After all the hope I and others felt as the story of 2011 swept across the world, the accounting of the decade since leans mightily toward disaster.

The wide-ranging nondiscrimination executive “threatens to infringe the rights of people who recognize the truth of sexual difference or who uphold the institution of lifelong marriage between one man and one woman,” said the chairmen of five U.S. bishops’ committees.

“We are a community; everyone here is important,” said St. Brigid’s pastor, Josephite Father Kenneth Keke. “Whatever belongs to the parish belongs to everyone; in our parish, the success of anyone is the success of all.”

A group of U.S. Catholic bishops, including a cardinal and an archbishop, have signed a statement of support for L.G.B.T. youth, telling them, “God created you, God loves you and God is on your side.”

A flare-up of sciatica has caused Pope Francis to cancel several appearances in the coming days.

A ban on taxpayer funding of abortions began as a bipartisan policy and remains popular, writes Charles A. Donovan of the Charlotte Lozier Institute. President-elect Biden should keep it in place.

It is as though there are two parallel universes co-existing here, one hopeful and “normal for now,” the other overwhelmed by suffering.

Two sisters reflected for America on the experiences of faith and grace they have found in the midst of a profoundly challenging time for their community.

The disclosure by the Spanish Jesuits comes as Pope Francis, the church’s first Jesuit pope, has tried to sensitize the church around the globe to the problem of clergy abuse.

“There’s more to being pro-life than abortion and assisted suicide,” said organizer Kathleen Domingo. “We want to keep our families safe. We didn’t think it was worth the risk. Life is precious.”