Catholic Church

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Pope's Problem: Catholics Can't Agree on Anything

Church houses a diverse crowd that varies widely on social issues: William Saletan

(Newser) - Based on recent poll results, you might think the Catholic Church needs to shift to the left. After all, Univision finds that 54% of US Catholics back same-sex marriage, 59% support women as priests, and 76% believe abortion should in some cases be allowed; in fact, "on every issue,...

UN Rips Vatican: You Failed Kids, Saved Sex Abusers

Church 'regrets' that panel is interfering with its teaching

(Newser) - The United Nations is hammering the Vatican for what a panel calls a failure to fully address sex abuse in the Catholic Church. "The Holy See has consistently placed the preservation of the reputation of the church and the protection of the perpetrators above children’s best interests,"...

Rolling Boulder Leaves Wild Path of Destruction

No one hurt, but repairs could cost millions

(Newser) - Some 141,000 cubic feet of rock tumbled from the face of an Italian cliff this month, sending a boulder tearing through a 300-year-old farm. The rock rolled through a barn in the Alto-Adige region, resulting in millions of dollars' worth of damage, says the manager of the site, which...

Surprised Nun Gives Birth
 Surprised Nun Gives Birth 
Jan 18, 2014 10:36 AM CST

Surprised Nun Gives Birth

Insists she had no idea she was pregnant, names kid after pope

(Newser) - In a not-so surprising development, a woman in Italy has named her newborn son after the pope. In a more surprising development, she happens to be a nun. The 31-year-old in Reiti went to the hospital complaining of stomach pains and reportedly rejected the doctors' crazy suggestion that she was...

Benedict Defrocked 400 Pedophile Priests in 2 Years

Numbers spiked dramatically in 2011-12, says AP

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests over just two years for sexually molesting children, according to a document obtained by the AP . The statistics for 2011 and 2012 show a dramatic increase over the 171 priests removed in 2008 and 2009, when the Vatican first provided details on the...

Pope: Abortion a 'Horrific' Part of 'Throwaway Culture'

We don't place enough value on life, he says

(Newser) - Abortion is a sign of a "throwaway culture" that doesn't place enough value on goods or human life, Pope Francis said yesterday in his strongest words on the subject in his 10-month papacy. "Unfortunately, what is thrown away is not only food and dispensable objects, but often...

With Eye to Poor, Francis Picks 19 New Cardinals

Some surprises among pope's first round

(Newser) - Pope Francis has named his first batch of cardinals, choosing 19 men from Asia, Africa, North and South America and elsewhere, including Haiti and Burkino Faso, to reflect his attention to the poor. Francis made the announcement today as he spoke from his studio window to a crowd in St....

Pope: No More 'Monsignor' for Most Priests

Francis aims to further simplify honorifics

(Newser) - Pope Francis has done away with the honorific title "monsignor" for all but a few priests, further evidence of his desire for priests to be simple, humble servants. The Vatican's secretary of state sent a letter to its embassies asking them to inform bishops' conferences of the change....

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...

Court Reverses Milestone Conviction in Priest Abuse

Catholic Church official who supervised guilty priest wins on appeal

(Newser) - A Roman Catholic church official who has been jailed for more than a year for his handling of priest sex-abuse complaints had his landmark conviction reversed today. A three-judge Superior Court panel unanimously rejected prosecution arguments that Monsignor William Lynn, the first US church official ever charged or convicted for...

Students Shut Down School as Gay Vice Principal Fired

Catholic school says he violated contract with same-sex wedding

(Newser) - A Seattle-area Catholic high school canceled classes today, partially because there was snow in the forecast, but also "in light of the difficult day" it had just been through. The difficulty? Hundreds of students staged a rally yesterday at Eastside Catholic High School to protest the termination of vice...

Pope Drops Conservative US Cardinal, Brings in Moderate

Part of his move to make church more accepting, watchers say

(Newser) - Pope Francis has removed a conservative US cardinal from the Congregation for Bishops, a top Vatican committee. Taking Cardinal Raymond Burke's place is a more moderate American from Washington. Burke, who is a firm opponent of abortion and gay marriage, will stay on as prefect of the highest Vatican...

Amid Overhaul, Vatican Bank Finds 100 Fishy Transactions

1K customers asked to leave

(Newser) - Last year, the Vatican bank detected six suspicious transactions; this year, that figure has soared to more than 100 amid a reform effort, an official tells the Los Angeles Times . That work, headed by Swiss financial expert Rene Bruelhart, also involves asking 1,000 account holders at the bank to...

Pope Francis Crashes Posh Rome District

Reminds of 'cries of poor' as Christmas shopping season kicks off

(Newser) - Pope Francis, in the heart of Rome's fanciest shopping district, has prayed that the poor are never forgotten. His appearance today at the foot of the Spanish Steps follows a papal tradition of public prayer before a statue representing Mary on Dec. 8, a church holiday honoring the mother...

Pope May Be Sneaking Out at Night to Help Poor

Rumors seem to be true: Huffington Post

(Newser) - This will only help Francis' reputation as everyone's favorite pope: It seems that the pontiff is ducking out of the Vatican at night dressed as a priest to minister to Rome's homeless and hand out money. The rumor got buzzing when an archbishop whose job it is to...

Pope Mentions Sex Abuse for First Time

He also meets with Netanyahu

(Newser) - Pope Francis made direct mention of the Catholic Church's problems with sexual abuse today, asking bishops from the Netherlands to "continue supporting" victims "on their painful path to healing." It's the first time he's publicly addressed the issue, according to the National Catholic Reporter...

Vatican's New Bogeyman: Capitalism, Not Communism

Pope Francis' condemnation of trickle-down theory is a shift: Essayist

(Newser) - Pope Francis' blistering attack yesterday on the "tyranny" of unchecked capitalism in general and trickle-down economics in particular marks a fundamental shift in church thinking, writes Emma Green at the Atlantic . A half-century ago, the church largely condemned communism and embraced democracy, along with its underlying free-market system. The...

Pope Francis Issues a New 'Thou Shalt Not'

He writes that we must say no 'to an economy of exclusion and inequality'

(Newser) - Pope Francis is a published author of a major work for the first time under that name, having issued his first apostolic exhortation. The topic: money. The 224-page document rails against unfettered capitalism as "a new tyranny," and had this to say: "How can it be that...

Pope Francis' Guest Today: Vladimir Putin

Pontiff will try to sway Russian president on Syria

(Newser) - Can Pope Francis melt the heart of Vladimir Putin? We're about to find out, as the popular new pontiff makes his first real foray into global politics today, hosting the Russian president at the Vatican. In a closed-door meeting, Francis intends to press Putin on what Russia can do...

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