NCR Editorial Staff

We say: Fear of the other can be an understandable human tendency, one amplified during times of insecurity and change. But our faith calls us to do better, and too many U.S. Catholics are not getting the message.

We say: The bishops' conference investing guidelines need an environmental update. Catholics can't continue to be apathetic bystanders, profiting at the expense of communities suffering from climate change.

We say: Despite concerns and controversies, we urge Catholics to participate in the synodal process. It may not be perfect, but the church is more likely to address the needs of the people of God with it than without it.

We say: Even as Americans have the luxury of the possibility of a booster to the coronavirus vaccine, billions around the world have yet to access a first jab. We must support increased funding for global vaccinations.

We say: The provisions within the $3.5 trillion human infrastructure bill are wildly popular. What is more, they represent a long-overdue investment in programs that will improve the lives of average Americans.

We say: What can Americans do now about Afghanistan? We can expand our acceptance of refugees from Afghanistan, and other war-torn countries, while we're at it. And then we can vow not to do this again.

We say: While women religious congregations are bravely forging ahead in addressing deep issues of racism, the official church hierarchy remains in denial.

We say: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott champions religious liberty — that is, until he wants to appear tough on immigration with an executive order that imperils migrant shelters, including those run by Catholic Charities.

We say: Everyone has a moral obligation to get vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they have a legitimate medical condition prohibiting them from doing so. Requiring the vaccine should be part of the church's pro-life witness.

We say: As Senate Republicans deploy the filibuster in order to frustrate President Joe Biden's agenda on a host of issues, it is time to reacquaint ourselves with a few basic moral lessons we all learned as kids.

We say: Bishops may be the leaders of our church, but it's not their church. It belongs to God, if it belongs to anyone, and the entire people of God have a claim on it.

We say: As the Catholic Theological Society of America marks its 75th anniversary, we would like to thank all Catholic theologians who analyze, explore, research, write and share their thinking about God.

We say: The issue of immigration into the U.S. is both simple as a moral issue and complex in terms of policy and politics. We fear the Biden administration is allowing that complexity to overwhelm the simplicity.

We say: Just do it. Use this virtual meeting and ram through a document that will forever brand the church in the U.S. for the out-of-touch, cultural warrior-obsessed organization it has become.

We say: The pandemic put enormous strain on the U.S. Catholic Church, but the Gospel endures. Perhaps all of us in the Anglophone church need to listen more to the faith-filled confidence of our Latino brothers and sisters.

We say: The Vos Estis Lux Mundi system to evaluate allegations of sexual abuse or cover-up against individual Catholic bishops needs two major things.

We say: The most basic and universal way that nearly everyone or at least the largest possible number of Americans can participate in public life — as Gaudium et Spes says is necessary — is by voting. Why try to reduce participation?

We say: We must no longer ignore the trauma experienced by citizens of Asian descent throughout U.S. history. We must learn to uplift the Asian experience, from our Catholic schools to our parishes to our media.

Your thoughts: NCR readers respond to our editorial saying that Pope Francis' decision to approve the CDF decree on not offering same-sex couples a blessing is strikingly out of character.

We say: The pope's decision to approve the March 15 decree from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith instructing Catholic priests not to offer blessings for same-sex couples seems strikingly out of character.