St. Lawrence Parish

Pope Francis named six women to the high-level group that oversees the Vatican's finances Aug. 6, in what may represent the most senior appointments yet of women among the Catholic Church's exclusively male leadership structure.

The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were destroyed by atomic bomb explosions 75 years ago this August, hastening the end of World War II. And while a nuclear arms race emerged during the 1960s, such weapons have not been deployed in warfare since. Nuclear disarmament advocates want to keep it that way.

Francis, the comic strip: Does the pandemic have you down? Brother Leo's mood is not so great.

The Vatican's new document on pastoral care raises the question of whether parishioners have more legal recourse within the church to keep their parishes open. The answer appears to be yes.

Young Voices: The creative pivots in providing ministry at a distance made necessary by the pandemic need to go further. What do we have to do to make human connections in a time when those things are in short supply?

NCR Today: The Copy Desk Daily highlights the latest news and opinion that have crossed copy editors' desks, on the way to readers.

Pencil Preaching for Thursday, August 6, 2020

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and social and environmental crises worldwide, Pope Francis announced he would begin a new series of general audience talks aimed at helping build "the future that we need."

While state orders have forced some Catholic dioceses to abandon their more assertive approach to reopening schools, other dioceses are using the divergence from online public schools as a marketing point.

Faith Seeking Understanding: American society has long been skeptical of or outright hostile to anything that seems lazy or frivolous, but doing nothing is about reordering one's priorities, values, worldview, commitments and energies.