Analysis

One option for updating the church's annulment process: American Procedural Norms

Theology
Vatican
Oct 9, 2014

Analysis: The American Procedural Norms of the 1960s streamlined the church's judicial process for tens of thousands of American Catholics.

Commentary

Vatican bank review commission should drop individuals' accounts

Accountability
Opinion
Jul 2, 2013

Commentary: The latest scandals in the Vatican bank are only one example of what the five-person review group will have to deal with.

Churches should be a sacred space, free from partisan politics

Politics
NCR Today
Nov 2, 2012

Commentary: Bishop Daniel Jenky's letter for Sunday is an attempt to override informed consciences by a one-sided phrasing of the issues.

Commentary

Which presidential candidate is truly pro-life?

Politics
Opinion
Aug 10, 2012

COMMENTARY

A few weeks ago, I publicly defended Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York against onslaughts from the left that accused him of paying off pedophile priests to leave the priesthood when he was the archbishop of Milwaukee. As I explained then, the archbishop was simply recognizing the rights to sustenance that a priest, good or bad, child abuser or not, has from the diocese according to the Code of Canon Law. We might not like it, but sustenance is the law of the church, and then-Archbishop Dolan was following the law.

Now I find it necessary to defend Cardinal Dolan, whose openness and personal character I truly admire, from onslaughts from the far-right, those folks who have created their own parallel magisterium in which the Catholic church sings one note: Making abortions illegal is the highest, truest (maybe only) teaching of our church.