Pope Francis met with Kofi Annan, the former U.N. secretary-general, and former Irish President Mary Robinson to discuss shared concerns about peace, human rights and climate change.

Father Weinandy surely wrote his letter out of a heartfelt desire to help the church. But in doing so, he belied a misunderstanding of one of the basic elements of Pope Francis’ teaching.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger urged that dissent from ordinary Magisterium should be disclosed privately to church authority.

The voters I spoke with were not single-issue voters, and they showed a comfort with, even insistence on, complexity around a range of issues that are part of our national conversation.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops responded quickly after the letter became public.

“I call on the Lord that he may convert the hearts of the terrorist and free the world of hate and that crazy homicide that abuses the name of God to disseminate death.”