In April 1962, Archbishop Joseph Rummel of New Orleans not only denied Communion to three Catholics in his archdiocese; he formally excommunicated the three, who vehemently opposed his efforts to desegregate Catholic schools.

The appointment of Bishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik as the new prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy is another major surprise in the Francis papacy.

While the optics of Boris Johnson's marriage in a Catholic church this weekend suggest a double standard, in fact the church seems to be treating him the same it would any divorced Catholic seeking to remarry.

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and others are acting for the good of souls. As a last resort, they propose denying Communion to people who persistently and publicly promote the grave evil of legal abortion.

The sacraments took place within two socially distanced school Masses on May 13 and 14.

Even in the exceedingly unlikely event that every bishop miraculously agreed on how to approach the question of Communion and abortion, it still would not resolve the political question of abortion in favor of the Catholic position.