The July 4 mass shooting brought devastation to another community in the U.S., and such a tragic situation "has become shockingly commonplace in our country," said the chairmen of three bishops' conference committees.
NCR Connections: There is an abyss in our church, and it is because the bishops, collectively, and other leaders in the church are not listening to the true needs and desires of marginalized communities.
Commentary: Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors have actively and consistently condemned the violence and oppression affecting our country's most marginalized, the very evils our church calls on us to condemn.
Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane, Washington, released a statement July 5 criticizing a video on racism by Rob McCann, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington.
Distinctly Catholic: Like the church, the meeting is traditional but unpredictable; mainstream society will largely ignore it; and it is difficult to believe in the current leadership.
Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Napa Institute invites the who's who of Francis critics; the left's identity politics fixation; evangelicals and Trump.
The Field Hospital: Volunteers provide free tax return assistance to people in the Diocese of Albany; Atlanta parishes raise awareness of dangers of pornography; flooding traps Nebraska parishioners; and more parish news.
The Catholic bishops of Washington state endorsed a ballot initiative that would boost gun safety measures and restrict the purchase and ownership of firearms.