A number of other U.S. bishops told their priests who celebrate the Mass in the extraordinary form and their parishes that already are allowed to have the celebration of this Mass that they can continue to do so while they further study the document.

The Latin Mass gave me a hunger for beauty and a reverence for the sacred. It also made me bitter and arrogant.

America asked the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University to survey Catholics nationwide about their understanding of the sexual abuse crisis, its emotional impact and how it has affected their faith.

The Catholic Church still has a trust problem, as shown by the results of a comprehensive survey of U.S. Catholics commissioned by America Media.

Given all the challenges facing the Catholic Church in our country, we are far overdue for a moment in which the bishops, clergy, religious and lay faithful of our country can discern together how to be the people of God in our time and place.

The best essays in 'The God Beat' are quietly reflective, deeply informed, subjective but not solipsistic.