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NEWS ABOUT: Catholicism

On Health Care, Nuns Are Right

Bishops allow abortion bias to cloud judgment

(Newser) - Catholic bishops used to be some of the biggest supporters of universal health care—now, thanks to controversial abortion provisions, those same bishops could play “a major role in its demise”…that is, unless the nuns have their way. The bishops are upset that the Nelson-Casey anti-abortion amendments... More »

Catholic School Kicks Out Kid With Lesbian Parents

Gay rights groups outraged by Colorado priest's decision

(Newser) - A Boulder, Colorado, pastor's decision to uninvite a lesbian couple’s preschooler from returning to his school next year has ignited a storm of controversy. “It is not about punishing the child for the sins of his or her parents,” the Rev. Bill Breslin said by way of... More »

Vatican Historian: Shroud of Turin Is Authentic

Barely visible writing has Jesus' name, she says

(AP) - A researcher at the Vatican archives claims a nearly invisible text on the Shroud of Turin proves the authenticity of the artifact revered as Jesus' burial cloth. Author Barbara Frale says computer-enhanced images of faint Greek, Latin, and Aramaic words show the name "Jesus Nazarene" in a writing style... More »

ET, Phone Rome: Vatican Holds Alien Conference

Astrobiology experts ponder big picture

(Newser) - Does intelligent life exist elsewhere in the universe and if so, is it Christian? Those and other weighty questions are up for discussion this week at a Vatican conference on astrobiology. Religious leaders and a range of scientists—including some non-Catholics—have been called in to discuss the possibility of... More »

Court Bans Crucifixes in Italian Classrooms

Government plans to appeal European decision

(Newser) - A European court has ruled that the presence of crucifixes in Italian classrooms violates religious freedom. In a decision denounced by Italian politicians, the court said the compulsory display of the crucifix prevents parents from raising kids with the religion of their choice and restricts the "right of children... More »

Houses of Worship Adapt to Swine Flu

Synagogues, churches, mosques get ready for H1N1

(Newser) - Places of worship across the country are adjusting holy rituals to head off swine flu, CBS News reports. On the Jewish New Year, one Massachusetts synagogue is skipping handshakes and promoting the use of hand sanitizer—and, in a substantial break from tradition, allowing worshipers to not kiss the Torah.... More »

Flu-Fearing Churches Ban Peace Handshakes

'Sign of peace,' prayer hand holding barred amid swine flu warnings

(Newser) - Churches nationwide are bracing for cases of swine flu, with one in Cincinnati banning peace handshakes during Mass, the Enquirer reports. The Catholic church passed out a flier telling parishioners not to shake with their neighbors during the “sign of peace” or clasp hands during the “Our Father”... More »

Kennedy to Pope: Pray for Me

Senator wrote letter delivered by Obama

(Newser) - In the months before he died, Ted Kennedy penned a letter to Pope Benedict beseeching the pontiff's prayers—and enlisted no less a messenger than the leader of the free world to deliver it, reports CNN. “I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me... More »

Vatican Warms to Wilde

Paper praises writer's 'lucid' analysis of his world

(Newser) - The Vatican long regarded Oscar Wilde as a “dissolute homosexual,” but things have changed, writes Richard Owen in the Times of London. A review in the Vatican newspaper of a study on the Irish writer celebrates him as “one of the personalities of the 19th century who... More »

She's Catholic, Too, You Know

There's zero scrutiny of Sotomayor's religion because she's pro-choice

(Newser) - Sonia Sotomayor would be the sixth Catholic on the Supreme Court, but that’s getting relatively little attention because of a political double-standard, writes William McGurn of the Wall Street Journal. When Samuel Alito was the nominee du jour, Democrats worried that he’d be the fifth Catholic. But they’... More »

Pope Has Best Take on Financial Crisis

Goldman exec touts Benedict's 6-point plan for global economy

(Newser) - All of Pope Benedict XVI's gaffes and controversies have obscured his principal appeal, writes Brian Griffiths in the Times of London: he's a scholar, with an uncommon command of theology and philosophy. For Griffiths, a vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs, the pope's recent encyclical on the economy is "without... More »

Kissing Priest Marries Galpal

(Newser) - In scarcely more than a month, Alberto Cutié has gone from celebrity priest to sex scandal poster boy to Episcopalian—now he can add boring old married guy to his resume, reports the AP. The Miami priest who left the Catholic Church amid a racy photo scandal married his secret... More »

Confession Isn't Therapy, Church Warns

Priests told to get tough on sinners instead of providing counseling sessions

(Newser) - The Vatican plans a campaign to remind priests that the confessional isn't a psychiatrist's couch, the Guardian reports. A handbook will be issued to emphasize that sinners are in confession to be given penance, not counseling sessions. The number of Catholics going to confession has slumped in recent years and... More »

Pizzeria in Town Built by Domino's Chief Not Domino's

(Newser) - The first pizza shop in Domino’s founder Thomas Monaghan’s Catholic university town of Ave Maria, Fla., will not be a Domino’s, the Fort Myers News-Press reports. Domino’s says the town is covered by another franchise’s delivery radius, and Ave Maria will get a Milano’s... More »

Anti-Abortion 'Extremists' Got Nothing on Prez

Zealous Notre Dame protests will further hurt their cause

(Newser) - Randall Terry and other “Catholic extremists” will lead protests against President Obama’s speech at Notre Dame today—but their anti-abortion zealotry will only continue to hurt their cause, writes Frances Kissling in Salon. “The idea that anything goes in fighting abortion died” in the ‘90s when... More »

Catholics 'Will Enjoy' Da Vinci Prequel: Howard

Director defends Angels & Demons from 'smear campaign'

(Newser) - Ron Howard wants to make something clear: He is not anti-Catholic, and neither is his upcoming film, Angels & Demons. The beleaguered prequel to the similarly controversial Da Vinci Code is under fire from the Catholic League, and Howard responds to the latest “silly and mean-spirited work of propaganda”... More »

Religious Tourists Still Flocking to Italy

Easter likely to see 100,000 in St. Peter's Square

(Newser) - While industries around the world feel the weight of recession, Italy’s religious tourism appears fairly immune, USA Today reports. “It's one of the only areas where things haven't slowed down much," said a religious tour marketer. "Religious pilgrims still want to have the same experiences”—... More »

Pope May Reshape US Church as Bishops Age Out

Many bishops nearing retirement as church faces big changes

(Newser) - With many bishops nearing the age of required retirement, the Vatican has a chance to reinvent the US Catholic Church, moving beyond church sex scandals and adapting to a growing immigrant presence, reports the Los Angeles Times. Almost a third of 265 current US bishops must step down in the... More »

Pope Names Bishop Who Lauded 'Punishing' Katrina

Hurricane destroyed nightclubs, abortion clinic, notes pleased Austrian

(Newser) - Days after welcoming back to the church a bishop who denies the Holocaust existed, Pope Benedict has sparked controversy again for promoting a controversial Austrian ultra-conservative cleric. Gerhard Maria Wagner claims the Harry Potter series spreads satanism and that Hurricane Katrina was punishment for New Orleans' lax morals. More »

Critics Rip Pope's 'Homophobic' Speech

Pontiff's call for defense of gender roles seen as stoking homophobia

(Newser) - Gay and Christian groups have slammed Pope Benedict XVI's remarks that defending the “natural order” of man and woman is as important as protecting the rainforests, the Times of London reports. British Catholic leaders have countered that the pontiff didn’t explicitly mention homosexuality in his annual Christmas speech,... More »

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