Catholic Church

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Priest Killed in Arizona Church Shooting

Another remains in critical condition as police search for suspects

(Newser) - A priest is dead and another is in critical condition after a shooting at a Catholic church last night, the Arizona Republic reports. Police responded to a burglary call, made by one of the victims, at Mother of Mercy Mission Catholic Church in downtown Phoenix and found the two victims...

Pope to Couples: Have Kids, Not Pets

Lonely old age looms otherwise, he says

(Newser) - Married couples who raise pets instead of little Catholics are destined for a bitter, lonely old age, according to Pope Francis. At mass yesterday, he said a "culture of wellbeing" had convinced people that "it's better not to have children"—because that way you can travel;...

Pope Peeved by Ex-No. 2's Posh Digs: Report

Retired cardinal isn't exactly retiring to a humble abode

(Newser) - Pope Francis is a frugal guy, but some of the Vatican's higher-ups are apparently having a hard time following his example. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the church's recently retired No. 2 and secretary of state under the less austere Pope Benedict, is renovating an apartment in which to spend...

Miracle Credited to Pope Paul VI

He's set for beatification in October

(Newser) - No Pope Left Behind? Francis is rapidly shuffling his predecessors toward sainthood, yesterday attributing a miracle to Pope Paul VI in a move that puts him on the path to canonization—just after last month's canonization of John Paul II and John XXIII . Paul, who was elected in 1963...

Vatican: We're a Model in Handling Sex Abuse

Envoy tells UN Church has defrocked hundreds of priests since '04

(Newser) - Sexual abuse of children is a "plague and a scourge" that the Catholic Church has been fighting effectively over the last 10 years, the Vatican's ambassador to Geneva told the United Nations Committee on Torture yesterday. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi told the committee that 848 priests who abused children...

2 Living Popes Canonize 2 Predecessors

John Paul II and John XXIII canonized in historic ceremony at Vatican

(Newser) - It's a four-pope day at the Vatican, as two living popes gathered for the first time to canonize two of their predecessors: Pope Francis presided today over what the AP notes is really a pretty brief ceremony that confirmed the sainthood of John Paul II and John XXIII. Appearing...

Pope Bends Divorce Rules for Woman: Reports

But Vatican says it's not a shift in church policy on taking communion

(Newser) - Word has it that the pope told a woman in Argentina it was OK to take communion, even though she was married to a man who'd been divorced. The reports have prompted questions about whether the Catholic Church is changing its teachings on the matter—but the Vatican says...

John Paul II&#39;s Impending Sainthood Is Wrong
John Paul II's Impending Sainthood Is Wrong
OPINION
Apr 23, 2014 11:43 AM CDT

John Paul II's Impending Sainthood Is Wrong

Maureen Dowd: He led the church during its pedophilia scandal

(Newser) - John Paul II accomplished great things as pope, but the Vatican is making a mistake in canonizing him as a saint this weekend, writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times . The reason is simple and obvious: He "presided over the Catholic Church during nearly three decades of a...

Pope: I Take 'Personal Responsibility' for Abuse

Victims' groups not appeased by his remarks on priests' scandal

(Newser) - Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the Catholic Church's various sexual abuse scandals today, reports the AP , which notes that it is the first time he, or any pope, has taken responsibility for them. "I feel compelled to take personal responsibility for all the evil that some priests"...

Obama Meets Pope, Gives Him Seeds

President tells Francis, 'I'm a great admirer'

(Newser) - President Obama called himself a "great admirer" of Pope Francis as he sat down at the Vatican today with the pontiff he considers a kindred spirit on issues of economic inequality. Their historic nearly hourlong first meeting comes as Obama's administration and the church remain deeply split on...

Germany&#39;s &#39;Bishop of Bling&#39; Steps Down
 'Bishop of Bling' Steps Down 
Mar 26, 2014 9:51 AM CDT

'Bishop of Bling' Steps Down

Pope Francis accepts Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst's resignation

(Newser) - A German bishop temporarily expelled last year by Pope Francis has now left his post for good. The pope has accepted the resignation of Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg, the Vatican says. Tebartz-van Elst had reportedly spent some $43 million on renovating church buildings, including his own residence, the...

Pope Names 4 Women to Sex Abuse Team

One of whom was a sex abuse victim

(Newser) - Pope Francis has created a commission to advise him on priest sex abuse, but it's unclear whether the group will wield any power against abusers and bishops who cover up for them, report the Daily Beast and the AP . The commission consists of four men, three of whom are...

Francis Marks 1 Year of Change ... Just Not Profound

Critics weigh in on pope's first year at the Vatican

(Newser) - It's been a year since the Catholic Church chose Jorge Bergoglio as its new pope , and while Pope Francis marks the anniversary with a low-key, week-long spiritual retreat with cardinals and bishops—he characteristically traveled there by bus—here's a look at how he's been doing over...

Uproar Greets Newark Archbishop's Luxe Home

John Myers tacking 3K square feet onto already huge retirement home

(Newser) - It seems like a pretty sweet way to retire: living in a 7,500-square-foot mansion with two swimming pools. But when the soon-to-be retiree is Archbishop John J. Myers, and the construction bill tied to the 3,000-square-foot addition on his existing weekend home will be footed by the Archdiocese...

Ex-Pope: 'Absurd' to Think I Was Forced Out

A year after resignation, pope responds to rumors

(Newser) - With rumors swirling regarding why the former Pope Benedict left his post almost exactly one year ago to become pope emeritus, the man himself has spoken out. Responding to a Vatican Insider journalist's letter with a brief letter of his own, Benedict calls "speculations" on the matter "...

Vatican Gets First Overhaul in 25 Years

Move brings lay experts into the world of the Vatican's finances

(Newser) - Pope Francis today announced the first major shake-up in 25 years to what the AP terms the Vatican's "outdated and inefficient bureaucracy," in a move designed to bring outside experts into the murky world of Vatican finances. Reuters reports that Francis used a Motu Proprio—a document...

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...

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