NCR Editorial Staff

We say: The latest pastoral letter on racism, in many respects, is a worthy addition to the U.S. bishops' other writing on this evil, but it is reminiscent of the cautious approach taken by white religious leaders in the South during the civil rights era.

We say: The culture of the Catholic clergy and the state of the episcopacy have come under intense scrutiny as a result of the abuse crisis, but what happened at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' meeting is not encouraging.

NCR Editorial: This time, it has to be different. Bishops, the prolonged abuse scandal would suggest that you've not done very well taking stock of yourselves.

We say: The real significance of the midterm results lies deeper in the details of who won, where the Democratic wins occurred beyond the national offices, and how it all happened.

We say: Sidelined for too long, women aren't going away. Perhaps the utter scandal to which an all-male clerical culture has subjected the church will finally force a change.

We say: As the church lives through a fundamental transition, some who ignored the abuse crisis for decades now seize on it to smear Francis and plant the church of their dreams.

We say: Remarkably, Archbishop Óscar Romero and Pope Paul VI shared a martyrdom that built the bridge that supports a single trajectory, inspired by the Holy Spirit, that will renew the church and reveal again the mystery of Jesus as the engine of history. 

We say: The four points outlined by leadership of the bishops' conference are, for the most part, good beginnings. But they won't lead us to the full truth-telling that is needed.

We say: When we lift our rose-colored glasses, we find a fragile economy made even more fragile by the GOP's December 2017 tax plan, along with the "2.0" plan that would cement it.

We say: The current moment must lead to a radical reform of Catholic clerical culture and the meaning of ordination itself. If we cannot begin this challenging work, we should at least have the honesty to say that a monstrous evil has prevailed and that we no longer understand what it means to be a church of Jesus Christ.

Now more than ever, the laity need to speak with a united voice. We must turn our anger into resolve. We must insist on full lay participation in all efforts at reform. We must demand that bishops claim their true vocations as servants to the people of God. 

NCR joins today some 300 news outlets across the U.S. publishing editorials about the Trump administration's assault on the media and the importance of freedom of the press.

NCR has noted the progress the Catholic Church has made in addressing the decades-long scandal of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, but the McCarrick case shows in vivid detail where the church continues to fail and what it must do to purge itself of this contamination.

We say: Overturning Roe vs. Wade won't end abortion. But addressing the pre-pregnancy needs of women and improving the post-birth life realities of mothers and their children will move us in the right direction toward a truly pro-life future.

We say: We don't have to let compassion be tossed aside by our legal systems. It's been proven we are a nation of laws. Now, let's work on the compassion part.

We say: It's time to move extraordinary grassroots efforts to a new place in the national agenda. This requires firm moral leadership. Can the U.S. bishops meet this challenge?

We say: Making family separation a point of government policy is unacceptable and immoral. That is exactly what the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy is, and, according to the United Nations human rights office, is also "a serious violation of the rights of the child."

We say: The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is totally man-made. It could be contained and a peace process put in motion. But international players have shown little interest in peace.

We say: It's time to revisit the pope's 2015 proposal to establish a tribunal that would hold responsible bishops and religious superiors who mishandle cases of clergy sex abuse.

We say: We must bring public pressure to bear on the White House and Congress to ensure the United States rejoins the world community and works in concert with all nations to slow global warming.