Joshua J. McElwee
Joshua J. McElwee was NCR's news editor from 2021-24. He was previously the publication's Vatican correspondent from 2014-21, where his dispatches from Rome and during papal trips abroad were frequently cited by his peers, and broadly seen as a touchstone for nuanced Vatican and papal coverage.
Among McElwee's most noted work was his years-long, tenacious coverage of Pope Francis' clergy abuse commission, which through a series of exclusive interviews with ex-members of the group revealed serious shortcomings to its work.
McElwee was also the first journalist to break the news of Pope Francis' promise during a meeting with an international group of sisters and nuns in 2016 to create a commission to study the history of the ordination of women as deacons in the Catholic Church.
McElwee reported for NCR from 39 countries and traveled for the publication in the press pool abroad with Pope Francis 24 times.
By this Author
Francis rails against child sexual abuse, saying abusers must be 'severely' punished
At Vatican, Biden speaks of faith and calls for global coordination against cancer
Morning Briefing, International
Report: Pope considering global peace as topic of next Synod of Bishops
Vatican financial watchdog registers three-fold increase in suspicious activity in 2015
Francis: Love not theology or 'liturgical rubrics,' but 'has another way'
Francis: Spirit works in laypeople, 'is not property of the hierarchy'
Cardinal Turkson: Papal encyclical on nonviolence, just war theory 'plausible'
Francis: Don't turn away from conflict, work for friendship, reject god of money
Morning Briefing, International
Prominent theologians ask Polish bishops to reconsider support for proposed abortion ban
In letter to CDF, theologians and bishops call for reform of Vatican doctrinal investigations
Five months later, Francis meets new Central African Republic president
Francis: Meeting Bernie Sanders not political, just a quick greeting
Francis brings refugees from Lesbos to Vatican, tells Europe to integrate migrants
Francis: 'New concrete possibilities' for remarried after family exhortation
Francis bringing 12 refugees on papal plane from Lesbos to Vatican
Francis, patriarchs warn Europe: Eternal judgment based on refugee treatment
Francis meets Bernie Sanders briefly to discuss climate change
