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WASHINGTON – The revelation in late November that a Chinese researcher had edited genes in human embryos and then implanted them in a woman was “a train wreck of a thing to do,” said an ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

WASHINGTON – The Advent calendar with one tab or box to open each day for 24 or 25 days taps into something people really like: countdowns. It also highlights the anticipation that is at the heart of the four-week liturgical season of Advent.

IJAMSVILLE, Md. – “How can we pray when we feel betrayed?” The song continues, offering more questions, but no answers.

MOBILE, Alabama – Saying that Jesus provides light for the church to overcome darkness, Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile released the names of priests, deacons and religious brothers who had been credibly accused of sexual misconduct with minors.

WASHINGTON – The leaders of two U.S. provinces of the Society of Jesus released the names of more than 150 clergy with credible sexual abuse claims against them dating to the 1950s.

“Paul Writes (a Letter)” by Chris Raschka. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2018). 40 pp., $17.

“A Future of Faith: The Path of Change in Politics and Society” by Pope Francis with Dominique Wolton. St. Martin’s Press (New York, 2018). 304 pp., $29.99.

”Prophet and Pilgrim of Peace: 99 Sayings by Pope St. Paul VI,” edited by Karl A. Schultz. New City Press (Hyde Park, New York, 2018). 103 pp, $16.95.

The Fragility of Order: Catholic Reflections on Turbulent Times” by George Weigel. Ignatius Press (San Francisco, 2018). 223 pp., $24.95.

ST. LOUIS – Ask Pauline Sister Nancy Usselmann whether she sang in high school at Cor Jesu Academy or had a musical background, and her answer is short and simple.

PHILADELPHIA – Acting on his promise to find new ways to support survivors of clerical sexual abuse, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announced Nov. 8 that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is creating a new reparations program open to anyone abused by clergy in the archdiocese.

TIJUANA, Mexico – As caravans of Honduran and Guatemalan immigrants traveled through Mexico toward the U.S. in a cacophony of media reporting and political rhetoric, a group of California and Mexican bishops met quietly in Tijuana in their annual meeting of prayer and friendship Oct. 22-23.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Catholic bishops stand with “our brothers and sisters of the Jewish community,” the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Oct. 27 after a horrific shooting earlier that day in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue, described as a hub of Jewish life in that city.

WASHINGTON – Canon law gives Catholic laypeople the right to make an impact in addressing the clerical sex abuse crisis which has re-emerged anew in the church, said a number of canon lawyers interviewed by Catholic News Service.

WASHINGTON – Obianuju Ekeocha, founder and president of Culture of Life Africa, encouraged a Washington audience Oct. 23 to celebrate the birth of babies and to ensure that U.S. government funds do not go toward promoting a culture of abortion in Africa.

NEW YORK – Affable fictional clergyman Father Charles “Chuck” O’Malley was the principal figure in two well-received World War II-era movies, 1944’s “Going My Way” and its 1945 sequel, “The Bells of St. Mary’s.”

WASHINGTON – The firestorm surrounding the clergy sex abuse crisis and the way some bishops handled allegations of abuse against priests will be an important part of the agenda of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fall general assembly.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The precipitous decline in the number of women in religious life and what it means to the church has people thinking about how to prepare for the future.

WASHINGTON – “Despite many promising strides made in our country, the ugly cancer of racism still infects our nation,” the U.S. bishops say in a proposed pastoral letter on racism.

On Sept. 29, San Jose Bishop Patrick J. McGrath was on hand to bless the sculpture of “Homeless Jesus,” which is the centerpiece of the newly renovated Loyola Gardens at The Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos.