Stories related to: Catholic Church

Religious Pilgrims Perish in Bus Crash

Times (UK)  |  Jul 22, 07 12:38 PM CDT

(Newser) - Twenty-six people died and 24 were injured today when a bus carrying religious pilgrims plunged off a bridge in the French Alps. Forty-nine Polish nationals and two drivers were on a tour of European Roman Catholic shrines when their coach slammed through a wall onto a riverbank and burst into flames, the Times of London reports. More »

Pizza Mogul Orders Town, University

USA Today  |  Jul 19, 07 11:19 AM CDT

(Newser) - Ten years in the making, Ave Maria University and the eponymous town built around it by Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan will open Saturday. Monaghan is a devout Catholic, and the university—and to some extent the town—will reflect that. Intended as what Monaghan calls a "fresh, faithful voice" in Catholic education, the project has been controversial. More »

Heaven Can Wait, and So Must Research

BBC  |  Jul 17, 07 4:39 PM CDT

(Newser) - Despite rumblings from anxious researchers, the Vatican Library has closed its doors for at least 3 years to undergo renovations after an inspection this year revealed that the structure couldn’t support the weight of its books. Reading rooms were unusually full last week, the BBC reports, as researchers got in as much work as possible with time ticking down. More »

Mass Embarrassment: Priests Need Latin Lessons

Guardian (UK)  |  Jul 16, 07 5:59 AM CDT

(Newser) - Traditionalist Catholics have lauded Pope Benedict's recent call for more Masses in Latin, but priests are biting their nails—few of them know enough of the language to say a Latin Mass. Even Italian priests face embarrassment in the wake of Pope Benedict 's decision to allow Latin services at parishioners' request, the Italian daily La Stampa reports. More »

LA Cardinal Apologizes to Abuse Victims

Los Angeles Times  |  Jul 16, 07 4:51 AM CDT

(Newser) - Cardinal Roger Mahony publicly apologized yesterday to the 508 plaintiffs in a sexual-abuse lawsuit the archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to settle for a record $660 million. Mahony, who met privately with many of the victims abused by clergy, said he wished their lives were like a videotape—"we could put the tape in and delete these years of difficulty and misery." More »

$650M Deal to Settle Clergy Abuse Charges

Los Angeles Times  |  Jul 14, 07 9:20 PM CDT

(Newser) - The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is on the verge of an agreement to spend $650 million to settle more than 500 claims of alleged sex abuse against Roman Catholic clergy, the Los Angeles Times reports. The deal, which would be the largest settlement in the 5-year-old clergy-abuse scandal, comes as the first of the cases is sceduled to go to trial Monday. More »

Pope Gives Go-Ahead to Latin Mass

Time  |  Jul 7, 07 5:53 PM CDT

(Newser) - Four decades after sweeping reforms intended to make the Catholic Church more accessible, Pope Benedict backed off the best-known change today, lifting restrictions on the Tridentine rite, better known as the Latin Mass. The move is already controversial, Time reports, because it's perceived as a sop to traditionalists—and because the Good Friday liturgy includes a prayer many consider anti-Semitic. More »

Questions Dog Longtime Giuliani Friend

Salon  |  Jun 22, 07 6:13 PM CDT

(Newser) - A Catholic priest who was best man at Rudy Giuliani's first wedding, performed his second marriage, and presided at his parents' funerals is on the payroll of the candidate's consulting firm—and suspended from his pastoral duties because he has been accused of sexually abusing children. Salon looks at the relationship and what it says about the famously loyal Giuliani. More »

Blair to Convert to Catholicism

Guardian (UK)  |  Jun 22, 07 5:38 AM CDT

(Newser) - Tony Blair is about to become a Roman Catholic, the Guardian reports. His wife is a practicing Catholic, his children were raised in the faith, and the PM has attended mass with them often. But political considerations have kept him officially Anglican all these years. With his last day in office next week, he's planning to come out of the religious closet. More »

Church Nixes Joe K's Annulment

Time  |  Jun 20, 07 2:55 PM CDT

(Newser) - Politics and religion collided today with the revelation by Joe Kennedy's ex-wife that the Catholic Church has reversed its decision to annul their marriage. Sheila Rauch Kennedy, an Episcopalian, tells Time that the process of invalidating her marriage to the ex-congressman was "dishonest, and it was important to stand up and say that." More »

Vatican: Thou Shalt Not Speed

Associated Press  |  Jun 19, 07 2:14 PM CDT

(Newser) - The pope wants you to slow down, watch your language, and pray while on the road—and not by taking the Lord's name in vain when you get cut off. The Vatican issued "10 Commandments" for motorists today, reiterating the familiar prohibition against killing and adding new guidelines for doing unto others in the age of the internal-combustion engine. More »

Vatican Shuns Amnesty International

Associated Press  |  Jun 14, 07 10:10 PM CDT

(Newser) - The Vatican is calling on Catholics to stop contributing to Amnesty International, a reaction to the human rights group's new stance on abortion. "AI has betrayed its mission," a prominent cardinal said this week, referring to the April announcement that the organization supports access to abortion services in cases involving rape, incest, and risk to the mother's life or health. More »

'Heresy' Goes Digital

Wired  |  Jun 8, 07 11:24 AM CDT

(Newser) - Cutting ties with the Catholic Church is, in theory, a relatively simple matter known as "debaptism." More and more Italians who aren't worried about the Vatican's formal stance on what it calls "an act of apostasy, heresy or schism" are finding the documents they need online. Wired considers the digital angle on an ecclesiastical process. More »

Man Tries to Hitch a Ride on Popemobile

Boston Globe  |  Jun 6, 07 1:28 PM CDT

(Newser) - A German man made a leap of faith in St. Peter's Square in Rome today, apparently attempting to board Pope Benedict's Jeep. A Vatican spokesman said the 27-year-old was trying to "draw attention to himself" when he dove over a barricade toward the slow-moving Popemobile; the man was immediately tackled and taken in for psychiatric treatment. More »

Brazil to Subsidize Birth Control