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Book Reviews

Antonio Pagliarulo's 'Queer Saints' explores expanded understanding of sainthood

Culture

A new book argues that many historical figures who challenged cultural expectations can serve as spiritual models regardless of whether they were formally recognized by the Catholic Church. 

The Latest

UK church looks with cautious hopes to Catholic prime minister candidate

Jonathan Luxmoore, OSV News

After 2 earthquakes, nuns do their part in Venezuelans' compassionate response

US cardinal: Exorcist role should be 'private' after priest's removal tied to UFO controversy

Josephine Peterson, OSV News

Editors' Choice

Pedestrians walk past the emergency entrance at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York, March 16, 2010. The 160-year-old hospital closed the following month. (AP/Kathy Willens)

In Focus

How a long-closed NYC Catholic hospital still provides lessons for the church

Even though New York's St. Vincent's Medical Center has shuttered, Seton Hall University historian Thomas Rzeznik says the hospital continues to provide important insights for other Catholic institutions today.

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Most Read Stories

Newly consecrated Society of St. Pius X bishops, from left, Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier pray at the end of their consecration ceremony in a tent set up outside the Society of St. Pius X seminary in Écône, Switzerland, July 1, 2026. (AP/Baz Ratner)
NCR Voices

#1
The Society of St. Pius X shows itself out the door

There is room for everybody within the church's embrace. Except those who refuse the embrace. It appears the Vatican has finally lost patience with these antisemitic, post-liberal, cafeteria and now former Catholics.

ByMichael Sean Winters
Excommunicated Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta elevates the host during an illicit consecration Mass in Écône, Switzerland, celebrated by the Society of St. Pius X on July 1, 2026. The following day, the Vatican declared the four new bishops and those who consecrated them to be schismatics, as well as all the clergy and lay faithful who adhere to the schism. (Courtesy of the Society of St. Pius X)

#2
Vatican declares SSPX bishops, priests schismatic, says lay faithful risk excommunication

After the Society of St. Pius X created four new bishops in defiance of Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican declared that the bishops, the men who consecrated them and the priests and laity who adhered to the schism, had been excommunicated.

ByJustin McLellan

#3
France's traditionalist Catholics rally behind Pope Leo XIV after SSPX schism

French Catholics attached to the traditional Latin Mass but loyal to Rome are expressing deep sadness after the Society of St. Pius X consecrated four bishops without papal approval, prompting the Vatican to declare the group in schism and excommunicate six SSPX bishops.

ByOSV News

#4
As Pope Leo faces SSPX schism, a Minnesota church merges old customs with fidelity

#5
Defying pope and facing excommunication, SSPX consecrates bishops at huge outdoor Mass

#6
Canon lawyer: Vatican's SSPX schism decree necessary for church unity

Opinion

Key issue of AI is not use of technology as such, but the vision that underlies it

Guest Voices

How can a God who whispers compete in the attention economy?

NCR Voices
Pope Leo XIV gestures at the Vatican, July 3, 2026, after addressing the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia via video link after receiving the Liberty Medal. (OSV News/Vatican Media/Simone Risoluti)

With Liberty Medal remarks, Pope Leo teaches us how to read the Constitution

Guest Voices

"We can't allow the words of the Declaration of Independence to devolve into impotent platitudes. Following the example of Leo, we must incarnate its commitment to dignity, equality and flourishing in our actions and in our laws." 

Podcast: 'What kind of people does God intend us to be?' asks Wes Howard-Brook

Guest Voices

The Society of St. Pius X shows itself out the door

NCR Voices
"Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States," painted by Howard Chandler Christy in 1940. (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Capitol)

The US founders' other revolutionary choice: Separating religion and government

Guest Voices

Did the founders of the United States intend to create a Christian nation? Some, and perhaps many, scholars would say no: that while many founders were religious, as a group they concluded that the national government should not support any particular faith.

Vatican

People attend a Mass for illicit bishop consecrations held at the international seminary for the Society of St. Pius X in Écône, Switzerland, July 1, 2026. Organizers said more than 16,000 people attended the Mass. (NCR photo/Justin McLellan)
View from the Vatican

Reporter's Notebook: Witnessing the SSPX schism in the Swiss Alps

A day after Pope Leo begged the group not to proceed with its illicit bishop consecration, the atmosphere was "a festive scene tinged with relief and charged with righteousness," writes NCR's Justin McLellan.

Vatican News

Vatican unveils agenda for global family summit marking 'Amoris Laetitia' anniversary

The Vatican has released the framework for a fall meeting with the heads of Eastern Catholic Churches and presidents of bishops' conferences, marking the 10th anniversary of Amoris Laetitia and focusing on the Church's pastoral approach to families.

ByPaulina Guzik, OSV News
Vatican News

Pope visits US embassy July 4 for discussion on peace and freedom, with a side of apple pie

After spending the morning praying for migrants on the island of Lampedusa, Italy, Pope Leo XIV celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See and his family.

ByOSV News

Pope heads on vacation after decisive flexing of papal muscle on international and church stage

Pope Leo XIV began a summer vacation on Sunday, capping a whirlwind finale to the first half of 2026 in which he emerged as a powerful global statesman on issues from artificial intelligence to war and flexed decisive papal muscle to govern internal church problems.

ByNicole Winfield, Associated Press

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Vatican News

Pope Leo visits Lampedusa, migrant hotspot, on July 4

After defying Pope Leo and causing schism, SSPX defends its actions

Vatican News

Pope Leo on eve of US 250: Keep working for liberty despite 'ever new challenges'

EarthBeat

Catholic leaders, aid workers respond to Venezuela earthquakes

Catholic leaders and organizations in the U.S. continue to aid Venezuela as that nation recovers from two deadly earthquakes that struck seconds apart June 24.

Renewable energy investments are a moral and economic imperative

Ordinary families are being asked to carry the costs of an energy system that enriches a few while leaving communities everywhere vulnerable to conflict, instability and rising prices. 

ByBridget Moix, Religion News Service
Workers remove trash from a clam-farming area in Vinh An, Vietnam, on June 17, 2026. Farmers say plastic waste and other flood-borne debris have contributed to declining harvests. (Joachim Pham)

As plastic chokes Vietnam's seas, people of faith cast their nets for hope

Vietnam is among the five largest contributors to marine plastic pollution globally. For local fishing communities, the consequences are becoming impossible to ignore. Every trip brings encounters with floating debris.

ByJoachim Pham

Reeling from Venezuela's earthquakes, churches rush to inspect buildings, distribute supplies

Despite the fact that many Venezuelan faith leaders have been themselves impacted by the ongoing disaster, they’ve sprung into action to provide food, psychological support and other basic needs to the large population of victims.

ByAleja Hertzler-McCain, Religion News Service

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Pope Leo XIV calls for solidarity, prayers after deadly Venezuela quakes

Bishops plan Mass on pilgrimage mountain Trump administration seeks to seize

Catholic dioceses race for solar credits ahead of GOP tax law's early phaseout

Culture

hands clasped and holding small cross/rosary
Book Reviews

Antonio Pagliarulo's 'Queer Saints' explores expanded understanding of sainthood

A new book argues that many historical figures who challenged cultural expectations can serve as spiritual models regardless of whether they were formally recognized by the Catholic Church. 

U.S. Vice President JD Vance attends a Good Friday service in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican April 18, 2025. (AP/Alessandra Tarantino)
Book Reviews

Vance's 'Communion' explores his Catholic conversion — but dodges hard questions

NCR Book Club: Vice President JD Vance's new book offers a window into why he decided to become Catholic but stops short of exploring how his newfound faith affects his worldview.

ByMichael J. O'Loughlin
U.S. fans react in Portland, Ore., July 6, 2026, after the United States was eliminated from the FIFA World Cup. The United States men's national soccer team ended its run following a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the teams' round of 16 game. (OSV News/Reuters/Denny Medley)

The complicated embrace of US patriotism at the World Cup

In a time when patriotism feels complicated, the World Cup has given us a chance to root for something overtly, unapologetically American. Until doing so — yet again — felt tainted.

ByMichael O'Connell
Pedestrians walk past the emergency entrance at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York, March 16, 2010. The 160-year-old hospital closed the following month. (AP/Kathy Willens)

How a long-closed NYC Catholic hospital still provides lessons for the church

Even though New York's St. Vincent's Medical Center has shuttered, Seton Hall University historian Thomas Rzeznik says the hospital continues to provide important insights for other Catholic institutions today.

ByMichael J. O'Loughlin

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

At a Jesuit university, American flag art exhibit explores patriotism and protest

Religious groups are more prepared for aliens than you think

On my road trip to the World Cup, the fans defined the experience

Members of the Missionaries of Charity walk after accompanying a burial for earthquake victims at La Esperanza Cemetery in La Guaira, Venezuela, July 6, 2026. Two catastrophic earthquakes hit Venezuela in quick succession June 24, leaving at least 3,500 dead, which experts say is a major undercount. (OSV News/Reuters/Adriano Machado)
Columns

After 2 earthquakes, nuns do their part in Venezuelans' compassionate response

Horizons - The disaster has plunged us into deep grief for the lost lives. Once again, our country has been shaken. And once again, we promise ourselves that we will rise, shake off the dust and keep moving forward.

A Global Sisters Report graphic shows a child's drawing of a girl with her mom and dad, with the sun in the air and two hearts above them. (GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo)

Indian nuns help over 1,000 orphaned children find families through adoption

Nuns manage an adoption center that has placed more than 1,000 orphans with families since its inception in 1974. "Our mission is to promote and protect life," Sr. Jain Augustine Adackkanattu, the center's president, told GSR.

By
In this 2015 file photo, Adrian Dominican Sr. Patricia Siemen, Amityville Dominican Sr. Margaret Mayce and Adrian Dominican Sr. Elise García demonstrate in Paris for climate justice. (CNS/Global Sisters Report)

Why are sisters more engaged in environmental activism than other church leaders?

In the face of decades of papal teachings about the reality and urgency of climate change, U.S. sisters have been leaders on environmental action. In contrast, U.S. bishops have largely not been creation care leaders.

BySabrina Danielsen
A fresco in the cell of St. Benedict at the Monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy depicts Benedict weeping after foreseeing the destruction of the monastery. The Latin inscription reads, "Here he foresaw and wept over the destruction of the monastery." (GSR photo/Helga Leija)
Columns

Though he lived 1,500 years ago, St. Benedict is still a man of our times

St. Benedict, father of Western monasticism, lived in a time of turmoil, probably much like our present time. Ten hallmarks help mold the Benedictine life he established, and they continue to be relevant today.

ByHelen Mueting

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Q&A with Sr. Joanna Okereke, educating US bishops on hidden communities

For migrant children facing deportation alone in court, a Catholic nun shows up

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Life in the Spirit and rest in Christ