It is not every day that the pope publicly scolds a group of bishops. Those unfamiliar with papal texts can be forgiven for thinking Pope Francis' letter to the U.S. bishops was one of encouragement. It wasn't.
This case could be a vehicle by which the Supreme Court continues its effort to recalibrate church-state jurisprudence in ways that are more friendly to religions and religiously motivated plaintiffs.
The answer is twofold: We should take practical steps to protect migrants and we should creatively preach what the church teaches, says NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.
In an essay, retired NCR editor Tom Fox recalls his years in Vietnam, his personal connection with the Kim Phúc story, and the silence behind a powerful and defining image of the Vietnam War.
Catholic social teaching was central in the formation of the New Deal, as the U.S. bishops' 1919 program for social reconstruction advocated many programs Franklin Delano Roosevelt would later enact.
The rule of law, without which no government can function, is at grave risk when pardons are issued in such indiscriminate ways, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.
President Donald Trump came out swinging on the issue of immigration, writes Michael Sean Winters. The leaders of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy do not throw punches. But they are setting down some markers.