On Ash Wednesday, Joe Biden urged Americans to hold in prayer those who have suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic while “look[ing] with hope and anticipation toward Easter and brighter days ahead.”

Public disagreements among the U.S. bishop are rare but not unprecedented. A contentious debate about the church and AIDS in 1987 is perhaps the situation most similar to the divisions over how to welcome President Biden.

Whenever dioceses choose to lift dispensations, like with other difficult pandemic-related decisions, individual believers will have to decide for themselves when they feel safe going back to church.

The plan places a particular emphasis on ensuring equal access to Covid-19 testing, treatment and vaccination.

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.”

An interview with Massimo Faggioli about what to expect from the second Catholic president

Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the U.S.C.C.B., wished the new president well, but he also condemned the nation’s second Catholic president’s support for abortion rights.

Hours before his inauguration, President-elect Joe Biden, his family, friends and congressional leaders of both parties gathered for Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle.

With days left in President Trump’s term, Sister Susan Francois has followed through on her pledge to post a daily prayer, even if they have become a bit more assertive after the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Ms. Power, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and human rights advocate, served as a co-chair of Mr. Biden’s Catholic outreach group.