There are only a few days left to go in 2022. It was a busy news year — loaded with stories with strong religion angles.

Many of those stories had Catholic angles that were important to highlight and report on. A year ago, I took a look at the top Catholic angles journalists needed to focus on heading into 2022. I was prescient in my outlook, highlighting the Supreme Court decision regarding abortion among the top things to focus on.  

This is what I wrote a year ago looking ahead to 2022:

Issues around politics and religion will likely dominate once again in 2022. The abortion issue and a pending Supreme Court decision regarding access to it will be a big story in the coming year. The Catholic church, a major part of the abortion debate in this country for decades, will play a major role in news stories that will be written over the coming months.   

As we prepare to ring in 2023, I want to highlight five big storylines and trends to look for over the next 12 months:

(5) Catholic politicians vs. bishops

The culture war that has embroiled many societies, especially in the United States and now Western Europe, will continue to pit Catholic bishops and politicians. It will be especially pronounced when it involves Catholic lawmakers.

We’ve already seen this with President Joe Biden and outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Both are practicing Catholics who have butted heads with many bishops who keep noting public remarks and actions by these politicians that directly clash with centuries of Catholic doctrines on a great number of moral issues.  

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently elected a new president. As conference president, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese of the Military Services will have to focus on many hot-button issues. Above all, fights over issues surrounding abortion and contraception will continue, including questions about whether politicians who openly clash with church teachings should receive Holy Communion.

This is how The Catholic World Report framed the ongoing debate last month following Broglio’s election:

In his new position, which begins at the conclusion of the fall plenary assembly of the bishops’ conference, Archbishop Broglio will lead American bishops for three years. The top responsibilities of the position include fostering fraternity and unity among the body of bishops amid increasing ecclesial polarizations, and serving as the primary liaison with the Holy See on behalf of the American hierarchy.

Broglio’s election was the result only of a third runoff ballot, with 138 votes, opposed to 99 for Archbishop Lori. It was the first time since 1977 that a president and vice president were selected from a blank slate, as outgoing Vice President Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit was ineligible to run for president due to age. (Incidentally, Archbishop Lori also will be ineligible to stand for office in three years, given that he also will reach retirement age mid-term.)

Broglio brings a universal perspective to position him well for this position. A veteran diplomat in service to the Holy See, the Cleveland native came back to the United States as military archbishop in 2008, after having served as apostolic nuncio to the Dominican Republic. This experience will serve him well in fostering unity across the Church and also with the government and culture.

As military archbishop, Broglio has not been shy about expressing the teachings of the Church in the midst of cultural challenges. He has stood against trends supporting the disintegration of marriage and family, defended religious liberty and shown great pastoral concern for evangelization and catechesis. Broglio also interfaces with the armed forces and federal government on a regular basis.  

Given Broglio’s past and the stances on public issues articulated by many bishops, expect more friction between the USCCB and Biden in the coming year. It’s something journalists will need to look at — hopefully not with the same one-sidedness we’ve seen in recent years.

(4) Vatican scandals will reach the forefront  

Any large organization is susceptible to conspiracy theories. The Vatican is no different.

For those who follow the Vatican closely, there have been a great many scandals within its walls the past few years. These scandals have, in many cases, dragged on for several years. Many U.S. news outlets, even ones who do a very good job with international news, have given these little coverage.

But the role of journalism is to debunk conspiracies — and focus on finding evidence that points to he truth.

This is where Catholic media has been very good. Once again, I implore mainstream reporters who want to understand such issues to make sites like Crux and The Pillar part of their daily news diet. There is no bigger scandal than the Emanuela Orlandi murder case, although ones involving the Vatican bank and clergy sex-abuse continue.

Noted Vatican observer John Allen highlighted this just two weeks ago. Here’s what he wrote:

Vatican mysteries are a bit like volcanoes, in that they may remain dormant for a long time, but when they erupt, like Mauna Loa in Hawaii right not, it’s usually something spectacular. That’s what seems to be happening right now with the case of Emanuela Orlandi, perhaps the most prodigious such mystery story of the last half-century.

Orlandi, the 15-year-old daughter of a Vatican functionary, disappeared into thin air in 1983. Ever since, her fate has generated a beehive of theories and speculation, usually fueled by would-be bombshell revelations which, upon examination, turn out to deliver less than promised.

In brief, there have been suggestions over the years that Orlandi was kidnapped in an effort to secure the release of Mehmet Ali Agca, the would-be assassin of Pope John Paul II; that Orlandi’s disappearance was orchestrated by the KGB to compel John Paul to back off his support for Solidarity in Poland; that Orlandi was taken by the Roman mob in order to force the Vatican to reimburse its losses in the Vatican bank scandals; and that Orlandi fell victim to a gang of pedophiles inside the Vatican itself.

The Orlandi case is decades old and was even the focus of a Netflix series this past year called “Vatican Girl.” The only thing I caution is that so many of these Vatican scandals sometimes veer into conspiracy theories. The role of a journalist is to report facts, not highlight outlandish theories. This may very well be the biggest challenge when it comes to covering Vatican wrongdoing in the year ahead.

(3) Abortion will continue to cause tensions

I mentioned the USSCB and politicians, but that’s only one part of the tensions around abortion. Following the SCOTUS decision last summer, the anti-abortion fight moves from Washington, D.C. to the statehouses.

What does the church’s role in a post-Roe vs. Wade America look like? It could mean potentially 50 separate fights. What this abortion debate will look like in 2023 and beyond remains to be seen.

The theme for the 50th annual March for Life, which will take place on Jan. 20, It is aptly titled “Next Steps: Marching in a Post-Roe America.”

The march has always received little media coverage in the past. I suspect that will change in 2023. What could also change is the number of participants. We could see a big drop in attendance since for some in the anti-abortion community the fight has come to an end with this latest Supreme Court ruling. Instead, a new fight is just starting.

How journalists cover this new battle in the war against abortion — and the church’s role — will matter greatly going forward.

(2) Synod on Synodality will spur more debate

What the church will do in the future on an array of social and clearly theological issues (with some bishops airing views that clash with ancient teachings) remain on the front burner. The Synod of Synodality is supposed to try and figure out where Catholics stand, as opposed to turning up the heat.

To recap, the Synod of Synodality — it is a clunky and horrible name that automatically turns off reporters and editors — was launched by the pope in October 2021 as a global undertaking during which Catholics were encouraged to submit feedback to their local dioceses. The question journalists need to ask is if this process is a kind of stealth Vatican III.

This international, multi-year process has been divided into stages. The initial listening phase concluded with the participation of 112 out of 114 of the world’s Catholic bishops’ conferences, according to the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

According to a report from the USCCB, about 700,000 people participated in the diocesan phase of the synod in the U.S. out of 66.8 million Catholics in the country. As you can see, not a great sample size.

What’s next? The second phase will take place between September to March 2023. More information and recommendations will emerge during this period. Recommendations were supposed to emerge in 2023, but the pope extended the timeline to 2024.

Which Catholics — traditionalists or progressives — will be heard the loudest during this process? Also, it will be important to note what priorities emerge during these gatherings, such as giving more and more time to debates about LGBTQ rights and other Sexual Revolution issues. What will come of all this is anyone’s guess, but it’s easy to predict which topics will draw the most mainstream press ink.

What we do know, at least in terms of the U.S. response, was that the sample size was relatively small. It’s key for reporters to bookmark the USCCB’s website and get on that media list for official announcements. It’s also important to engage with cardinals and archbishops who represent large and growing Catholic communities (think California and the Sunbelt). They are the ones who know what issues to highlight and keep journalists focused on what it all means for the church in the 21st century.

(1) Speculation over Pope Francis’ health will only grow

A big chunk of 2022 news involved rumors that Pope Francis would resign. He just turned 86 years old and that speculation will only grow in 2023.

It certainly didn’t help that the pontiff, it was recently revealed, had written a resignation letter in the event his health worsened.

This is what The Associated Press reported on Dec. 18:

Pope Francis has revealed in an interview published Sunday that shortly after being elected pontiff in 2013 he wrote a resignation letter in case medical problems impede him from carrying out his duties.

Speaking to the Spanish newspaper ABC, Francis said he gave the note to Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who then was the Vatican secretary of state. The pontiff added that he presumes that the prelate currently in that Vatican No. 2 role, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, now has the written instruction.

Francis, who turned 86 on Saturday, had surgery in 2021 to repair a bowel narrowing and has been hobbled by knee pain that for months saw him use a wheelchair. Lately, he has increasingly used a cane instead of the wheelchair to get around in public.

Asked what happens if health issues or an accident suddenly leaves a pope unable to do his job, and whether there should be a rule for such instances, Francis replied, “In practice there is already a rule.”

The pope has often praised the decision of his predecessor, now Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI, to resign because he felt unable to carry the duties of the papacy due to his advanced age.

In 2013, Benedict, who currently lives in a monastery at the Vatican and is seldom seen, became the first pontiff to resign in 600 years, paving the way for Francis’ election. Now his health appears to be failing.

Will there be a new conclave in 2023? There’s no way to know that now. One thing, however, is certain. Speculation will only mount with each passing day. Pope Francis isn’t getting younger.

The election of a new pope is a story journalists love to report. It’s something like a cross between a presidential election and a royal wedding. The bottom line: Journalists see it as a political horse race.

Journalists will undoubtedly be watching closely at the pope’s health, coverage that will only help fuel rumors of an impending resignation that may never happen.

FIRST IMAGE: The view of the Vatican from St. Peter’s Square in this Wikipedia Commons photo.