Brian Fraga

Massachusetts

Staff Reporter at National Catholic Reporter

Former staff reporter for @southcoasttoday, @CrucesSunNews & @hnnow. I tweet about local journalism and Boston sports here. Follow me at @BrianFragaNCR.

Articles

Choice of 'Leo' as new pope's name is likely no surprise for some

1 month ago | ncronline.org | Catherine M. Odell |Heidi Schlumpf |Brian Fraga |Brian Roewe

Pope Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, waves to the crowds in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican after his election as pope May 8, 2025. The new pope was born in Chicago. (CNS/Vatican Media) Although the choice of the name "Leo" may have taken the world by surprise as the American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost chose his papal name on May 8, church historians familiar with the cardinal's career and the needs of the church were probably not surprised.
White smoke, Black pope? Genealogist says Leo XIV has Louisiana African roots

1 month ago | ncronline.org | Nathaniel Tinner |Heidi Schlumpf |Brian Fraga |Brian Roewe

The Catholic Church has a new leader, with the Augustinian Cardinal Robert Prevost elected as Pope Leo XIV, his chosen name as bishop of Rome. He is the first North American pope and, according to a prominent genealogist, a pope with African-Creole ancestry. The understated candidate triumphed on the second day of voting in a count kept under permanent Vatican seal.
US conservative Catholics wine and dine cardinals ahead of conclave to elect the pope

1 month ago | ncronline.org | Brian Fraga |Michael Sean Winters

Timothy Busch, cofounder and board chair of the Napa Institute, speaks at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on Oct. 15, 2024. (OSV News/Gregory A. Shemitz) In the days leading up to the conclave to elect Pope Francis' successor, a bevy of wealthy American business leaders, philanthropists and conservative activists have descended on Rome and Vatican City to meet, fete and dine with cardinals and churchmen in well-heeled settings.
Supreme Court hears feisty arguments over tax funds for religious charter school

1 month ago | ncronline.org | Brian Fraga

The U.S. Supreme Court heard more than two hours of often feisty arguments on April 30, in a potential landmark case involving a proposed Oklahoma Catholic school that, if approved, would be the nation's first religious public charter school. In their questioning, the court's conservative justices appeared sympathetic to arguments that the Catholic Church has the same right as any other private group in Oklahoma to operate a charter school.
Last words of Pope Francis: Thank you to his nurse

1 month ago | ncronline.org | Katie Scott |Brian Fraga |Heidi Schlumpf |Camillo Barone

Massimiliano Strappetti, the nurse who is Pope Francis' primary medical caregiver at the Vatican, adjusts a microphone for the pope as he greets a crowd of well-wishers at Rome's Gemelli hospital before returning to the Vatican March 23, 2025. (CNS/Pablo Esparza) Pope Francis' final moments were peaceful, and he managed to give one last farewell to his nurse, Massimiliano Strappetti, before slipping into a coma early April 21, Vatican News reported.
US Catholics join faithful worldwide to mourn death of Pope Francis

1 month ago | ncronline.org | Michael Sean Winters |Katie Scott |Brian Fraga

Linda Ekstrom knelt in the front pew and prayed silently following the April 22 midday Mass at St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral in Fall River, Massachusetts. A few feet in front of her, a framed portrait of Pope Francis, surrounded by flowers, stood in front of the cathedral's sanctuary. Ekstrom, a resident of Tiverton, Rhode Island, said she prayed for the church and for Francis, who died at age 88 on April 21, Easter Monday. She said she was shocked to learn of the pope's death.
Church and world leaders offer tributes to Pope Francis

1 month ago | ncronline.org | Christopher White |Brian Fraga |Chris Herlinger |Brian Roewe

The Catholic Church is in mourning. Catholics around the world expressed their sadness and non-Catholics sent their condolences upon hearing the news of Pope Francis' death at age 88 on Easter Monday.
Remembering Francis: 'One of the most consequential leaders of our time'

1 month ago | globalsistersreport.org | Christopher White |Brian Fraga

Church and world leaders mourn the death of the pontiff The hands of Pope Francis, holding a rosary, are seen as he lies at rest in his coffin in the chapel of his residence, Casa Santa Marta, at the Vatican April 21, 2025. (CNS/Vatican Media) The Catholic Church is in mourning. Catholics around the world expressed their sadness and non-Catholics sent their condolences upon hearing the news of Pope Francis' death at age 88 on Easter Monday.
Catholic Charities agencies halt refugee programs in wake of US aid freeze

2 months ago | ncronline.org | Brian Fraga |Michael Sean Winters

"A new reality" is how Anita Hassell describes it. Catholic Charities in the St. Augustine Diocese in Florida has been operating in a difficult environment since Jan. 24, when the Trump administration froze all federal spending on foreign aid and refugee resettlement. "Basically, this really happened overnight, as soon as the executive order was issued," said Hassell, the CEO and diocesan director of Catholic Charities Bureau for the St. Augustine Diocese.
Parish talk by transgender hermit rescheduled after negative comments

2 months ago | ncronline.org | Brian Fraga |Michael Sean Winters

A flyer advertises a parish event in Lexington, Kentucky, that was to feature a talk by Br. Christian Matson, a diocesan hermit who is transgender. Comments on social media prompted organizers to postpone the event. (Courtesy of Stan "JR" Zerkowski) A swarm of angry, vitriolic comments on social media prompted organizers in Lexington, Kentucky, to postpone a parish event that was to feature a talk by Br. Christian Matson, a diocesan hermit who is transgender.