Top NCR stories of 2017, by total reading time

News articles

Readers pored over stories that reflect the big themes of the year: money and politics, the influence of the Catholic far right and gay rights and discrimination in the Catholic Church. In total, the top 10 news stories held readers' attention for more than seven years.

1. Fr. James Martin in social media fray over LGBT conversation

2. Knights of Columbus' financial forms show wealth, influence

3. In powerful speech, San Diego bishop challenges organizers to disrupt, rebuild

4. Cardinal Dolan contemplates selling NY chancery in biting letter to priests

5. Fr. James Martin uninvited from talk at CUA seminary

6. Minnesota parish rallies around gay musicians ousted by new priest

7. New Pro-Life Movement' co-founder loses job, attacked online

8. Convicted soul: A priest-perpetrator of child sexual abuse shares his story

9. Pope Francis and Coptic pope agree not to re-baptize

10. Pope admits corruption at the Vatican in wide-ranging talk to men religious

Commentary

Reflections on Pope Francis and President Donald Trump kept readers scrolling down the page last year. Visitors to NCRonline.org spent almost the entire year reading Joan Chittister's top political commentaries — a total of 353 days. Fr. Gregory Greiten wrote the year's breakaway opinion piece, in which he comes out as a celibate gay man. Readers spent 65 weeks reading his perspective.

1. Parish priest breaks the silence, shares that he is gay

2. Pope Francis' message faces intensifying criticism

3. Donald Trump's gospel is not the Gospel of Jesus

4. The real electoral problem may lie within us

5. Make America America again

6. Francis stacks the College of Cardinals

7. The normalization of insanity

8. Eucharistic prayer in the 21st century

9. What I saw at a conservative Catholic gathering in DC's Trump Tower

10. Five great achievements of Pope Francis' first four years

[Brittany Wilmes is engagement editor for NCR. Her email address is bwilmes@ncronline.org.]