“This could have a profound change in the life of the church.”

Sunday, Nov. 14, marks 25 years since Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s death. Do Catholics today want a church that is “alive and rooted, public in its service to the city” and the world?

It is not sufficient for contemporary Catholics simply to repeat the formulas of the past.

Archbishop José Gomez is an immigrant, a minority and the president of the U.S.C.C.B. When he speaks on the issue of racism and social injustice, it is worth paying attention.

On this deep dive episode of “Inside the Vatican,” producer Maggi Van Dorn and host Colleen Dulle dig into the history of the U.S. bishops’ engagement with political issues and give some background on today’s “Communion wars.”

Archbishop José Gomez’s speech on social justice movements displays a lack of understanding of Black Catholics and other groups too often at the margin of the church.