The provisional agreement between the Vatican and Beijing gives no assurance the government will curb its recent crackdown on religious practice, which includes unprecedented control over Muslims and Buddhists.

"In their efforts to be men who show respect, men who seek to serve, men who want to offer hope, our students offer witness that bad behavior and cynicism do not have to be the end of this story."

It was only a matter of time before lay people would take it upon themselves to investigate church scandals.

Democratic socialism, this year’s political buzz phrase, follows the Catholic social teaching principle of people over profit. Its penchant for big solutions at the national level may not fit C.S.T. as neatly.

The meeting of the Synod of Bishops on young people is an opportunity for an ongoing conversation between everyday lived experience and church teachings.

The U.S. bishops’ Dallas Charter to protect minors is working. Its principles should be applied to all Americans who work with children.