Christopher White

People who work at Catholic agencies that resettle refugees in the U.S. are optimistic they can rebuild programs that were diminished during Trump administration caps on arrivals.

As the U.S. Capitol was taken over by insurrectionists on Jan. 6 seeking to disrupt the certification of the Electoral College votes to formally declare Joe Biden the winner of the presidential election, a number of Catholic bishops took to Twitter to call for prayer and peace.

Fr. Leo O'Donovan, former president of Georgetown University, confirmed to NCR that he had accepted the invitation to offer the prayer Jan. 20, which will mark the election of the nation's second Catholic president.

When the Rev. Raphael Warnock arrives in Washington to take his Senate seat, he is likely to be welcomed by a collaborator from his home state of Georgia: the city's archbishop, Cardinal Wilton Gregory.

Popular Chicago priest Fr. Michael Pfleger has stepped aside from ministry following allegations that he sexually abused a minor more than 40 years ago.

Recent cancellations and departures at EWTN and the EWTN-owned Catholic News Agency have prompted a boycott and a cloud of uncertainty about the network's future.

Two top editors at the EWTN-owned Catholic News Agency are leaving in a move that could signal further chaos inside one of the largest media empires covering the Catholic Church.

Conservative Catholic media conglomerate EWTN has canceled "Morning Glory," hosted by Gloria Purvis, who has emerged as a leading voice in the U.S. Catholic Church calling for greater action to combat racism.

Some conservative Catholics are joining evangelicals in casting doubt on the 2020 election results, but their suspicions are not widely shared with a number of leading Catholic scholars, public intellectuals and leaders.

Next month, when the president-elect changes addresses, he'll face a decision that many first families have faced: where to attend church? The nation's second Catholic president will have a range of options.

Joe Biden's selection of Xavier Becerra to head the Department of Health and Human Services is being praised by the Catholic Health Association, while some conservative Catholics criticize the pick.

Fr. George Rutler of Manhattan's Church of St. Michael has been accused of sexually assaulting a female security guard after she allegedly filmed him watching gay pornography. Rutler maintains his innocence.

Catholic President-elect Joe Biden's stance on abortion causes confusion, said Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, as he announced the formation of a working group to examine what this would mean for the bishops' conference.

At the conclusion of the U.S. bishops' two-day virtual meeting, Archbishop Gomez issued a warning to President-elect Biden, a Catholic, saying his position on abortion rights creates a "difficult and complex situation."

Several U.S. bishops expressed concerns about the process for selecting bishops, unanswered questions about McCarrick's finances, the psychological and sexual health of priests and bishops, and both the progress and remaining challenges of transparency and accountability.

"A Biden-Harris administration will restore America's historic role in protecting the vulnerable and defending the rights of refugees everywhere," said President-elect Joe Biden about raising the annual refugee admission target to 125,000.

Pope Francis and Joe Biden spoke by phone on Nov. 12 and the pontiff congratulated the president-elect, who in January will become only the second Catholic president in United States history. 

"The report is only the facts, just putting things out there and indicating where pieces are missing. Now we have to look at what we do with that." A potential outcome: consequences for Archbishop Viganò.

Catholics in the U.S. and beyond hope the Vatican report on former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick will provide answers as to how he ascended church ranks unchecked, while abusing minors and seminarians.

Throughout the campaign, Biden was subject to criticism about his faith, with some church figures suggesting he is not a real Catholic. Yet some church observers are warning that such hostility could backfire.