Some 800 students met Pope Francis there Dec. 20; he was ready to listen to their questions and offer his reflections.

This is the story of the AIDS crisis from the perspective of a priest, trying to figure out what he could do to help.

“The Catholic Church does not view the sacramental seal as incompatible with maintaining child safety. The Church wants measures that will genuinely make environments safer for children. There has been no compelling evidence to suggest that legal abolition of the seal of confession will help in that regard.”

We did not undergo the prenatal testing that can identify the condition when I was pregnant with Dylan. We knew that the results would not change anything, and our doctor was fine with our decision.

The vulnerability of the Virgin still dispels distortions that we would create about her Son. He is not a figure of myth nor the creation of dogma. He is a man born to a woman, living in poverty.