Contrary to popular belief, the USCCB does not have the power to tell individual bishops—or Catholic health-care systems—what to do and what not to do.
Whether liberal or conservative, reform-minded or traditionalist, Catholics were stunned by the interview Pope Francis recently gave. So were many non-Catholics.
Misreadings are all too common among Catholic leaders. Part of the error stems, no doubt, from an ignorance of history, or more likely, history badly taught.
Will severing the connection marriage has forged between sex, procreation, and family formation undermine the expectations our culture places on the institution?
Over the course of six decades, Fr. Andrew M. Greeley—who died on May 30—wrote regularly for Commonweal. Here are excerpts from just some of his articles.
Benedict's resignation forced the church to allow something that has been thought unacceptable for centuries, setting the stage for his predecessor to do likewise.
With the concentration of power in Rome, perhaps the responsibilities of the papacy are not simply too much for a person of Benedict's age, but for any one person.
