Note from the Managing Editor:

For Jesus, the truly "intolerable" scandal consists in everything that breaks down and destroys our trust in the working of the Spirit.

I appreciate the unfailing commitment of the Church in America to the cause of life and that of the family, which is the primary reason for my present visit.

The Holy Father answered questions about clergy sex abuse, his recent motu proprio dealing with annulments, the upcoming gathering of the Synod of Bishops, and the right to conscientious objection, among other topics.

Francis met with the nuns as "a sign of his support" for them in their lawsuit against the Obama administration. The sisters are seeking exemption from Obamacare's birth control mandate.

Pope Francis' address to the U.N., like so much of his rhetoric, was full of darkness and light, the promise of peace and threat of destruction.

Pope Francis is an extraordinary learner, listener and self-doubter. The best part of this week will be watching him relate to people, how he listens deeply and learns from them, how he sees them both in their great sinfulness but also with endless mercy and self-emptying love.

How can we receive mercy unless we ask for it and how shall we ask for it if we are not repentant?

We can and should learn not only from the Pope, but about the deficiencies of our own political categories by listening and learning from the deep deficiencies of regnant reactions to his challenge to us all.

People in many parts of the world are less troubled about a Church that is too judgmental than a Church that has lost its way — and has nothing distinctive to say to the secular world.

According to research by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, there are more than 2,600 Catholic parishioners for every diocesan priest.

Leah Libresco has a $10 bet with a friend riding on the success of Francis' papacy. To discuss the question of a pope's impact, she recruited several colleagues and experts for a chat.

Philadelphia welcomed Pope Francis on the third leg of his three-city trip to the United States. His host will be Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who became the archbishop of Philadelphia four years ago. Chaput is one of the most prominent conservative voices among the American bishops.

"Please pray for me," Boehner repeated as he dipped his head. "He said, 'Please pray for me.'"

It is hard to imagine any behaviour more contrary to the culture we inhabit than celibacy.

The crisis of modernity is about the degradation of the human person. Whenever a person is reduced to an object to use — whether by a boss or a boyfriend — the unique dignity of that person is being eroded, even if it's with his or her own consent.

In the end, we should not forget that God always leaves us our freedom. He lets the consequences of this freedom work its way out in our hearts and in our world. The rise and fall of civilizations, when spelled out, reflects how we use or do not use the "receiving and the power" of forgiving sins.

A remarkable group of archaeologists are battling to save the country's ancient artifacts.

Asked once which of his accomplishments he was most proud of, Yogi pointed to his wife who was just entering the room. "Getting her to marry me," he said.

The early Celtic monks ventured out in small boats in hopes of hitting land and telling someone about Jesus. They stood in frigid waters praying with their arms outstretched, isolated themselves in hermitages, and prayed the Psalms at all hours.

We know a lot less than we think we do because we're not very good knowers. This is especially true for writers and teachers because man naturally assumes that he must be very good at something he has to do all the time, especially if people pay him for it.