Pope Francis asked the bishops of Germany to continue working together to find broader consensus on guidelines for allowing a Protestant married to a Catholic to receive the Eucharist.

Twenty-five percent told us that one or more of their children had left the church.

Those whose children remain practicing Catholics have some ideas about why that may be the case, but they, too, are well aware that things could easily have turned out differently.

The multiyear encuentro process, which includes similar regional gatherings across the country, seeks to discern the needs, aspirations and faith practices of Hispanic Catholics in the United States.