Father Schall was often described as a contrarian, but he had his mind set on the "essential and ultimate" questions.

The air was still thick with smoke and the ash burnt the eyes of the onlookers, who were relieved to see the cathedral still standing. For many Catholics, the coincidence of the blaze occurring at the start of Holy Week speaks of the greater mysteries of Easter.

While the church continues to shut down parishes in the Rust Belt, a new wave of immigrants is contributing to an urgent demand for more pews in the South and West.

The story of Chiacgo’s Father Gary Graf illustrates the challenges facing priests who are falsely accused at a time when hundreds of true stories of horrific abuse dominate the news.

The best way to approach things is to find allies in the Islamic world who share a vision of tolerance and openness and who recognize the concept of the Abrahamic religions as having a common core of beliefs.

The advisory panels should become a means of assistance and counsel for their respective national bishops’ conferences. “The members of these groups can instruct, with their own experience, how to deal with the issue of abuse, especially when it comes to listening to victims and accompanying them.”