The three primary types of criticism hurled at Pope Francis each betray something unhealthy in the human heart, something that resists the call of the Gospel, something that will likely outlast this pontificate.
It is natural to compare a pope to his predecessors. But many of the comparisons being made now betray an ideological edge that does no justice to the legacy of any of the three most recent popes.
Pope Francis was a pastor, first and foremost, and a good pastor teaches. Any pope's most enduring legacy is the body of magisterial teaching they left behind.
We grieve not just the passing of a pope, but the loss of a holy witness who taught us that to see sacramentally is not to withdraw from the world, but to love it more fiercely.
In a noisy and busy world, in a time of cultural and political polarization, Pope Francis invited us all to listen to the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit.
From now until Oct. 19, 2031, when we mark the final defeat of the British Army at Yorktown, Americans will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the battles that brought the nation to birth.
Good Friday, NCR's Michael Sean Winters writes, reminds us that Jesus did not only confront injustice and sin but death itself, and he did all this on our behalf.
