Vatican II

Francis sees the role of the Curia in a totally different way from earlier popes. The Curia is staff, not part of the chain of command. It is more like civil service than a governing elite. This is revolutionary.

Pope Francis' June 29 apostolic letter, Desiderio Desideravi, will be of little interest to the vast majority of Catholics who do not oppose the reforms, but need to be drawn deeper into the mystery of the Eucharist. 

In a letter titled Desiderio Desideravi ("I have earnestly desired") and released June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis insisted that Catholics need to better understand the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council and its goal of promoting the "full, conscious, active and fruitful celebration" of the Mass.

Pope Francis' new constitution for the Roman Curia, Praedicate Evangelium, is a reform aimed at nothing less than a conversion of the way power is exercised in and from Rome, and by extension in the global Catholic Church.

Commentary: There is a parallel between the rejection of the Second Vatican Council and the relationship between the U.S. church and Pope Francis. Opposition to Francis is rooted in the opposition to Vatican II.

A group of about 70 cardinals, bishops and theologians gathered privately for two days in Chicago for conversations focused on how the U.S. Catholic Church can better support the agenda of Pope Francis.

Christine Schenk: "The rich Biblical resources about the role of women in the Old Testament, and especially in the early Christian communities, are still simply unknown," Ursuline Sr. Eileen Schuller said. She's right.

Book review: With his book What Happened to the Roman Catholic Church? What Now?, the late Gabriel Moran leaves us a guide to understanding dynamics that have led to our church's current evolution.