Catholic priest

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Calif. Priest Was Beaten to Death With Stake, Pipe

Suspect got out of jail just hours before killing

(Newser) - Horrific new details in the New Year's Day slaying of a popular Catholic priest in California: An autopsy has revealed that the Rev. Eric Freed was beaten to death with a metal gutter pipe and a wooden stake, the AP reports. He was found dead inside the rectory of...

Pope: Badly Trained Priests Can Be 'Little Monsters'

Thought gives him 'goose bumps,' says Francis

(Newser) - A comment by Pope Francis regarding the training of young priests is likely to resonate with critics of the Catholic Church. The statement, made in a closed-door session with the leaders of religious orders from around the world:
  • "We must form their hearts," Francis said of men in
...

After Missing Mass, Priest Found Dead in Rectory
Priest Killed in Rectory; Police Nab Suspect
UPDATED
Jan 2, 2014 4:44 PM CST

Priest Killed in Rectory; Police Nab Suspect

Murder investigation underway in Eureka, Calif.

(Newser) - A Eureka, Calif., parish is in shock after its popular Catholic priest was killed inside his church's rectory yesterday. Authorities today arrested Gary Lee Bullock in connection with the killing, reports the LA Times . Bullock had been arrested for public drunkenness on New Year's Eve with a blood-alcohol...

Archdiocese Kept Lid on Minn. Priest's Sex 'Compulsions'

Curtis Wehmeyer was allowed to keep working

(Newser) - The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis made it clear that once officials heard about a priest's abuse of two boys, they went straight to law enforcement. Trouble is, the archdiocese actually knew about what Minnesota Public Radio calls Curtis Wehmeyer's "sexual compulsions" for almost a decade—...

The Fascinating Fr. Greeley Dead at 85

 The Fascinating 
 Fr. Greeley 
 Dead at 85 
obituary
May 31, 2013 12:55 PM CDT

The Fascinating Fr. Greeley Dead at 85

Outspoken Catholic priest also penned steamy novels, fought for abuse victims

(Newser) - Andrew Greeley was nothing if not a multi-hyphenate: The New York Times describes him as a "priest, scholar, preacher, social critic, storyteller, and scold," then tacks on the word "maverick" for good measure. But Greeley, who died yesterday in his Chicago home at age 85, prized one...

Tom Cruise on Path to Be a Priest Til Booze Got in Way

Seminary school didn't want Cruise back: friend

(Newser) - Tom Cruise wanted to be a Catholic priest when he was a teen —so why did he give up on that dream and become a Scientologist instead? Blame booze. A friend who attended Cincinnati's St. Francis Seminary School with Cruise explains to the New York Daily News that...

Handcuffed Priest Calls 911 From Church...

He got himself stuck while 'playing,' was also gagged

(Newser) - An Illinois priest made a very awkward 911 call back in November that's just now coming to light : Father Tom Donovan told the dispatcher he needed help getting out of a pair of handcuffs he had been "playing with." "I'm going to need help before...

Priest in Italy Blames Violence Against Women on ... Women

Christmas message provokes outrage

(Newser) - Domestic violence is on the rise in Italy, with 120 women killed this year—up a third over last year, reports the Daily Beast . The UN Human Rights Council and women's advocates have been pushing leaders to get a handle on the problem, but a Catholic priest's Christmas...

Ear Bitten Off as Priests Fight for Parking Space

Father Thomas Byrne, 80, charged with grievous bodily harm

(Newser) - What a scene to behold: Two retired Catholic priests fought so viciously over a parking spot that one allegedly bit off the other's ear, reports Australia's News Network . Father Thomas Byrne, 80, battled 81-year-old Father Thomas Joseph Smith in their building complex yesterday in Perth, Australia, police say....

Catholic Cleric Gets 3 to 6 Years in Sex Abuse Coverup

Monsignor William Lynn didn't rein in priests in Philadelphia

(Newser) - A Roman Catholic monsignor who became the first US church official to be convicted for covering up sex abuse claims against priests was sentenced today to three to six years in prison by a judge who said he "enabled monsters in clerical garb ... to destroy the souls of children....

Priest Who Flashed Porn at Communion Talk Steps Down

Father McVeigh leaving Irish parish, still says he's innocent

(Newser) - An Irish Catholic priest who mistakenly flashed gay porn during a Power Point presentation for appalled parents and at least one child on the sacrament of Holy Communion has quit. Father Martin McVeigh, who shut off his computer and rushed from the room when the incident occurred, initially blamed unidentified...

Vatican to Outspoken Priest: Spend 6 Weeks in Prayer

Critics see building 'Catholic spring' backlash

(Newser) - A popular Irish priest known for his liberal views has been told to shut up by church authorities, reports the Daily Beast . Father Tony Flannery, who has questioned the doctrine of celibacy, and said the priesthood should be opened up to women, has been told to stop writing about controversial...

Priest Flashes Gay Porn During Communion Talk

He has no idea how it got on memory stick

(Newser) - A Catholic priest in Northern Ireland insists he has no idea how gay porn ended up on a memory stick he was using for a Powerpoint presentation to families before their children's First Communion. After he clicked on a folder and explicit images filled the screen, the "visibly...

Landmark Priest Sex Abuse Trial Begins

Last-minute guilty plea sends defense's strategy into disarray

(Newser) - Two Catholic priests are set to go on trial in Philadelphia for charges related to alleged child sexual abuse today, and their chances of victory look a lot lower than they did last week. Monsignor William Lynn is the first church official charged with child endangerment for failing to remove...

Philadelphia Archbishop Retires Amid Scandal

Pope accepts Cardinal Justin Rigali's resignation

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Philadelphia archbishop Cardinal Justin Rigali today, sending him into retirement as the archdiocese faces accusations that it covered up a long-running priest sex abuse scandal. The pope named conservative Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput to succeed him. The brief Vatican announcement said the resignation...

Church-Backed Study Blames '60s for Sex Abuse

Priests were ill-equipped to deal with social change, study finds

(Newser) - The Catholic Church's requirement for all priests to be celibate is not to blame for the church's sex abuse scandals, according to a study commissioned by and partially funded by America's Catholic bishops. The study concludes that most sex abuse cases involved priests trained in the '...

Vatican Sacks Bishop Who Wanted Women Priests

William Morris also argued church should consider ordaining married men

(Newser) - An Australian bishop claims the Roman Catholic church sacked him because he advocated the ordaining of women and married men. The Vatican confirmed today that Bishop William Morris had been "removed from pastoral care" by Pope Benedict XVI, and Morris claims the ouster was a result of a 2006...

TV Priest Bares Affair With Cuz

'Word in the World's' Michael Manning 'fesses up

(Newser) - A popular priest who leads a worldwide TV ministry is taking a leave from his California diocesan duties after revealing an affair with a second cousin. Michael Manning 'fessed up after a local newspaper received a series of intimate notes between Manning and his former lover, a schools superintendent from...

Better Plan Ahead if You Want Last Rites

Shortage of Catholic priests makes last-minute requests tough

(Newser) - There's a shortage of Catholic priests these days, and that means that dying Catholics need to plan ahead if they want to get last rites. "Try to anticipate. Look at your last days instead of your last hour," one hospice minister tells USA Today , adding that sometimes it...

Archdiocese of Milwaukee Files for Bankruptcy

Hit stalemate over transparency in sex abuse lawsuits

(Newser) - Overwhelmed by 23 sex abuse lawsuits, the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for bankruptcy yesterday. In so doing, Milwaukee followed seven other dioceses also forced into bankruptcy by the costs of litigating and settling claims against their priests for sexual abuse. The bankruptcy filing followed a failed mediation effort that...

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