Front-row Vatican coverage:
Pope Leo XIV greets people as he arrives in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 6, 2025, after reciting the Angelus at the Vatican. (CNS/Vatican Media)
Guest Voices

Norah O'Donnell hopes Pope Leo XIV moves the church forward for women

Opinion

CBS News senior correspondent Norah O'Donnell is watching and waiting to see how Pope Leo XIV widens Francis' legacy of elevating women within the church.

Editors' Choice

Students at a school in Kandi, Benin, are pictured in a file photo lining up as parent volunteers prepare and serve meals

In Focus

Cuts to Catholic Relief Services and humanitarian aid await Trump's signature

Congress voted to claw back billions of dollars from humanitarian aid that would devastate groups helping refugees and people in need. The package now heads to the president for approval.

Support journalism that matters. 

Your donation to NCR keeps independent Vatican news accessible to all. 

Donate Now

Most Read Stories

Pope Leo in green vestments

#1
Where did Pope Leo get that suit? Chicago, of course

The vestments, created by the House of Hansen in former Cardinal Robert Prevost's hometown, were made of an ecclesiastical damask by the brand Da Vinci.

ByGina Christian, OSV News
Pope Leo XIV greets visitors in St. Peter's Square before his general audience at the Vatican June 25, 2025. (CNS/Lola Gomez)
NCR Voices

#2
Filling in our portrait of Pope Leo XIV, looking for clues to the future

Pope Leo XIV is still keeping his cards close to his cassock, but people who have observed him over the years are helping fill in the picture of what is likely to shape his pontificate, writes Michael Sean Winters.

ByMichael Sean Winters
Around 15,000 pilgrims attended the inaugural Marian Days celebration July 1-2, 2022, at Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, Christ Cathedral, in Garden Grove, Orange County, California. (Courtesy of Orange Diocese)

#3
A Vietnamese Marian shrine in California has miracle stories to tell

A new documentary, "Our Lady at the Center," tells the story of the miracles, large and small, behind the shrine of Our Lady of La Vang in Orange County, California.

ByAntonio D. Sison

#4
Vicar known for LGBTQ+ ministry named Oregon bishop

#5
US, Catholics clash with Washington state over seal of confession in abuse cases

#6
Pope celebrates Mass in parish church with special ties to his Augustinian order

Opinion

Norah O'Donnell hopes Pope Leo XIV moves the church forward for women

Guest Voices

'Jesus is nonviolent because God is nonviolent,' says Fr. Charles McCarthy

Guest Voices
A photo illustration show a hand hovering over a smart device, with drawings of social media buttons and tags floating above the screen. (Pixabay/Edar)

Looking for better ways to evangelize than posting on social media

NCR Voices

How do we, as a Catholic Church, overcome the problems posed by social media? How do we create a culture that is more humane than the culture of social media?

These Russian clergy who said 'no' to Putin's war in Ukraine are paying a price

As Benedictines, we are clothed by the Rule, not fast fashion

Columns
A close-up photo illustration shows a user hovering with their thumb over social media app icons displayed on a smartphone. (Unsplash/Berke Citak)

Did Satan send us social media?

Is social media evil? Catholics who take seriously the call to become missionary disciples need to pose the question and at least confront the ways social media frustrates efforts to spread the Gospel and build community.

Vatican

The Leo Chronicles: Letters for Leo

The Leo Chronicles: What could Leo do? His team has some suggestions.

Damage can be seen next to the cross on the roof of the Holy Family Church in Gaza after it was hit in an attack July 17, 2025. At least three people died and another 10 were injured, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, who sustained a slight injury to his right leg. (CNS/Courtesy of Aid to the Church in Need, UK)
Vatican News

Palestinian leader calls pope as Gaza pastor recounts Israeli shelling of church

Fr. Gabriel Romanelli described the carnage from a recent shelling of his parish and asked the universal church community for prayers. "Let's try to convince the whole world to end this war," he said.

ByJustin McLellan, OSV News
A cluster of large, romanesque buildings sits stop a verdant hill

Pope Leo XIV marks 56th anniversary of moon landing with observatory visit, call to Buzz Aldrin

Pope Leo XIV marked the 56th anniversary of man's arrival on the moon Sunday with a visit to the Vatican astronomical observatory in Castel Gandolfo and a call to astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

ByAssociated Press
An aerial view of Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence of the pope in Italy (CNS/Catholic Press Photo/Max Rossi)
Vatican News

Castel Gandolfo: The go-to summer vacation spot for popes for 400 years

Leo XIV has brought back the papal tradition of vacationing at Castel Gandolfo. So how did a family castle become part of the pontifical villas? NCR looks at the history and some past popes' connections to the place.

ByKielce Gussie

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Netanyahu calls pope, expresses regret over Gaza church strike that killed 3

Priest convicted of distributing, possessing child pornography said to still work at Vatican

The Leo Chronicles: Preparing

Culture

Rain clouds form during sunset in Kathmandu, Nepal, Aug. 31, 2020. Jesuit Fr. Francis X. Clooney's time in Nepal "fundamentally shaped the rest of his career," writes Greta Gaffin. (CNS/Reuters/Navesh Chitrakar)

Jesuit Fr. Francis Clooney shares insight through scholarly, spiritual memoir

Clooney dedicated his life to the study of Catholicism and Hinduism, driven by a passion for fostering knowledge of Hindu belief and practice among Westerners. His memoir offers insight into a priest's life and devotion.

Around 15,000 pilgrims attended the inaugural Marian Days celebration July 1-2, 2022, at Our Lady of La Vang Shrine, Christ Cathedral, in Garden Grove, Orange County, California. (Courtesy of Orange Diocese)

A Vietnamese Marian shrine in California has miracle stories to tell

A new documentary, "Our Lady at the Center," tells the story of the miracles, large and small, behind the shrine of Our Lady of La Vang in Orange County, California.

ByAntonio D. Sison
"Jurassic World Rebirth" is a science fiction tale about the hubris of humanity and our attempts to wrest control of nature away from God. It's also great cinema. (Universal Pictures)

Mad science, survival and wonder: The 'Jurassic' franchise comes home

"Jurassic World Rebirth" is a science fiction tale about the hubris of humanity and our attempts to wrest control of nature away from God. It's also great cinema.

ByKevin Christopher Robles
Benicio del Toro plays businessman Zsa-zsa Korda, and Mia Threapleton plays his estranged daughter, a nun named Liesl, in Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme." (TPS Productions)

Wes Anderson gets spiritual with 'The Phoenician Scheme'

Wes Anderson's new film reminds us that one of life's greatest miracles is the ability for the human heart to change.

ByZachary Lee

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Book Reviews

Religion and 1980s pop culture go head-to-head in new book

'It's Dorothy!': The LGBTQ+ community and its beloved 'Wizard of Oz' icon

Playfulness is a powerful tool for healing in the music of Corook

Columns

When the night settles over Cuba

For those who still believe in the revolution's project, may the decades over these nearly 66 years lead you to realize that it is time to let others propose a true path toward democracy, justice and rights.

From left: Benedictine Srs. Helen Mueting, Helga Leija and Esther Fangman on the day of Leija's profession of vows. Leija wore a brand new suit found among the donations at the "R" store. (Courtesy of Helga Leija)
Columns

As Benedictines, we are clothed by the Rule, not fast fashion

St. Benedict writes, "Let those who receive the clothing not complain about its color or coarseness, but accept what is given them." That's a hard teaching in a world like ours, where we're told to consume constantly.

By
Ethan Clark, a parishioner and volunteer with the Notre Dame Parish relief distribution center in Kerrville, Texas, unloads buckets from a truck of donations that will be used to store the items for emergency cleanup kits. (GSR photo/Gregg Brekke)

In aftermath of deadly Texas floods, local Catholics offer rapid response

Daughter of Charity Sr. Denise LaRock is one of the many people working tirelessly with Catholic groups to help Texas Hill Country residents affected by the deadly July 4 floods.

ByGregg Brekke
Daughter of Wisdom Sr. Jean Quinn speaks Feb. 10, 2020, at an opening session of the United Nations' Commission on Social Development meeting on homelessness. Quinn is the executive director of UNANIMA International, a U.N.-based coalition of Catholic congregations focused on concerns of women, children, migrants and the environment. (GSR photo/Chris Herlinger)

UNANIMA, prominent sister-led coalition at United Nations, to end its ministry

UNANIMA, a coalition of sister congregations at the United Nations that championed causes such as homelessness, anti-trafficking and women's health, will close by the end of the year.

ByChris Herlinger

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Sacred Heart nuns help rehabilitate alcoholics in southwestern India

Sisters find healing, connection, celebration, deep communion at Hope 2025

Q&A with Sr. Chioma Onyenufoh, caring for inmates amid Nigeria's prison crisis