In a time when we felt isolated, afraid and increasingly divided, The Times gave us a means to better understand what was happening and to stay connected with one another.

Pope Francis has updated the procedures for investigating allegations of sexual abuse, expanding the rules of “Vos Estis” to include Catholic lay leaders, who have the same responsibilities over members as a bishop over priests.

A Reflection for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, by Heather Trotta

Former Missouri senator John Danforth said he has revisited his 1999 report since learning about the Trump rally in Waco and noticed similarities between the rhetoric of Mr. Trump and the conspiracy theorists of the 1990s.

The protest was organized by women’s advocates and the family, friends and neighbors of Ana Lizeth Hernández, a 33-year-old woman who died of a gunshot wound to the head in her home on March 19.

Archbishop Listecki said “the false assertions of Father James Connell have caused understandable and widespread unrest among the People of God, causing them to question if the privacy of the confessional can now be violated.”

The decision “to provide an unanswered activist’s case that abortion is a tool of justice for the marginalized,” Bishop Kevin Rhoades wrote, “is a grave mistake in judgment that creates scandal.”

Fordham University’s Taking Responsibility initiative released its final report on Feb. 9, calling for both clergy and lay members of Jesuit institutions to face “entangled responsibilities” around the abuse crisis.

Father Phillip Larrey said conversations on AI must shift to what Pope Francis calls “person-centered AI.” The pope, he said, “is insisting that you need to put the human person at the center of this technology.”

In Honduras, persistent drought can devastate crops and unexpected rains can flood fields and produce landslides.