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National Catholic Register

An Old Poet’s Advice to the Pope

The Parson in the Ellesmere manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is seen against a background of St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

From a muddy parish road to the Chair of Peter, Chaucer’s vision of priestly holiness still speaks with bracing clarity.

Back to Basics for the Military Chaplain Corps

Master Sgt. Kerri Spero
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Darin Colarusso of the 102nd Intelligence Wing offers Mass for military members and civilians at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston on May 2, 2020.

COMMENTARY: A renewed emphasis on ordained ministry can strengthen the spiritual care provided to America’s warfighters.

When Movie Stars Face Mortality

Daniele Venturelli
Don Walter Insero officiates the funeral of actress Gina Lollobrigida at Chiesa degli Artisti on Jan. 19, 2023, in Rome.

COMMENTARY: For an industry built on eternal youth, Hollywood’s aging establishment is increasingly forced to grapple with suffering, death and tragedy.

Scottish Bishops Denounce ‘Buffer-Zone’ Law

St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland

‘We oppose this law because it is disproportionate and undemocratic,’ the bishops said in a Jan. 6 statement. ‘The Catholic Church does not condone harassment or intimidation, but that was not the intention of this law.’

After ICE Shooting of U.S. Citizen, Minneapolis Archbishop Pleads for Prayers, Calm

Bryan R. Smith
People take part in a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New York on Jan. 7, 2026, after an ICE officer shot dead a woman in Minneapolis.

Archbishop Hebda said in his statement: ‘It is only by working together — with God’s help — that we will have peace in our communities, state, and world.’