Covid-19, the 2020 election and racial justice remained hot topics in 2021. But the past year also brought new debates within the Catholic Church, including over the Latin Mass.

The apology drew immediate praise Monday from New Ways Ministry as a “historic” move to repair the painful rift between the Catholic hierarchy and the gay community.

Michael J. O’Loughlin, national correspondent for America, joins Jesuitical to discuss his new book, Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.

On this week’s episode, Gerry and host Colleen Dulle take a look at how the pope’s relationship with the media has changed over time and examine the vision of the media that Pope Francis laid out in his speech to Vatican journalists this weekend.

The pope sent a letter of thanks to Michael O'Loughlin, America's national correspondent, this summer after receiving an advance copy of “Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.”

They were intent on responding with mercy to a crisis that at the time showed no signs of slowing.

“Montero” can offer new perspectives into the realities of Black queerness; for some, including some Catholics, it might even give a voice to their own experiences.

As with much of his pastoral approach overall, the pope’s outreach to L.G.B.T. people can be characterized by the word “accompaniment.”

While Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s attendance attracted predictable outrage from her regular critics, she made the exact splash it seems she intended to make.

Although Franciscan Father Mychal Judge’s religious order has not pushed the cause for his sainthood, organizations touched by his work with H.I.V./AIDS victims are now taking it up.