The Conference of Major Superiors of Men represents religious orders in the United States. Unlike diocesan priests, the priests and brothers in religious orders – Franciscans, Jesuits and Dominicans, for example – generally live in communities and by their orders’ rules. They are subject to local diocese mandates, but concerns have been raised about how to integrate […]

Voice of the Faithful is the leading grass-roots lay organization to emerge in the wake of the sexual abuse scandal. Based in Boston, the organization pushes for church governance reform and holding bishops accountable, and promotes victims rights. It has been critical of an effort to ban gay priests from ordination. Contact President Mark Mullaney.

The Chicago-based National Federation of Priests’ Councils is the leading voice for the nation’s Catholic priests. Contact the president, Father Anthony E. Cutcher.

Wayne Weible of Jacksonville, Fla., is the author of Medjugorje: The Message, about visions of the Virgin Mary that began being reported in the summer of 1981 in Medjugorje, a village in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Jon M. Sweeney is the author of Strange Heaven: The Virgin Mary as Woman, Mother, Disciple and Advocate. He includes Mary in the Old and New Testaments, in various mystical texts including the Quran and the texts that inspired Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ screenplay, and apparitions and visions, the rosary, feast days and issues […]

The Africa Faith and Justice Network advocates for responsible U.S. relations with Africa from a Catholic perspective.

Evangelicals for Darfur was a campaign by 20 prominent progressive and conservative evangelical leaders to bring an end to the killing in Darfur. It was organized by Sojourners/Call to Renewal, led by the Rev. Jim Wallis, in partnership with the Save Darfur Coalition. Contact Tim King, Chief Communications Officer.

Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, Fla., has headed the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ International Policy Committee, which pressed for more action to stop the killings in Darfur.

The Rev. Dermot S. Roache is director of the Society of African Missions House of Studies in Dedham, Mass. The American province of the missionary group, based in Tenafly, N.J., has priests tending to the spiritual and social needs of Africans in 16 countries, including Liberia, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania.