Brian Fraga

Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee, is being investigated by the Vatican over his leadership style and possible mishandling of abuse cases. As the investigation has lingered for months, lay Catholics tell NCR the diocese is a "hot mess." Stika says he has helped the diocese grow and points to his fundraising success.

Responding to comments by Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the Walter Reed military hospital said it can still offer Catholic services despite recently not renewing its contract with Franciscan friars who served there.

Some canon lawyers, sacramental theologians and priests say that the pope cannot amend canon law to require that priests report sexual abuse that they hear about in confession.

At least 13 U.S. archdioceses and 21 dioceses could have new leaders by February 2025. That gives Pope Francis the chance to reshape the U.S. hierarchy by appointing bishops who better reflect his priorities.

The predominant view throughout the conference was that the secular news media, in tandem with "Big Tech" and cultural elites, rejects objective truth and obfuscates language to intimidate those "who dare to express religious beliefs in the public square."

Bishop Thomas Paprocki says that he and Cardinal Robert McElroy have exchanged some emails after the publication of Paprocki's essay in which he appears to accuse the cardinal of heresy.

Under the "Chatham House Rule" obscuring speakers' identities, conversations among bishops and theologians about the local consultative process noted challenges and some resistance to the synod.

In an essay published Feb. 28, Bishop Thomas Paprocki appears to accuse Cardinal Robert McElroy of heresy, citing the cardinal's views on ministering to LGBTQ people and Catholics who have been divorced and remarried.

Pope Francis' 10 years on the chair of St. Peter have been marked by tenacious resistance from the conservative wing of the church, as formerly ardent papal defenders have lashed out against the current pontiff.

The turmoil within the literary society, which is now a Catholic lay apostolate dedicated to Chesterton's cause for canonization, is a microcosm of how the U.S. church is being buffeted by strong ideological headwinds.

Tens of thousands of activists will descend on Washington for the 50th annual March for Life Jan. 20, during a historical juncture for the pro-life movement, which is celebrating the landmark overturn of Roe v. Wade.

In a statement, Matt Schlapp's lawyer denied the accusations of "sustained and unwanted and unsolicited" sexual advances against a former staffer for Herschel Walker's failed U.S. Senate campaign.

When accused Bishop Howard Hubbard requested the Vatican remove his status as a priest, among those caught by surprise were his alleged abuse victims and their civil attorneys, along with canon lawyers.

The Respect for Marriage Act is advancing, with support from religious leaders who oppose same-sex marriages but are satisfied with the bill's religious liberty protections. But the Catholic bishops' conference disagrees.

The U.S. bishops' conference continued in a conservative direction Nov. 16, electing Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley over Newark Cardinal Joseph Tobin to serve as the group's No. 3 official for the next two years.

The U.S. Catholic bishops' new president is Archbishop Timothy Broglio, a former Vatican diplomat who has supported religious exemptions for coronavirus vaccines and has blamed gay priests for the clergy abuse crisis.

Although Democrats widely performed better than expected in the midterms, one Republican candidate also defied expectations: Ohio's now Senator-elect J.D. Vance, who beat Rep. Tim Ryan by nearly seven percentage points.

The Nov. 14-17 gathering of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will mark important milestones and turning points for the U.S. church, including the election of a new conference president and vice president.

Catholic academics, theologians, clergy sex abuse survivors, and advocates for the inclusion of women and LGBTQ individuals praised the forthrightness and transparency of the Vatican's new synod document.

In Ohio's race for the U.S. Senate, voters will choose between two Catholics: Tim Ryan, a Democrat backed by Catholic social justice movements, and J.D. Vance, a Trump-supported Republican backed by pro-life activists.