I never thought we would have an American pope, so I had no expectations for how that might different for me, as an American. I had never considered what it would be like to hear a pope talk in English with an American accent.

A person does not need to be Catholic or even Christian to have a valid marriage, provided that in their matrimonial consent they committed themselves to a union that would broadly match our Catholic understanding of marriage: namely, as a permanent, faithful, and exclusive union ordered fundamentally towards children and family life.

Being unable to be honest with a doctor for fear of safety is one thing. Creating a situation in which victim-survivors may feel unsafe being honest with God is a violation of religious freedom and causes direct harm.

In its exposition of the lifelong depths of concern, nurturing, love, puzzlement, understanding, clemency and prayerful accompaniment, this is a description of motherhood that anyone who has experienced it, physically or spiritually, will recognize. It is also a beautifully stated, convincing argument that the Catholic Church is, indeed, mother to all the baptized.

It is a reminder, as always, that when it comes to scoring papabile, usually those who know don’t say, and those who say don’t know.

We do not yet know what choices Pope Leo will make. We can, however, pay close attention to the choices our new Holy Father has already made.

God doesn’t give us grace just at our baptism and confirmation, but over and over in abundance.

What a gift this pope could be—and is—to our Church. What a blessing to have a pope who has so much to bring to this time.

The general understanding among canon lawyers is that indulgences can still be earned during an “interregnum period” — meaning, during the period between the death or resignation of a pope and the election of his successor — because there does not need to be a reigning pope in order for the faithful to pray for the pope’s intentions.

Those wielding power in these days should not be able to use official days of mourning to try to shape a conclave, especially if it’s true that the conclave is to be exercised in freedom and open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.