NCR Editorial Staff

Given the importance the Catholic electorate has played in the discussion of the outcome of the 2024 national election, the National Catholic Reporter is naming the Catholic voter its Newsmaker of the Year.

In the spirit of Pope Francis, who has emphasized mercy, Biden has reminded us of the pathway to a more humane society, prioritizing redemption over retribution. We must cling dearly to this example and never let go.

Catholics shouldn't be a sure bet for either party. Our votes should be a matter of a conscientious decision that involves judging candidates, issues and effects on the common good across a range of issues. 

By granting clemency to all federal inmates on death row, Joe Biden could embody the most profound teachings of his faith and leave a legacy of compassion that will resonate for years.

For the sake of individual and collective health, do not give in to self-pity or anger at Donald J. Trump's victory. We need balance and wholeness to move forward while protecting the most vulnerable.

Republican candidates Donald Trump and JD Vance have been spreading lies about immigrants in the United States as a cornerstone of their campaign. The shameful silence of our Catholic leaders has been beyond deafening.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan said he was "doubly disappointed" by the rejection from Kamala Harris of his invitation to the annual Al Smith dinner. But we are triply disappointed that Dolan did not have the courage to stand up to Donald Trump.

We all pay for nuclear weapons with our tax dollars. We remain silent. Our Eucharists remain undisturbed by the possibility of global annihilation. Our Earth, our God of peace, our consciences demand much more of us.

No other cultural entity has spent as much money and political capital fueling the war over abortion as the U.S. bishops. But, amid the endless fighting, any serious teaching, any opportunity to persuade, has been lost.

The future of Catholicism may not rest in the expressions of extreme conservatism afoot today, but the larger point should not be dismissed. Catholicism in the U.S. is in many ways a fractured enterprise. 

U.S. Catholics are starting to see the type of climate action for which the pope has called, and the type of leadership promoted by the synod process that Francis has identified as the way forward for the church today.

Louisiana Bishop Douglas Deshotel's move to excommunicate a Catholic deacon who left the church after his son was molested by a priest was devoid of the humanity of Jesus. 

The Texas attorney general's move against Annunciation House is essentially a lawsuit aimed at Catholic social justice teaching and Gospel values. But people who take Gospel instructions to heart can fight back.

Allowing priests to marry is hardly the answer to all of the church's demographic challenges or the broader and deeper problems of clerical culture. But it would be a significant step toward honesty and consistency.

Cardinal Robert McElroy recently urged Catholic universities to use Laudato Si' as central to their missions. This approach is required to truly live out church teaching on integral ecology, solidarity and justice. 

National Catholic Reporter joins Pope Francis and others in calling for cessation of the destruction and indiscriminate killing of civilians in Gaza.

For her 50 years of successful advocacy, ministry and influence on behalf of LGBTQ Catholics, Loretto Sr. Jeannine Gramick is NCR's Newsmaker of 2023.

Today, as we face the human suffering in the Holy Land, the words of Jeremiah again give voice to the grief better than any words we can muster.

The statement on Laudate Deum from the U.S. bishops' conference read more like an "out of office" kickback email than the "welcome" its title claimed it to be for Pope Francis' new exhortation on the environment.

Change need not threaten the richness of Catholic history and tradition. It rather might signify a church alive and vibrant, say the NCR editors.