Catholicism

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Nuns Go on Bus Tour, Protest GOP Budget Plan

They say they're not trying to counter Vatican's recent criticisms

(Newser) - A group of Roman Catholic nuns began a nine-state bus tour protesting proposed federal budget cuts yesterday, saying they weren't trying to flout recent Vatican criticisms of socially active nuns but felt called to show how Republican policies are affecting low-income families. The tour was organized by Network, a...

Vatican Censures Yale Nun for Sex Book

Margaret Farley's book presents support for gays, masturbation

(Newser) - The Vatican has censured a nun and emeritus professor of Christian ethics at Yale University for her book on sexuality, calling it "unacceptable" and a "grave harm" to Christians. Leading theologian Sister Margaret Farley's book, Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics, aims to present a...

Heretic Nation: At Last Our Candidates Fit
 Heretic Nation: 
 At Last Our Candidates Fit 
Ross Douthat

Heretic Nation: At Last Our Candidates Fit

Ross Douthat: But is religious diversity a good thing?

(Newser) - In the 20th century, most US presidents and presidential candidates were Baptists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians—in other words, Protestants. But in the 2012 presidential race? With a Mormon, a traditionalist Catholic, and a nondenominational Christian with ties to liberation theology, "we finally have a presidential field whose diversity mirrors the...

How Santorum Became a Strict Catholic

The Republican candidate wasn't always so religious

(Newser) - Rick Santorum wasn't always a strict Catholic who spoke out against prenatal testing and wanted to "throw up" at the thought of separating Church and state. Neither was his wife, Karen, who dated an abortion doctor and moved in liberal circles in the 1980s. But when the pair...

Catholics Blast Nicki Minaj's Grammy Stunt

Catholic League: Academy would never allow similar insult to Judaism, Islam

(Newser) - Madonna might've been down on her creaky old knees at the Super Bowl , but hell hath no fury like the Catholic League today over Nicki Minaj's religious-themed, stunt-laden appearance at last night's Grammy Awards. The League today issued a press release titled, "Is Nicki Minaj Possessed?"...

The Church Has to Live With Birth Control
 The Church Has to 
 Live With Birth Control 
Gail Collins

The Church Has to Live With Birth Control

Gail Collins doesn't think new rules are impinging on religious freedom

(Newser) - The furor over President Obama's decision to force Catholic employers to provide health care that covers contraceptives brought a story to mind for Gail Collins. Her mother-in-law once told her that, when she'd confessed to a priest she was using birth control, he replied, "You're no...

8 Celebs Who Switched Religions ... for Love

Drew Barrymore, converting to Judaism, is the latest

(Newser) - Drew Barrymore is getting married , but first she's—reportedly—converting to Judaism, the religion fiance Will Kopelman practices. She follows the tradition of these seven other celebrity spouses (or not-quite-spouses) who did the same thing, notes The Frisky :
  • Isla Fisher: Converted to Judaism for Sacha Baron Cohen.
  • Jesus Luz:
...

Pope Greeted by Protesters Upon Arrival in Germany

Four-day visit is first state visit to his homeland

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI is back home for his first state visit to Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Christian Wulff, and Cabinet members met the pontiff upon his arrival at a Berlin airport today, the first of his four-day visit, as howitzers fired and fighter jets flew overhead. He is also...

Pope on Twitter: Benedict XVI Sends First Tweet, Using iPad
 Pope Sends  
 His First Tweet 

Pope Sends His First Tweet

Using an iPad, no less!

(Newser) - Catholicism has come into the 21st century: Pope Benedict tweeted for the first time today. "Dear Friends, I just launched News.va Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI," he posted, referring to a new Vatican news portal. Even more impressive, the...

One Episcopal Congregation Converting to Catholicism

St. Luke's Parish-Anglican will get new name, but keep married pastor

(Newser) - Parishioners of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Maryland arrived at services Sunday and got an unexpected sermon: Rev. Mark Lewis informed the congregation that he and other church leaders wanted the entire parish to convert to Catholicism. “We didn’t know for sure how people would react,”...

Stephen Colbert Goes on ‘Catholic Bender’

He tried to give it up for Lent, but the Church pulled him back in

(Newser) - Lent is a time for Catholics to "give up something they love for 40 days," so this year, Stephen Colbert gave up Catholicism. He thought he could make it til Easter, but on Good Friday he caught a whiff of his trigger: cathedral incense. "Long story short,...

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....

'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...

Protesters Smash &#39;Piss Christ&#39;
 Protesters Smash 'Piss Christ' 

Protesters Smash 'Piss Christ'

Catholic activists hit it with a hammer in Avignon museum

(Newser) - A pair of extreme Catholic protesters celebrated Palm Sunday this weekend by bursting into the Museum of Contemporary Art in Avignon, France, and smashing Andres Serrano’s (in)famous photograph “Immersion Piss Christ,” and some other works of art they objected to, with hammers. According to a French report...

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...

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,...

Pope Names 24 New Cardinals
 Pope Names 
 24 New Cardinals 

Pope Names 24 New Cardinals

... Who will elect his successor

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI named 24 new cardinals today, the third time during his tenure that he has added to the body of "princes of the church" who will eventually name his successor, reports the AP. The group is mostly Italian, spurring speculation that the papacy could swing back to...

D'Oh! Simpson Clan Not Catholic

Pope's wrong; they're 'Presby-Lutheran Protestants,' says producer

(Newser) - Turns out the pope is fallible after all. The official Vatican newspaper declared last week that Homer Simpson and his family are Catholic. But the creators of the cartoon characters have announced that church officials are downright wrong, reports the BBC . Homer and son Bart considered converting to Catholicism five...

Vampire Novelist Anne Rice Quits Christianity

'Interview With a Vampire' author turned off by church

(Newser) - Novelist Anne Rice has quit Christianity for the second time. The Interview With a Vampire author—who had renewed her Catholic faith in recent years and penned a spiritually-themed memoir—says that while her faith in Christ is still strong, she's been turned off Christianity by the church's attitudes on...

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