NCR Editorial Staff

We say: The antecedents for cyberbullies' attacks were well-set in plodding church bureaucracies. But we can only approach civility when loyal questioners are engaged, not vilified.

We say: Francis' rollback of centralized power is, in political terms, a return to center, to moderation and to a trust of the community's local leaders. Whether the U.S. bishops will claim that trust is to be seen.

Editorial: Given the growing numbers of aging clergy in the church, Catholics will be witnessing problems celebrating Mass with increasing frequency. Women are standing at the door waiting to take on those roles.

We say: To prevent irrelevancy, the commission must ensure that survivors have direct participation in its work and the commission itself needs a strong, public endorsement by Francis.

We say: Charlottesville reveals the weeping wound of racism that white Americans try mightily to ignore, hide or rationalize. The question we have before us is: What do we, the American Catholic faith community, do next?

We say: We call on bishops to continue the work of developing the doctrine of sexuality that began in Vatican II.