A Wisconsin bishop has taken the unusual step of removing a priest from the ministry after he made a series of divisive remarks about politics and the pandemic.

On the eve of the Outreach 2021 L.G.B.T. conference, Father Martin received a handwritten personal letter in Spanish from Francis, expressing his support.

In this era of viral videos and the cult of social media personalities, understanding mental health and also the effects of celebrity priesthood is a conversation we must have.

“My fragility, the fragility of each one of us, is a theological place of encounter with the Lord. The ‘superman’ priests end up badly, all of them,” Pope Francis said.

Videos posted by LifeFunder feature Father Altman railing against the Catholic hierarchy, calling bishops who don’t support him “cowards” and a “brood of vipers,” and labeling liberals “left-wing fascist Nazis.”

Nine out of 10 young people say they didn’t hear from a religious leader during the pandemic. Yet roughly half said their faith stayed about the same in the crisis, just over a quarter that it had grown stronger.