Michael Sean Winters

What will it take for the U.S. bishops' conference to incorporate Francis' vision for a more synodal church, one capable of deepening an ecclesial self-understanding by attending to the most vulnerable in our midst? 

Several bishops told NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters that in the executive session where the Catholic Campaign for Human Development was discussed, the support for the program was overwhelming.

At the Catholic Health Association meeting, San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy sketched four fundamental questions about the synodal process for Catholic health care to ponder. 

At a time when so many Americans continue to struggle with poverty, and when the political class largely neglects their needs, the bishops need to stand foursquare behind the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

Francis Maier's True Confessions interviews bishops, clergy and laity providing an insider's look at the conservative wing of the Catholic Church. 

A bishops' conference with wizened outreach to the poor is like a bishops' conference stripped of its commitment to the defense of human life, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.

It is difficult to conceive of the ordeal they faced 80 years ago and of the courage that was required, but they faced it, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.

It is clear that the synodal process is the most, perhaps the only, viable model for ecclesial governance that seeks to overcome this highly polarized moment in the life of both the nation and the church.

The American people know, or should know, that the jury system is the best device engineered by the human mind to protect the liberties of all against the power of the few.

The idea that the pope has suddenly revealed his hidden bigotry towards gay persons, which seems to be the consensus on social media, is ridiculous. Nothing about this man or his papacy suggests he is bigoted towards anyone.

The "end of regime" sensibility of our political discourse may actually just be an "end of Trump" sensibility, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.

Children dressed in traditional clothing arrive in procession for a Spanish-language Mass celebrated in honor of Our Lady of Suyapa, patroness of Honduras, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City Feb. 5, 2023. (OSV News/Gregory Shemitz) 

As we continue to debate the role of religion, and specifically of Protestant Christianity, in the American story, we must look to the historical roots of the discussions, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.

The issue of polarization within the church and within the country is a vexing one, but the discussion did represent some fine hors d'oeuvres for any effort that aims to ameliorate the toxicity of the culture.

The challenge for the Democrats is to judiciously link popular local incumbents, who are seen to be working for the people, with the "return to normalcy" Joe Biden promised but has not been able to deliver.

NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters' childhood Latin teacher shares the struggles as well as the joys of her life in this compelling and consoling memoir.

The document clearly and repeatedly affirms the dignity of every human person. These critics seem to suggest it is impossible to affirm the dignity of the person without also accepting the critics' theories.

Asking Commonweal to retract a passage in an article Word on Fire didn't like raises a larger issue: that a diocesan bishop, armed with a personal media empire, thinks it is appropriate to stifle public discussion.

It is impossible to know if The Pillar was a willing accomplice in the hit job it published, or if it was simply ignorant of the malice and ignorance of its unnamed sources, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters. 

We all use ideologies in one way or another to make sense of our world, and we need to find ways to discuss that world with people who possess different ideological reference points, writes Michael Sean Winters.