Vatican

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Kmiec As Vatican Ambassador Is No Insult

(Newser) - Douglas Kmiec’s possible appointment by Barack Obama as ambassador to the Vatican shouldn’t raise any hackles and—pro-lifers' views to the contrary—would not be an insult to the church, Henry Farrell writes on Crooked Timber. “Kmiec continues to state his opposition to abortion,” Farrell writes....

Cell Phones Bad for Soul, Warns Vatican

Technology may be bad for the soul

(Newser) - The Vatican has warned that cell phones and the internet threaten the soul, reports the Daily Telegraph. “In the age of the cell phone and internet it is more difficult than before to protect silence and nourish the interior dimension of life,” said a spokesman for the Pope....

Alleged Abuse Victims Can Sue the Vatican

(Newser) - Alleged victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests can move ahead with a lawsuit against the Vatican, the Wall Street Journal reports. A federal appeals court in Cincinnati ruled that the Vatican can be held liable for negligence in the thousands of such cases reported in the US. A Vatican...

John, You Are Forgiven—and You Could Sing

Vatican pardons Lennon for infamous Jesus comment

(Newser) - The Vatican forgave John Lennon today for saying the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, Reuters reports. Calling the 1966 remark "a boast,” the Vatican's newspaper said it was made "by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success." The paper also praised the...

Hathaway's Ex 'Deteriorates' in Prison

Con man Follieri can't handle 'filthy, smelly' conditions, bad food

(Newser) - Moving from his $37,500-a-month Trump Tower apartment into a windowless dorm room shared with 120 other inmates has not been good for Raffaello Follieri’s health, the New York Post reports. The convicted con man’s lawyer told a judge that Anne Hathaway’s ex has blood in his...

Catholics, Muslims Seek Common Ground at Vatican

Christian-Muslim talks emphasize common belief

(Newser) - Clerics of the world’s two largest faiths are meeting at the Vatican this week to improve relations between the long-divided communities. Muslim clerics invited Christians to dialogue after comments Pope Benedict made in 2006 that implied Islam was violent and irrational. The mostly male Vatican members and imams will...

Vatican Will Root Out Gay Priests With Sex Tests

New guidelines keep gays from priesthood

(Newser) - The Catholic Church plans to screen gay men out of the priesthood with psychological tests aimed to detect "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" in seminary candidates, the Scotsman reports. Under the new guidelines, issued yesterday by the Vatican, potential priests will also be screened for "grave immaturity" and “imbalances”...

'Hitler's Pope' Closer to Sainthood

Benedict XVI prepares to beatify controversial Pius XII

(Newser) - The most controversial pope of modern times may soon be a step closer to sainthood, reports Der Spiegel. Pius XII—known by many as "Hitler's Pope" because of his lack of action during the Holocaust or criticism of the Nazis—is about to be beatified, despite decades of dispute....

Organ Donors Breathe Life Into Death Debate

Bioethicists weigh ethical, organ-transplant concerns

(Newser) - The art of extracting human organs has revived a debate about when a person is actually dead, the Economist reports. Forty years ago, the Catholic Church agreed with scientists that brain dead meant dead. But now that doctors are skirting that rule, harvesting organs from horribly brain-damaged donors who are...

Vatican Gets Back in the Art Biz

Project aims to revive church's role as a sponsor of the arts

(Newser) - The Vatican was the world's biggest buyer of modern art in the days when modern art meant Michelangelo, but its influence on art has ebbed in recent centuries. The church now plans to put itself back in the forefront of the art world, Newsweek reports. A commission of critics and...

Hathaway's Ex Cops a Plea
 Hathaway's Ex Cops a Plea
Sep 10, 2008 1:22 PM CDT

Hathaway's Ex Cops a Plea

Admits laundered money used to fund his lavish lifestyle

(Newser) - Wearing prison attire, Raffaelo Follieri pleaded guilty today to 14 federal counts of fraud and money laundering, Reuters reports. "I knew what I was doing was wrong," actress Anne Hathaway's ex said as he admitted misrepresenting his ties to the Vatican and using investors' money to fund his...

Hathaway's Ex Considers Copping Plea

High-living Follieri weighs deal with feds on fraud charges

(Newser) - Italian entrepreneur Raffaello Follieri may plead guilty as soon as today to fraud and money-laundering, the Wall Street Journal reports. Anne Hathaway's ex could still opt for a trial. He faces federal charges that carry a sentence of up to 5 years, even with the plea deal, but the government's...

Vatican Blasts Attacks on Christians

Official: India killings underscore spread of 'Christianophobia'

(Newser) - The Vatican warned against the spread of "Christianophobia" today following attacks in India that left 13 Christians dead, Reuters reports. Thousands fled their homes this week as mobs rioted in retaliation for the murder of a Hindu leader. The Pope condemned the violence, and Italy's foreign ministry will demand...

Vatican Objects to Image of Frog on Crucifix

Calls it 'desecration,' but Italian museum won't take it down

(Newser) - Despite objections from the pope, a sculpture of a crucified frog will continue to hang in an Italian museum, board officials said today. The Vatican slammed the work, called Feet First, as a blasphemous attack on Christianity. But museum officials cited artistic freedom and said its German creator considered the...

Vatican Debates Paying Tribute to Galileo

Heretic remains a touchy subject in Catholic Church

(Newser) - Galileo Galilei is riling the Catholic church yet again, the Wall Street Journal reports, as an anonymous donor has offered to pay to erect a statue in the Vatican of Catholicism’s most famous heretic. But though the church has come around on science, Galileo remains a touchy subject. He’...

Knights Templar Heirs Sue Pope for $150B

Group wants money, apology—and its good name back

(Newser) - A group claiming to be descended from the ancient Knights Templar want Pope Benedict XVI to right a 700-year-old wrong, NPR reports. The group has filed a lawsuit in Spain seeking $150 billion in compensation for property seized by the church. It also wants the church to apologize and restore...

Boston Diocese Boots 'Women Priests'

Church excommunicates 4 women ordained in unsanctioned ritual

(Newser) - A group campaigning for women to be admitted to the Roman Catholic priesthood held a ceremony in a Protestant church in Boston yesterday in which three women were declared Catholic priests and a fourth a deacon. The Archdiocese of Boston immediately denounced the action and declared that the women had...

Aussies May Have Slipped Pope a Cat

Vatican denies presence of papal loaner for company

(Newser) - There’s a new papal mystery swirling around the Outback—is Pope Benedict hanging out with a borrowed kitten? Organizers of the Catholic youth festival say they gave Benedict a gray loaner named Bella to keep the cat-loving pontiff company during his Australian sojurn. But when pressed, a Vatican spokesman...

'Go Green,' Pope Urges Youth
 'Go Green,' Pope Urges Youth 
Jul 14, 2008 4:35 AM CDT

'Go Green,' Pope Urges Youth

Pontiff pleads for the earth as he kicks off visit to Australia

(Newser) - The Pope yesterday called on the world—particularly young people—to combat global warming with "a style of life that eases problems caused to the environment," reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Pope Benedict issued his plea just minutes before touching down in Australia for an official visit. The...

Weak Dollar Sends Vatican to $14.5M Loss

Catholic church blames declining greenback as it goes into the red

(Newser) - The weak dollar has wreaked havoc on business across Europe, but one organization has posted a surprising loss: the Vatican. The Catholic Church blamed the declining greenback for its first loss in 4 years as it ended the year $14.5 million in the red. The Guardian reports on how...

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