Catholic Church

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Follow Pope on Twitter, Get Time Off Purgatory Stay

Vatican offers 'indulgences' for social media use during Catholic World Youth Day

(Newser) - If you're a Catholic due to spend some time in purgatory before heading on up to heaven, we have good news for you: You can shorten the length of time you have to spend there just by following Pope Francis on Twitter , the Guardian reports. A papal court has...

So, What Was Pope John Paul II's 2nd Miracle?

Floribeth Mora says he healed her brain aneurysm

(Newser) - As promised, more details have been released on the second miracle that got Pope John Paul II cleared for sainthood . Floribeth Mora, a 50-year-old Costa Rican woman, told her story publicly for the first time today, tears in her eyes. She developed a brain aneurysm in 2011 and had no...

John Paul II Will Be a Saint
 John Paul II Will Be a Saint 

John Paul II Will Be a Saint

All that's left is the ceremony

(Newser) - Pope John Paul II has cleared the final obstacle before being made a saint, awaiting just the final approval from Pope Francis and a date for the ceremony that could come as soon as Dec. 8, a Vatican official and news reports said today. The ANSA news agency reported that...

Milwaukee Archdiocese Releases Priest Sexual Abuse Records

Records secured by victims fighting archdiocese in bankruptcy court

(Newser) - The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has released 6,000 pages of documents detailing the church's response (and lack thereof) to sexual abuse by its priests over several decades—including the personnel files of 42 priests known to have sexually abused minors, and the depositions of church leaders. Amongst the depositions...

Huckabee on DOMA Case: &#39;Jesus Wept&#39;
Huckabee on DOMA Case: 'Jesus Wept'
OPINION

Huckabee on DOMA Case: 'Jesus Wept'

And other reactions from the right to today's Supreme Court ruling

(Newser) - Liberals who were just yesterday decrying the Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act decision are today singing from the rafters over the defeat of the Defense of Marriage Act . Conservatives, meanwhile, are wailing and gnashing their teeth—and here's some of the most notable and/or over-the-top examples:
  • Mike Huckabee,
...

John Paul Gets His 2nd Miracle
 John Paul Gets His 2nd Miracle 

John Paul Gets His 2nd Miracle

Ill woman reportedly recovers, moving him closer to sainthood

(Newser) - Pope John Paul II continues to zip along toward sainthood. A Vatican official tells the Telegraph that a second miracle has been attributed to the late pontiff, reportedly of a gravely ill Costa Rican woman who prayed to his memory and recovered. Cardinals and Pope Francis are expected to sign...

The Fascinating Fr. Greeley Dead at 85

 The Fascinating 
 Fr. Greeley 
 Dead at 85 
obituary

The Fascinating Fr. Greeley Dead at 85

Outspoken Catholic priest also penned steamy novels, fought for abuse victims

(Newser) - Andrew Greeley was nothing if not a multi-hyphenate: The New York Times describes him as a "priest, scholar, preacher, social critic, storyteller, and scold," then tacks on the word "maverick" for good measure. But Greeley, who died yesterday in his Chicago home at age 85, prized one...

Vatican: Oops, Atheists Still Hell-Bound

Looking a little toasty for Protestants, too

(Newser) - Pope Francis' admission that atheists are capable of doing good has been followed by a Vatican statement clarifying that the church still believes atheists are going to hell. In a corrective statement that suggests people misunderstood the pontiff's remarks, a Vatican spokesman stresses that the church believes all salvation...

Catholic Church Keeps a Secret 2nd Set of Records

But sex-abuse inquiry is exposing those files

(Newser) - For centuries, the Catholic Church has had two sets of books—one for routine matters, the other containing records of controversial matters ranging from clandestine weddings performed by priests to clergy alcohol abuse. That second set of records, the first mention of which appeared in the 1700s, has been kept...

Venezuela: Churches Running Out of Wine

Consecrated bread makers hike prices

(Newser) - The Catholic Church in Venezuela could use the services of somebody who can turn water into wine: Its only supplier has stopped selling wine to the church and priests are in danger of running out of supplies with which to celebrate Mass, the BBC reports. The country's only wine...

The Good News: Pope Francis Is Cool With Atheists

The godless may not care, but Mary Elizabeth Williams applauds His Holiness' tolerance

(Newser) - Pope Francis had a refreshing message when asked about atheists yesterday on Vatican radio, assuring his flock that yes, the godless could be good people, too. "'But father, he is not Catholic! He cannot do good,'" Francis imagined a follower protesting. "Yes, he can. He...

Vatican Sends Disgraced UK Cardinal Away for 'Penance'

Keith O'Brien was felled in sex scandal

(Newser) - The Vatican yesterday ordered a disgraced Scottish cardinal to leave Scotland for several months to pray and atone for sexual misconduct , issuing a rare public sanction against a "prince of the church" and the first such punishment meted out by Pope Francis. The Vatican said Keith O'Brien , once...

A Look at Pope Francis' 1st Round of Saints

They include hundreds who refused to convert to Islam

(Newser) - Pope Francis has made hundreds of new saints at his first canonization ceremony in St. Peter's Square. Here is a look at the people receiving the Church's highest honor:
  • Antonio Pezzulla and 812 fellow martyrs: In 1480, some 20,000 Turkish troops overran Italy's citadel of Otranto,
...

Pope to Nuns: Don't Be 'Old Maids'

Francis warns against dangers of careerism at Superiors General meeting

(Newser) - Pope Francis has told nuns from around the world that they must be spiritual mothers and not "old maids." Francis also warned the sisters against using their vocations for personal ambition, saying priests and sisters who do so "do more harm to the church." Francis has...

Rhode Island Bishop: Don't Even Attend Gay Weddings

Thomas Tobin isn't taking Rhode Island's new law well

(Newser) - Providence bishop Thomas Tobin caused a bit of a stir yesterday with a post on the diocese's website responding to Rhode Island's new marriage equality law . Tobin wrote that Catholics should "examine their consciences very carefully before deciding whether or not to endorse same-sex relationships or attend...

Frugal Pope: No 'New Pope' Bonus for Vatican Workers

They typically receive extra during papal succession

(Newser) - The global economic crisis is hitting Vatican employees in their cassock pockets. The Vatican said yesterday that Pope Francis, known for his frugal ways, decided Vatican employees won't be getting the bonus that traditionally comes with the election of a new pope. In the past, the Vatican's 4,...

Pope Again Champions Women

New speech again speaks of their role as witnesses to resurrection

(Newser) - Just days after (figuratively) stepping on some toes by (literally) washing some women's feet , Pope Francis has done the sisterhood another solid: In his weekly address at St. Peter's Square, he once again recognized women as the first witnesses of Christ's resurrection and emphasized their "special...

Cardinal Dolan: Church Needs Better Gay Outreach

Defense of marriage shouldn't be 'reduced to attack on gay people'

(Newser) - As Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter today, Cardinal Timothy Dolan was singing his praises on ABC's This Week, calling the new pope "a real shot in the arm for us as Catholics"—and calling for a more inclusive approach toward gay Catholics. "The first thing...

Francis Celebrates 1st Easter
 Francis Celebrates 1st Easter 

Francis Celebrates 1st Easter

250K pack St. Peter's Square to hear pontiff's call for peace

(Newser) - Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St. Peter's Square, packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists, and Romans and bedecked by spring flowers. Wearing cream-colored vestments, Francis strode onto the esplanade in front of St. Peter's Basilica and took his place at an altar set...

Pope Broke Rules, Washed Women's Feet

Francis first pope ever to do so

(Newser) - The new pope has already done something none of his predecessors ever did: Yesterday, as he washed the feet of youths in a detention center, he included two young women—thereby violating liturgical rules, the AP reports. One of the women, the Telegraph notes, was a Muslim. "The pope'...

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