There is no issue in American political life that is not leavened by an encounter with Catholic social teaching. The ability of Catholic thinkers to help the Democrats, however, is even more foundational.
Before we Americans can overcome the polarization that plagues our politics, we need to reawaken the moral sensibilities that keep us from reducing human tragedies to culture war talking points.
In April 1967, National Catholic Reporter published the secret recommendations of the papal birth control commission. The story was emblematic of how NCR revolutionized journalistic coverage of the Catholic Church.
It is not every day that the National Catholic Reporter gets an interview with one of the most powerful U.S. politicians. Camillo Barone's interview with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the result of his sheer persistence.
Democrats must acquire a more balanced sense of history, humility about their public policy goals, and a sense of humor about human life if they are serious about winning elections again, Michael Sean Winters writes.
The one thing Francis can do to ensure a smooth papal transition is to find an occasion to summon all the cardinals to Rome next year for a multiday gathering, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.
If the relic of the renowned 13th-century Dominican friar could travel 4,000 miles from its resting place in France, I could certainly make the 29-mile pilgrimage from my Maryland home to one of its stops in D.C.
The Supreme Court favors religious liberty, but the argument advanced by the U.S. bishops' conference will prove a bridge too far, says NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.
