Catholic Church

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Pope Is Resisting Pressure to Denounce Putin

Critics are drawing parallels with WWII-era Pope Pius XII

(Newser) - Pope Francis has not failed to condemn the war in Ukraine—he denounced the "barbarianism of the killing of children" in an address last Sunday—but a lot of people, including some Catholic bishops, would like him to be a lot more specific in his condemnation. Francis has spoken...

Priest Resigns After 20-Year-Long Semantics Error

Rev. Andres Arango of Phoenix used the word 'we' instead of 'I' in baptisms, rendering all invalid

(Newser) - If you or any of your children have been baptized in San Diego, Arizona, or Brazil over the past two decades, you might want to check who the presiding pastor was at that purification ceremony. That's because the Rev. Andres Arango, a priest in the Diocese of Phoenix, has...

Benedict Seeks Forgiveness Over Handling of Abuse Cases
Retired Pope Asks
for Forgiveness
Feb 8, 2022 1:26 PM CST

Retired Pope Asks for Forgiveness

In connection with his handling of abuse cases, though Benedict admits no wrongdoing

(Newser) - Retired Pope Benedict XVI asked forgiveness Tuesday for any "grievous faults" in his handling of clergy sex abuse cases, but admitted to no personal or specific wrongdoing. His comments came after an independent report criticized his actions in four cases while he was archbishop of Munich, Germany, per the...

In Off-the-Cuff Comments, Pope Speaks of Gay Kids

Francis tells parents to accompany, not condemn, gay children

(Newser) - Pope Francis urged parents on Wednesday not to condemn their children if they're gay, in his latest gesture of outreach to the LGBTQ community, which has long been marginalized by the Catholic hierarchy. Francis spoke off the cuff during his weekly Wednesday general audience dedicated to the figure of...

Pope: I Actually Was at Meeting on Priest Accused of Abuse

Benedict had originally said he hadn't attended, blames discrepancy on 'editing' mistake

(Newser) - Update: Pope Benedict XVI has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal, but there's been a shift in at least one story. Per the Catholic News Agency and CNN , the pontiff had originally told investigators he hadn't attended a January 1980 meeting of archdiocesan...

Bishop's Diocese Apologizes After He Freaks Out Kids

Parents were horrified when he told children Santa doesn't exist

(Newser) - A Roman Catholic diocese in Sicily publicly apologized to outraged parents after its bishop told a group of children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. In a Facebook post and subsequent comments Friday, the diocese of Noto insisted that Bishop Antonio Stagliano didn’t mean to dash the dreams of...

US Catholic Bishops Probably Won't Rebuke at Conference

Meeting agenda includes 'teaching document' on Communion

(Newser) - While some US Catholic bishops continue to denounce President Joe Biden for his support of legal abortion, their conference as a whole is likely to avoid direct criticism of him at its upcoming national meeting. The highest-profile agenda item is a proposed “teaching document” about the sacrament of Communion....

Report: French Catholic Church Showed 'Cruel Indifference'

Commission finds 330K children may have been sexually abused by clergy, laypeople since 1950

(Newser) - A new report slams the Catholic Church for "cruel indifference," with clergy in France accused of sexually abusing an estimated 216,000 children since 1950. Jean-Marc Sauve, head of the inquiry commissioned by the French Catholic Church, says most of the victims over the past seven decades were...

Church Beatifies Polish Nun, Cardinal

Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski fought communism, Mother Elzbieta Roza Czacka helped the blind

(Newser) - Poland's top political leaders on Sunday attended the beatification of two revered figures of the Catholic Church—a cardinal who led resistance to communism and a blind nun who devoted her life to helping others who couldn't see. The celebration of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and Mother Elzbieta Roza...

First Cardinal Charged With Sex Abuse of a Minor

Theodore McCarrick, now defrocked, accused of molesting 16-year-old boy

(Newser) - The Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal just reached its highest level yet inside the church. Defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been charged with molesting a 16-year-old boy decades ago in Massachusetts, reports NBC News . He is the first cardinal, former or otherwise, to be so charged. McCarrick is 91,...

Vatican Reveals Church Owns 5K Properties

Extensive release of real estate and financial records is a first for the church

(Newser) - The Catholic Church has made an unprecedented financial disclosure, revealing the extent of its real estate holdings around the world. More than 50 pages of forms released Saturday show that the Vatican owns 4,051 properties in Italy and 1,120 elsewhere, Politico reports. Vatican embassies are not included in...

Top US Catholic Official Quits After Grindr Data Exposed

Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill's resignation over use of gay hookup app has split Catholics

(Newser) - Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, a top official at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, stepped down this week over alleged misconduct—but the manner of his downfall has split Catholics. Burrill resigned after the Pillar , a Catholic news site, reported that app data showed Burrill had "visited gay bars and...

Catholic Churches on Indigenous Land Burn to the Ground

Arson suspected following discovery of graves at former Catholic-run residential school in Canada

(Newser) - Two century-old Catholic churches on Indigenous land in southern British Columbia burned to the ground on Monday, Canada's National Indigenous Peoples' Day—roughly a month after the discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children at the former Catholic-run Kamloops Indian Residential School. Flames were reported at Sacred Heart...

Supreme Court Unanimously Backs Catholic Group

Ruling says foster care organization has the right not to work with same-sex couples

(Newser) - The Supreme Court issued a ruling in a case involving same-sex couples Thursday, but the votes didn't fall into a liberal-conservative split. This was one 9-0. The court ruled in favor of a Catholic foster care agency in Philadelphia that will not in principle work with LGBTQ couples, reports...

Vatican to US Bishops: Don't Try to Deny Biden Communion

Issue has caused rift between Rome, conservative bishops

(Newser) - Trouble is brewing between the Vatican and American bishops over the right of America's second Catholic president to receive Communion. The Vatican has issued what the New York Times calls "a remarkably public stop sign" telling conservative bishops not to try to deny the sacrament to President Biden...

On Punishments for Church Sex Abuse, a 'Significant Rewrite'

Pope Francis signs off on first major update to penal sanctions since 1980s

(Newser) - A slew of new rules on how to handle sexual abuse within the Catholic Church has received the official green light from Pope Francis, updating a penal system that's been in place for 40 years. The Washington Post calls it "the most significant rewrite of canon law" since...

DA: Priest Who Died Friday Killed Altar Boy in 1972

Richard Lavigne was about to be arrested for murder of 13-year-old Danny Croteau

(Newser) - Defrocked Catholic priest Richard Lavigne died before he could face justice for the murder of 13-year-old altar boy Danny Croteau almost 50 years ago—but the victim's older brother believes Lavigne is now facing a higher power. Danny was found dead in a Springfield, Massachusetts, river on April 14,...

Sicilian Judge Killed By Mafia Moves a Step From Sainthood

Pope calls Rosario Livatino a 'martyr of justice'

(Newser) - A Sicilian judge who was called a martyr by Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis has moved to one step from sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. The beatification of Rosario Livatino took place Sunday at the cathedral in Agrigento, near the spot where the judge was shot to...

Bishops Could Vote on Biden Taking Communion

President's support for abortion rights bothers some in the church

(Newser) - President Biden presents a dilemma to some Catholic bishops. He's demonstrative about his faith, attending Mass regularly and saying the rosary when he has a moment of solitude. But Biden supports abortion rights, which the Catholic Church opposes. That difference will come up for discussion by the US Conference...

Jesuits Promise $100M for Slavery Reparations

Trust will benefit descendants of enslaved people, including those sold by Jesuits in 1838

(Newser) - The Catholic order of Jesuit priests has pledged to raise $100 million for descendants of the enslaved people it owned in what the New York Times reports is "one of the largest efforts by an institution to atone for slavery." The order relied on slave labor and sales...

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