The Speaker of the House visited the Vatican and received Holy Communion during the papal Mass, in open defiance of Bishop Cordileone, who had personally forbidden her Communion for her open support of abortion.

Pope Francis' decision to make Bishop Robert McElroy a cardinal continues to cause debate across the Atlantic. The US Bishops' Conference coldly dismisses Francis' decision, which is instead praised by Father James Martin, who calls the new cardinal a "friend of the LGBTQ community".

The long-awaited and widely discussed document by the US bishops on the Eucharist correctly re-proposes the Church's doctrine which is its treasure, but contradicts itself in not foreseeing  ways to defend it. It privileges the unity of the episcopate as a facade and the will to avoid political tensions in respect to Christ and the lives of millions of children.

The public sins of rulers are never only a "personal" matter. The pastors of the Church have the duty to protect their flock from scandal. We do not know how any possible clear position from American bishops will provoke reactions on a political level. However, one thing is certain: reiterating the Church's teaching on the need to refuse the Eucharist "to those who obstinately persevere in manifest grave sin" will lead to healthy reflections on Who is substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament.