Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York said he is "disappointed" that Vice President Kamala Harris will not attend the Al Smith charity dinner Oct. 17, a New York Catholic charities fundraiser that has become a staple for presidential nominees in election years. But he still held out hope that the Democratic nominee could change her plans and join the event which her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, is now planning to attend.

In the roughly one kabillion words already spent analyzing the American presidential election, Pope Francis has put the preferential option facing voters most starkly – and darkly.

The next time former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris face off before a huge audience, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan likely will sit between them as host and Catholic comic Jim Gaffigan will serve as master of ceremonies.

The political ads began appearing in early October, strategically aired a month before the November midterm elections that will determine which party will control the U.S. House of Representatives.

WASHINGTON – Touting efforts to protect religious freedom, President Donald Trump told the National Prayer Breakfast that his administration would defend the right of faith-based adoption agencies to place children in families based on firmly held religious beliefs.

Shortly after U.S. president Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace, the Washington Post’s two young reporters who played such a pivotal role in uncovering Watergate received a personal letter from their gutsy publisher Katharine Graham.

WASHINGTON – In the days since the Nov. 30 death of former President George H.W. Bush, several news outlets reported that some years ago he told family members that he doubted any one would come to his memorial when he died.

WASHINGTON – During the second day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee Sept. 5, U.S. Appeals Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh said his experience serving the homeless with Catholic Charities and tutoring at Washington Jesuit Academy has influenced him as a judge because of the importance of "standing in the shoes of others."

WASHINGTON – Several members of Congress have asked the federal government to investigate allegations that Planned Parenthood has covered-up acts of sexual abuse.

JERUSALEM – As the world witnesses "another outburst of hatred and violence, which is once again bleeding all over the Holy Land," the head of Jerusalem's Latin Patriarchate called for prayers for peace.

WASHINGTON – Jesuit Father Patrick Conroy, chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives who said he had been forced to resign, was reinstated to his post by House Speaker Paul Ryan May 3.

WASHINGTON – In front of a small crowd of cabinet members and religious leaders at the White House Rose Garden May 3, President Donald Trump announced, and then signed, an executive order giving faith-based groups a stronger voice in the federal government.

The U.S. national election brought many issues to the surface that are important for both the Roman Catholic Church and the new Trump administration. Below, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, offers his take on what needs to happen on the political front.

The alliance between Roman Catholics and evangelical Protestants on a range of issues dear to social conservatives has been one of the biggest storylines in religion and politics in recent decades.