize God but they also recognize that God makes use of culture to speak to us. In an interview with La Croix Africa, Father Léonard Santédi (pictured) explains the concept of inculturation. La Croix Africa: What is inculturation? Father Léonard Santédi: Inculturation is an encounter between life and the Christian message and culture, understood Read more
There are few spots around the world where parents don’t have to drag their younger adult children to worship: Ghana, a predominantly Christian county is one; Chad, a predominantly Muslim country, is another. In both African nations, younger adults are 3 percentage points more likely to identify with their faith than their elders, according to Read more
The popular Catholic hymn “Be Not Afraid” has been included in the hymnals of every Christian denomination, but people might be more likely to sing it in a time of fear or grief than at church. An informal Twitter survey of America readers returned story after story—some of them embedded in this article—of people singing Read more