NEW YORK (RNS) Switching from jabs to jokes, President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney set aside an evening between debates to make fun of themselves and each other during one of the few other campaign rituals that brings the candidates together on stage. By Martha T. Moore. 

(RNS) New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan defended his invitation of President Obama to the annual Al Smith Dinner in October, saying he's trying to encourage civility and dialogue amid a bitter battle over abortion rights and access to contraception. By Chris Lisee.

NEW YORK (RNS) The Al Smith Dinner has always provided a few hours of comic relief from the angry volleys of the campaign battlefield. But New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan's invitation to President Obama is angering pro-lifers and giving the archbishop some pre-dinner agita. By David Gibson.