Pope Francis, Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the Rev. Jim Wallace, moderator of the Church of Scotland, marked the 10th anniversary of South Sudan’s independence and again promised to visit the country when it has a stable peace.

A month before this Independence Day, a group of 100 scholars warned about “the recent deterioration of U.S. democracy.” America has been covering this topic from all angles; here are highlights from our archives.

Both political parties keep trying to claim Pope Francis but anyone who pays close attention knows that the pope transcends the ideologies of the moment in the United States.

Vatican sources said that during the meeting they “touched on all the hot button issues, including the situation in the Middle East, the Holy Land and China.”

Bishop Mark J. Seitz and other immigration advocates were there to welcome Vice President Kamala Harris.

As archbishop of Chicago since 2014, Cardinal Cupich has shown considerable organizational talent. The visits will reportedly begin next week.

The bishops could be the Biden administration’s strongest allies in the region in alleviating the problems that force people to try to reach the United States.

“From a Catholic point of view, there’s no question that reparations make sense.”

“You can’t understand [border realities] by talking to government officials. You have to talk to the people who are working with migrants and hear about the suffering.”

Bloomsday is an ideal time to find the humor that springs forth in ‘Ulysses.’