John Gehring

As the Ignatian Solidarity Network celebrates its 15th anniversary, there are signs that the organization is emerging as one of the most significant and innovative Catholic social justice organizations in the country.

If Catholic bishops hope to reclaim their moral credibility after revelations about covering up clergy sexual abuse, church leaders should take a year of abstinence from preaching about sex and gender.

Commentary: It's hard to imagine Joe Biden brushing off white Catholics at a time when two iconic institutions in their lives — the church and the factory — have been brought low by very different forces.

The ecosystem of secular and church politics makes the Archdiocese of Washington unique. Navigating it will require a deft leader who can serve rural stretches, wealthy enclaves, gentrifying neighborhoods, racially and ethnically diverse communities, and a remarkable spectrum of Catholic thinkers and activists.

Commentary: Perhaps those pastors who align themselves with a leader who makes an idol of power and demeans anyone who gets in his way will have a conversion. Archbishop Óscar Romero started out as a conventional, even conservative bishop who did little to disturb the status quo.

Commentary: If Catholic leaders are willing to hit the streets, carry banners and lobby lawmakers for the unborn, they should also be pouring out of churches to resist the assault on black and brown bodies.

Commentary: If there ever was a time for a demoralized Catholic to pack it up, head to the nearest Episcopal church and declare himself a refugee from religious malpractice, the most recent round of clergy sexual abuse scandals would seem ample justification.

Commentary: Will religious leaders and faithful citizens be reduced to boots on the ground for demagogic politicians who go to war with the weapons of xenophobia and racism, or become conscientious objectors to rhetoric and policies that are antithetical to Christian values?

Commentary: Progressive people of faith must remind compatriots on the left that one does not have to agree with the religious convictions of someone else — and can indeed strongly oppose efforts to enshrine those beliefs above other rights — to still refrain from portraying that person and her views in ways that are cartoonish and offensive.

The story of St. Augustine Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., isn't simply about a single parish. The struggles and success here are also part of a larger, unfolding narrative that underscores the Catholic Church's role in both perpetuating and responding to institutional racism.