Michael J. O'Loughlin

The Vatican says AI risks destroying humanity. But one internet ethicist still has hope. "This is technology that was shaped by other human beings who made certain choices. We can make different choices," says Irina Raicu, director of the Internet Ethics Program at Santa Clara University.

The Vatican says AI risks destroying humanity. But one internet ethicist still has hope. My latest at @ncronline.bsky.social: www.ncronline.org/opinion/vati...

War in Iran fails just war test "Although the Catholic Church has had a pacifist approach to international relations since the Second World War, it still recognizes that war can be waged lawfully if certain conditions are met," writ...

War in Iran fails just war test www.ncronline.org/opinion/war-...

Catholic sisters call U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran illegal, immoral "This is not going to bring security to the region and it's not going to bring peace," St. Joseph Sr. Barbara Bozak said of the strike on Iran. "We had no right to do it."

Catholic sisters call U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran illegal, immoral www.globalsistersreport.org/catholic-sis...

What a new book tells us about the conclave that elected Pope Leo A new book suggests that Cardinal Robert Prevost's path to the papacy was shaped by fragile alliances and small human moments that influenced perceptions inside the Sistine Chapel and produced the fir...

What a new book tells us about the conclave that elected Pope Leo www.ncronline.org/vatican/vati...

Gallup Poll: Fewer than half of Americans say religion is 'very important' in their lives Religious service attendance reveals a picture of steady decline. A majority of U.S. residents — 57% — say they rarely or never attend religious services.

Gallup Poll: Fewer than half of Americans say religion is 'very important' in their lives www.ncronline.org/news/gallup-...

Sprawling investigation finds decades of sexual abuse among Catholic priests in Rhode Island Catholic priests in Rhode Island preyed on hundreds of children for decades, getting away with sexual abuse largely due to a system where bishops prioritized minimizing scandal as the diocese maintain...

Sprawling investigation finds decades of sexual abuse among Catholic priests in Rhode Island www.ncronline.org/news/sprawli...

Pope Leo is right: Preaching cannot be automated "Preaching cannot be automated because preaching is not the mere transmission of information. It is a personal act of mediation between the Word of God and the people of God," writes Fr. Enzo Del Broc...

Fr Enzo Del Brocco: Pope Leo is right: Preaching cannot be automated www.ncronline.org/opinion/gues...

Editorial: War in Iran is a reckless venture We have gone to war on the bluster and wish of a president for whom reality and facts are transactions amenable to his needs of a given moment.

Editorial: War in Iran is a reckless venture www.ncronline.org/opinion/edit...

Promotional graphic for a dialogue titled “Catholic Women’s Leadership to Advance the Common Good” on 3/9 at 6pm EDT at Copley Hall Copley Formal Lounge, Georgetown’s Main Campus & Online. Participants include Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez (Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership), Cynthia Bailey Manns (Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Community), Anne Thompson (NBC News), Sr. Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF (Conrad N. Hilton Foundation).

Join the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life to celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month by highlighting the work of Catholic women around the world to uphold the common good. RSVP to attend in-person or online: bit.ly/WomensLeadershipCST #WomensLeadershipCST

Catholic clergy call for prayer, peace after US-Israel attacks on Iran, retaliatory strikes Catholic clergy are calling for prayer and peace following U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran Feb. 28 that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as senior leaders and civilians.

Catholic clergy call for prayer, peace after US-Israel attacks on Iran, retaliatory strikes www.ncronline.org/news/catholi...

Pope warns of 'tragedy of enormous proportions' after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran The Independent News Source

Pope warns of 'tragedy of enormous proportions' after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran www.ncronline.org/pope-warns-t...

Sorrow, shock, prayer for Catholics in Middle East as US and Israel strike Iran Bishop Aldo Berardi, apostolic vicar of northern Arabia — who shepherds the estimated 2.2 million Catholics — urged the faithful "to remain calm, united in prayer, and attentive to the safety of every...

Sorrow, shock, prayer for Catholics in Middle East as US and Israel strike Iran www.ncronline.org/news/sorrow-...

Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester on why he's imploring the White House to change course on immigration, why he sees this as "a Bonhoeffer moment," and why Catholics must keep speaking up. Read more at @ncronline.bsky.social: www.ncronline.org/news/border-...

As 'border czar' challenges Pope Leo, Archbishop Wester warns of 'Bonhoeffer moment' Two U.S. Catholics, 'border czar' Tom Homan and Archbishop John Wester, agree that immigration remains a challenge — but each has starkly different viewpoints about what their faith demands of them du...

My latest at NCR: As 'border czar' challenges Pope Leo, Archbishop Wester warns of 'Bonhoeffer moment' www.ncronline.org/news/border-...

Chicago to replace Columbus statue with Mother Cabrini, patron saint of immigrants Chicago's statue of Christopher Columbus in Little Italy's Arrigo Park, taken down in 2020, will be replaced with one of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen named a saint.

From Chicago: Columbus statue to be replaced with Mother Cabrini, patron saint of immigrants www.globalsistersreport.org/chicago-repl... by @sisters-reporter.bsky.social

As deportations rise, Catholic sisters shelter asylum-seeking families living in fear With arrests and deportations escalating and as work permits stall, Sisters of St. Joseph are sheltering legally present refugee families.

As deportations rise, Catholic sisters shelter asylum-seeking families living in fear www.ncronline.org/migration/de...

At unique political moment, Catholic tradition provides prophetic way forward We should not be surprised if Catholics are asked to pay a price for what their leaders are compelled to do in service of the Gospel. Sometimes the Gospel requires that we bear a burden.

Editorial: At unique political moment, Catholic tradition provides prophetic way forward www.ncronline.org/opinion/uniq...

US Catholic newspapers began as immigrant outreach, and NCR continues that work The first Catholic newspaper in the U.S. was essentially an outreach to immigrant Catholics. Over 200 years later, the National Catholic Reporter is also involved in an outreach to immigrants — but in...

US Catholic newspapers began as immigrant outreach, and NCR continues that work www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-...

Pope charts 2026 travel with sweeping Africa tour, visits to Spain, Monaco Nearly a year into a pontificate largely anchored in Rome, Pope Leo XIV is preparing to launch a sweeping series of international trips that will carry him across Africa, to Spain and to the tiny prin...

Pope charts 2026 travel with sweeping Africa tour, visits to Spain, Monaco www.ncronline.org/pope-charts-...

US Catholic newspapers began as immigrant outreach, and NCR continues that work The first Catholic newspaper in the U.S. was essentially an outreach to immigrant Catholics. Over 200 years later, the National Catholic Reporter is also involved in an outreach to immigrants — but in...

US Catholic newspapers began as immigrant outreach, and NCR continues that work www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-...

Vatican migration chief: Expand legal pathways to combat illegal immigration NCR Vatican correspondent Justin McLellan sat down with Cardinal Fabio Baggio to discuss global migration trends and the continuity between Pope Leo XIV and Pope Francis on their advocacy for migrants...

Vatican migration chief: Expand legal pathways to combat illegal immigration www.ncronline.org/vatican/vati...

Pope Leo tells priests not to use AI to write homilies or seek likes on TikTok "To give a true homily is to share faith," and artificial intelligence "will never be able to share faith," the pope said.

Pope Leo tells priests not to use AI to write homilies or seek likes on TikTok www.ncronline.org/vatican/pope...

Cardinal Dolan: Vance 'apologized' for 'out of line' comments about US bishops and immigration The cardinal Dolan said he "had a little tête-à-tête" with Vance sometime after "he suggested that bishops in the United States were pro-immigrant because we were making money."

Cardinal Dolan: Vance 'apologized' for 'out of line' comments about US bishops and immigration www.ncronline.org/news/cardina...

Pope Leo condemned the scourge of gambling. Some US Catholics beat him there. Pope Leo XIV condemned the "scourge of gambling" in a speech late last year. His words followed warnings in the United States, where Catholic leaders have spoken out about the dangers of online gambli...

Pope Leo condemned the scourge of gambling. Some US Catholics beat him there. www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-...

US bishops warn ICE mega-detention plan is 'moral inflection point' for America The bishops' conference issued a stark critique of plans to double federal immigration detention capacity: "The thought of holding thousands of families in massive warehouses should challenge the cons...

US bishops warn ICE mega-detention plan is 'moral inflection point' for America www.ncronline.org/news/us-bish...

Pope Leo condemned the scourge of gambling. Some US Catholics beat him there. Pope Leo XIV condemned the "scourge of gambling" in a speech late last year. His words followed warnings in the United States, where Catholic leaders have spoken out about the dangers of online gambli...

On a recent trip to the pope's hometown, I was struck by how strongly gambling had enmeshed itself into parts of Chicago. So hearing Leo condemn "the scourge of gambling" caught my attention, and made me wonder what US Catholic leaders had been saying about it. www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-...

'God does not need papers': Cardinals spend Ash Wednesday with ICE detainees, their families Cardinal Blase Cupich led a Mass in Chicago, which was attended by relatives of those who have been detained or deported. Cardinal Joseph Tobin celebrated Masses inside an ICE detention center in Newa...

'God does not need papers': Cardinals spend Ash Wednesday with ICE detainees, their families www.ncronline.org/news/god-doe...

Pope Leo opens Lent with call for repentance from a world 'in flames' During his first Ash Wednesday as pope, Leo framed Lent as a communal reckoning with personal and structural sin.

Pope Leo opens Lent with call for repentance from a world 'in flames' www.ncronline.org/vatican/vati...

This Lent, give up calling yourself a machine "As people of faith, we have an opportunity to push back and offer a compelling vision of the complex and beautiful creatures that we are," writes Scott Hurd. "And it can start with how we refer to ou...

This Lent, give up calling yourself a machine www.ncronline.org/opinion/lent...

The Rev. Jesse Jackson had Catholic allies throughout a life devoted to civil rights A longtime associate of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a two-time presidential candidate, Jackson forged enduring alliances with Catholic priests, sisters and lay activists who marched, prayed an...

The Rev. Jesse Jackson had Catholic allies throughout a life devoted to civil rights www.ncronline.org/news/rev-jes...