Heidi Schlumpf

The pope is "calling people to have an adult spirituality, rather than being infantilized in their spirituality," Cardinal Blase Cupich said to applause. "For people who like to tell other people what to do, that's threatening."

Morning Briefing: Elections, past and present; Notre Dame changes its mind; Catholic fashion

More victims of sexual assault are coming forward and speaking up, but church leaders have remained quiet. Advocates of victims of sexual violence and theologians consider this silence complicity.

Advocates for the poor, including Catholic ones, have had to play defense this past year, fighting proposals from the Trump administration and Republican Congress to cut social safety net programs, such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid, food stamps and affordable housing. But increased attention to these issues in general has been encouraging.

Prominent New Orleans chef John Besh, who has been active in several Catholic organizations around the country, has stepped down from at least one in the aftermath of multiple allegations of sexual harassment at his restaurants and company.

Morning briefing (Reformation Day and All Hallow’s Eve edition): Tweeting your own theses (perhaps against denying LGBT funerals); history of indulgences; zombie theology.

Morning Briefing: Controversy at Georgetown, actor Mark Wahlberg asks forgiveness and "Shark Week" at the Daily Theology blog

"The main issue centers around scandal and confusion," says a communication from the vicar general, encouraging pastors to contact the Bishop Robert Morlino for guidance.

Baum died Oct. 18 in Montreal. His contributions to ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, especially during the Second Vatican Council, helped change the church's relationship to Judaism.

The slate of nominees for several leadership positions in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was released Oct. 19; The vote will take place at the U.S. bishops' meeting Nov. 13-14 in Baltimore. 

Nine out of 10 Americans find birth control to be morally acceptable, but proponents of religious liberty say that having to provide contraception through health insurance plans goes against Christian beliefs. New exemptions are fueling the debate.

NCR Today: Callista Gingrich confirmed as ambassador to Holy See; Pope Francis explains 'pastoral risk' of being direct in interviews; 35 new saints named; first-person stories from sisters in Uganda

Catholics lament Trump's plan repeal of Clean Power Plan; Australian bishops meet with Vatican to discuss sex abuse investigations; 'Amoris Laetitia' needs more bishops in "Francis mode"

Morning Briefing: Celebrating St. Francis feast day by divesting from fossil fuels; Conference on Amoris Laetitia; Supreme Court now in session; Guam facing lawsuits of those allegedly sexual abused by priests

Chicago -- Cardinal Cupich invokes the vision of his predecessor, Cardinal Bernardin, for finding common ground key to church future. Says Pope Francis shows the way. 

Morning Briefing: Pope launches campaign to welcome migrants; Minn. diocese settles in lawsuit against bishop; heresy accusations against pope are disturbing pattern; and more

Updated: Catholic health advocates who fought the Graham-Cassidy bill are hoping members of Congress will return to bipartisan work on improvements to the health care law.

A program that provides low-cost health insurance to nearly 9 million children in the United States is facing a Sept. 30 deadline for renewal of its federal funding, amid Congressional efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Rebecca Bratten Weiss believes the same colleagues who gathered "evidence" for a LifeSiteNews article targeting her also contributed to the loss of Steubenville adjunct contract.

Morning Briefing: Gary Otte is the 1,460 person executed in the U.S. since 1976; travel ban stays for now; faith-based groups do the most for hurricane recovery; catch up with the Council of Cardinals and with Jesuit Fr. Tom Reese's take on Magnum Principium