LOCAL TEENS EXPLORE FAITH WITH THOUSANDS OF OTHERS AT NATIONAL CATHOLIC YOUTH CONFERENCE

A sea of teenagers filled the floor and first level of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Singing and cheering was constant as the music and lighting on the stage in the middle of the stadium matched the excitement in the air.

A JOURNEY OF FAITH, BY BUS TO INDIANAPOLIS

From Christian hip-hop artist TobyMac to Archbishop Jose Gomez, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis — home of the Indianapolis Colts —was the home to more Hail Mary’s than quarterback Peyton Manning ever threw.

POPE FRANCIS AND THE YOUTH

The recent meeting of the U.S. Catholic bishops in Baltimore attracted significant notice, with Kansas City’s Archbishop Joseph Naumann defeating Chicago’s Blase Cardinal Cupich for the leadership of the bishops’ influential pro-life committee. The contest between Naumann and Cupich was framed as a contest between the bishops’ historical focus on abortion as the primary pro-life issue and a return to the “seamless garment” approach popularized in the 1970s and 1980s by Detroit’s John Cardinal Dearden and Chicago’s Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. It is thought that the seamless garment approach is more in line with the views of Pope Francis.

Remembering Depths and Heights

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) held its annual Fall meeting in Baltimore last week. There was good news on several fronts: Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann, longtime defender of the unborn, was elected head of the pro-life committee; the bishops chose (in descending order), Bishop Robert Barron, Archbishop Chaput, Cardinal di Nardo, and Archbishop Gomez – all serious characters – as delegates to next year’s Synod on “Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment.” (TCT will, Deo volente, be there). Those chosen for other leadership posts were equally solid. All in all, a good week’s work and nothing earth-shaking, which is all to the good these, and most, days.

NCR Podcast: Vatican conference on nuclear disarmament; recap of USCCB plenary meeting

This week, Joshua J. McElwee, NCR Vatican correspondent, reports from a recent high-profile conference at the Vatican on nuclear disarmament. He’ll explain what Pope Francis said about nuclear weapons, and whether the world is listening to Catholic leaders. Later, NCR’s Michael Sean Winters and Heidi Schlumpf are back with a recap of the bishops meeting in Baltimore earlier this week. They talk about what election results mean for the future of U.S. church leadership. The conversation also touches on some noteworthy action items from the meeting, including the vote to create a pastoral plan on marriage and family life.

Show Notes