Peter Feuerherd

The influx of Puerto Ricans, largely Catholics and Democrats, to Central Florida, is part of a state with complicated politics. The Miami area of South Florida reflects a more Democratic tilt, too, with its mix of transplanted New Yorkers and Latinos, but these voters are offset by Republican growth in other areas.

In today's Manhattan, the original Catholic Worker facilities are surrounded by towers that rent one-bedroom apartments for $4,000 a month, and Catholic Worker centers in South Bend, Indiana, and Philadelphia are also learning to adapt to changes.

2020 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 politics.

One of the demands of the protestors is for direct elections for the Hong Kong government. As part of a worldwide church and with a small but significant presence in the city, at 5% of the total population of more than 7 million, Hong Kong Catholics are right in the middle of it.

From the editor: How NCR chose Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a public Catholic, as our Newsmaker of the Year

A new pastor's arrival set off disputes over issues such as the role of creativity in liturgical rites and the future of St. Francis Kitchen, the outreach to the homeless long affiliated with the parish.

U.S. bishops' conference officials drew up a plan to address sex abuse that was a ploy, deliberately circumventing Vatican authority, according to a new Pope Francis biography by Austen Ivereigh.

Though Pope Francis remains popular with Catholics in the pew, a well-funded opposition comprised largely of ecclesial elites are fighting his agenda, said Austen Ivereigh in a talk at Fordham University to promote his latest book.

After a South Carolina pastor refused the Eucharist to former Vice President Joe Biden, the incident was reported in the mainstream media and commented upon exhaustively on Catholic social media.

The third year of studies compiled by Voice of the Faithful showed improvements in some dioceses. The numbers, said the chair of the organization's Finance Working Group, "do tell stories."

Don't count on the bishops to clean up sex abuse in the church, Anne Burke told the annual gathering of Voice of the Faithful, Oct. 19 in Newton, Massachusetts.

Fr. Christopher Senk's case has played out amid distrust of the church hierarchy and, conversely, the response of bishops sensitive to criticism of failure to act against lapses by clergy in the past.

Archbishop Charles Chaput has already presented his resignation notice to the pope, following church law as he turns 75 Sept. 26. Philadelphia Catholics spoke about Chaput's eight-year tenure, which will soon end.

The Field Hospital: A church open to LGBT people to follow; taking an abuser's name off a parish hall; the fallout of the immigration raids in Mississippi and the pastor who is helping affected families; Latinos v. Democrats on party's abortion rights platform

The Field Hospital: Catholic parishes help migrant families after large-scale ICE raids in Mississippi; changes by new pastor from Africa divide a parish; Chattanooga parish remembers when it wasn’t easy being black or Catholic in the South. 

For church workers who feel that they have been treated unfairly, a legal doctrine known as the ministerial exception offers their employers a legal way out of liability. 

The Field Hospital: Efforts to evangelize include Alpha in British Columbia and the Mass Mob in Buffalo; parishes face pressing financial needs in Chicago; tackling poverty in Portland.

NCR Connections: Lay involvement is an important distinction. Our work is in the world. The going forth from Mass is the beginning of our work, not the end.

The Field Hospital: Twin parishes team up across US-Canada border to raise funds for church restoration; A New Jersey diocesan delegation visits the border in Texas. The famous Crystal Cathedral is now the Christ Cathedral. 

The Vatican has announced sanctions against Bishop Michael J. Bransfield — including a prohibition from public celebration of Mass — after an investigation found him guilty of financial crimes and sexual harassment.