John Carr

The former vice president, who could be on the cusp of becoming the second Catholic president of the U.S., is hands down the most comfortable Democratic politician of his generation talking about his faith.

The combination of concern over government response to COVID-19 and the economic collapse brought about by the pandemic with the national reckoning over racism following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis has found Catholics sharing in a public mood that has decidedly soured on politics, according to a panel of speakers.

We say: Despite the displays of disdain for Francis, there should not be anything confusing about this papacy's embrace of those whose lives might fall outside some perceived ideal.

First impressions of Pope Francis in 2013 revealed his style and pastoral priorities, and since then, his words and actions have continued to inspire and challenge the Catholic Church and the world, panelists said at a Nov. 21 dialogue on the "Francis Factor Today" at Georgetown University.

Georgetown's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life compiled ideas and proposals from a June national convening, outlining 10 strategic directions that emerged from discussions. For one, the "failure to listen and believe victim-survivors" were the "original sins of the sexual abuse crisis."

As the U.S. bishops prepare to meet June 11-14 in Baltimore, with sex abuse concerns at the top of their agenda, they don't lack for advice. Across the Catholic spectrum, groups and individuals have issued statements and offered declarations about how to fix the church.

While John Carr emphasized the importance of unity in coming through the crisis and warned against using it to advance ideological priorities, George Weigel credited sex abuse to the influence of Satan, the sexual revolution, a culture of dissent and mass media.

To counteract polarization in the church and the country, the Catholic Church needs to approach both with humility — which is also an appropriate response to its mishandling of clerical sex abuse, said theologian Brian Flanagan.