Whether you’re 8 years old or in your 80s, at some point in your life you’ve probably struggled with the question, “Why do we have to go to Mass?”

The monstrance holding the Eucharist gleamed in the midday sun July 16 as pilgrims on the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s northern Marian Route turned a downtown corner and came into view of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, the pilgrimage’s final destination.

Political discourse in the United States has devolved into people shouting at and not listening to each other, showing a need to promote respectful dialogue despite political differences, said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The federal judge overseeing the criminal case alleging former President Donald Trump mishandled classified government documents after leaving the White House dismissed the charges against him on July 15, expressing concern about the legality of the appointment of the special counsel investigating him. Experts at Catholic law schools indicated to OSV News the decision may ultimately require the Supreme Court to clarify constitutional questions about the Justice Department’s use of the special counsel office.

Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, in North Carolina offers pregnancy care and contraceptives, but not abortions.