Catholic Church

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80 Belgians to Sue Vatican, Church Over Sex Abuse

Suit comes days after Belgian Catholic Church agreed to pay victims

(Newser) - Eighty people who say they were sexually abused by priests or monks plan to sue the Vatican as well as the country's Catholic church and its highest authorities, according to Belgian media. The announcement comes days after the Belgian church said it was willing to pay compensation to victims...

Pope Talks About Life Under Nazis

Benedict XVI calls it a 'dark time'

(Newser) - German-born Pope Benedict XVI rarely talks about when he was conscripted into the Hitler Youth as a teen. But yesterday, in an audience with a German Catholic group, Benedict made a rare mention of life under the Nazis, calling it a "dark time," reports the AP . "It...

Pope Evicts 'Loose-Living' Monks

Monks hosted concerts starring prancing nuns

(Newser) - Some party-loving monks have been evicted from Rome's Santa Croce monastery by order of the Pope. The monks, whose abbey was attached to a church holding some of Catholicism's holiest relics, staged concerts featuring a lap dancer-turned-nun, hosted VIP guests including Madonna, and opened a hotel with a...

Church to Honor Prayer Request for Osama

'He needs forgiveness,' says Catholic parishioner in Florida

(Newser) - A Catholic man in Florida is testing his fellow parishioners capacity for forgiveness this weekend: Henry Borga paid $10 to have the name Osama bin Laden entered in the church bulletin for Sunday prayers at the Holy Name of Jesus church, reports WPTV in West Palm Beach. "He needs...

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 to Bishops: You Should Report Abusive Priests

...but we won't make you do so

(Newser) - In a letter to bishops around the world, the Vatican today stated the importance of cooperating with police in reporting sexually abusive priests—but it does not make such reporting mandatory. The AP calls the suggestions "vague" and "nonbinding," and notes that they fall short of US...

Catholic Professors Slam Fellow Catholic Boehner

His record is 'among the worst' on protecting the poor

(Newser) - John Boehner is getting some rough treatment from fellow Catholics today. Ahead of his commencement speech this weekend at Catholic University, a group of professors from there and other Catholic institutions have accused him of failing his church duties to help the needy, reports the Washington Post . In fact, they...

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...

Church Keeps Catholics Off British Throne

Anglican leader must not be subordinate to pope: Church of England

(Newser) - Royals are free to marry atheists, agnostics, Jews, and Muslims—but don’t expect a Catholic wedding anytime soon. The British government recently attempted to end a policy, in place for centuries, that bars marriages between royals and Catholics ... but the Church of England blocked the move, the Telegraph reports....

Pope John Paul II Beatification: He's No Saint, Says Maureen Dowd
 John Paul 
 Is No Saint 
Maureen Dowd
Apr 24, 2011 3:28 PM CDT

John Paul Is No Saint

Remember that whole pedophilia scandal he ignored?

(Newser) - On this Easter, Maureen Dowd turns to another resurrection of sorts next Sunday: The beatification of Pope John Paul II, or "PR boost" that Pope Benedict hopes to get from the "swiftest ascension toward sainthood on record." And while there was much to love about the "...

'Divine Reason' Behind Humanity, Creation: Pope

Easter Vigil homily emphasizes God's role in humanity

(Newser) - There is "divine reason" behind creation and humanity, said Pope Benedict XVI in his Easter Vigil homily yesterday. "Are irrationality, lack of freedom, and pure chance the origin of everything, or are reason, freedom, and love at the origin of being?" he asked. "If man were merely...

Meet Pope Benedict's 4 'Guardian Angels'

Loredana, Carmela, Cristina, and Rosella

(Newser) - Infallible, maybe, but Pope Benedict still needs help around the house. Worldcrunch (via Time ) provides a look at the pontiff's everyday life, including the four "guardian angels" who help him:
  • Four lay women who have taken vows of poverty and chastity work in his Vatican apartment. Loredana
...

Cardinal to Ricky Martin: Stop Promoting Homosexuality

He should 'set an example' for his children, cardinal says

(Newser) - Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a fan of Ricky Martin's "artistic gifts," but he sure wishes the singer would stop promoting homosexuality. In an interview with Primera Hora published last week and picked up yesterday by On Top magazine and Perez Hilton , Martinez...

Bishops Fight for Right to Block Gays in Fed Housing

It's an issue of 'religious freedom,' say lawyers

(Newser) - An association of Catholic bishops is battling a pending regulation that would ban discrimination against anyone based on "sexual orientation or gender identity" in federally funded housing projects. The rules would force some religious groups to compromise their beliefs or quit the housing programs, argued lawyers for the US...

Pope John Paul Gets Own Facebook Page
 John Paul Hits Facebook 
Mar 12, 2011 7:37 AM CST

John Paul Hits Facebook

Part of Vatican's social-networking push

(Newser) - Sure, Pope John Paul II is set to be beatified, but now he's even on Facebook. The Vatican, continuing its efforts to get hip with the kids, is unveiling a Facebook page to hype the late pope's May 1 beatification, featuring video highlights of his 27 years as pontiff. The...

Philly Archdiocese Suspends 21 Priests on Sex Charges

Move follows grand jury findings last month

(Newser) - The Catholic Church in Philadelphia has put 21 priests accused of molesting minors on administrative leave, reports the Inquirer . The archdiocese removed them from ministry after a damning grand jury report last month alleged that abuse remained rampant among local priests—and that the diocese seemed more concerned about covering...

Sorry Kids, No 'Booty' in New Bible

US bishops replace chuckle-inducing word with 'spoils'

(Newser) - No longer will young Catholics snicker in Sunday school every time the word "booty" comes up in a Bible verse: In the newest translation of the New American Bible, Catholic bishops have ordered the word "booty" replaced with the word "spoils." It's just one of many...

Pope's Coffin Will Be Exhumed for Beatification

Faithful will be able to pray before it at John Paul's May ceremony

(Newser) - The coffin of John Paul II will be exhumed for his beatification ceremony in May, reports Reuters . It will remain closed, but the faithful will be able to pray before it at the Vatican. About a million people are expected at the ceremony—which will bring John Paul one step...

Sinning Catholic? There's an App for That

...but you still have to go to a priest if you want absolution

(Newser) - Have something you need to confess? There’s an app for that. "Confession: A Roman Catholic App" has actually been sanctioned by the Catholic Church in the US, Reuters reports. The app will walk you through the process as well as offer you a “personalized examination of conscience,...

Catholic Church Issues Guide to Chatting Up Witches

They figure Harry Potter will wind up creating more of them

(Newser) - The Catholic Church, alert as ever to the dangers facing the modern believer, has issued a helpful new pamphlet entitled, “Wicca and Witchcraft: Understanding the Dangers.” This enlightening publication—which must be selling like hotcakes, because it’s sold out on Amazon UK, tells you everything you need...

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