The pope sent a letter of thanks to Michael O'Loughlin, America's national correspondent, this summer after receiving an advance copy of “Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.”

Pope Francis: The Gospel helps us to interpret “today’s pain and tomorrow’s hope” and calls on us to be ”witnesses of compassion amid widespread disinterest.”

“This could have a profound change in the life of the church.”

Sunday, Nov. 14, marks 25 years since Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s death. Do Catholics today want a church that is “alive and rooted, public in its service to the city” and the world?

The climate summit in Glasgow only reminds us that the Paris Agreement is weak and overly dependent on market incentives. The Catholic Church and “Laudato Si’” provide a better foundation for real change.

It is not sufficient for contemporary Catholics simply to repeat the formulas of the past.

Archbishop José Gomez is an immigrant, a minority and the president of the U.S.C.C.B. When he speaks on the issue of racism and social injustice, it is worth paying attention.

With a pilgrim’s staff and mantle, Pope Francis entered Assisi’s Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels with 500 economically or socially disadvantaged people.

On this deep dive episode of “Inside the Vatican,” producer Maggi Van Dorn and host Colleen Dulle dig into the history of the U.S. bishops’ engagement with political issues and give some background on today’s “Communion wars.”

World leaders are running out of time and must address the challenges of climate change before it’s too late, Pope Francis said.