Catholic Church

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Italian Priest Plans Nun Pageant
 Italian Priest Plans Nun Pageant
Aug 25, 2008 11:31 AM CDT

Italian Priest Plans Nun Pageant

Online contest pits sisters against each other for 'Miss Sister 2008'

(Newser) - An Italian priest and theologian is out to show the fun side of the sisterhood with “Miss Sister 2008,” an online beauty pageant for nuns. The Rev. Antonio Rungi hopes the contest, which he’ll begin on his blog next month, will fight the stereotype that nuns are...

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...

Dem Platform Reaches Out to Pro-Lifers
Dem Platform Reaches Out
to Pro-Lifers
ANALYSIS
Aug 13, 2008 12:53 PM CDT

Dem Platform Reaches Out to Pro-Lifers

Obama approves language that finds 'common ground'

(Newser) - The Obama campaign is reaching out to Catholics, evangelicals, and other anti-abortion swing voters by adjusting the language of the official Democratic platform on the controversial issue, Alec MacGillis writes in the Washington Post. The new party plank moves "closer to the middle ground where most Americans reside—not...

US Bishops Rewrite Catholic Mass

Language loftier, less prosaic

(Newser) - For the first time in almost five decades, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has changed the wording of the Catholic Mass for both priests and congregations. The Mass liturgy, often criticiized as being too conversational to be reverent, is being rewritten to sound loftier, reports National Public Radio. 

Abortion Swells Obama's Woes With Catholics

Winning back once-loyal bloc seen as a struggle for Dem

(Newser) - Democrats are making a major push for Catholic voters, a demographic that decisively chose George W. Bush over the Catholic John Kerry in 2004. To win back a once-reliable constituency, Democrats may offer a convention speaking slot to Bob Casey, the Pennsylvania senator who opposes abortion rights. Even so, the...

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...

Pope Apologizes for 'Evil' Clergy Sex Abuse

Pontiff tells Australia child abusers have damaged the church

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI used unusually strong language today in condemning the sexual abuse of children by Australia's Catholic clergy, reports the AP. The pontiff said the clergy's "grave betrayal of trust" had damaged the Catholic church. "I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have...

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...

MLS Player Retires to Heed Priestly Calling

Revolution defender Hilgenbrinck will join Maryland seminary

(Newser) - Chase Hilgenbrinck was a professional soccer player and a devout Catholic until yesterday, when he announced his retirement from the sport. The 26-year-old will head to a Maryland seminary to begin 6 years of training for the priesthood, AP reports. "I still have a great passion for the game,...

Pope Vows Abuse Apology in Australia

He vows to help sex abuse victims, who say cover-ups continue

(Newser) - Traveling to Sydney today, Pope Benedict promised to apologize for a sexual abuse scandal that has rocked Australia's Catholic Church, Reuters reports. He also vowed to ensure it never recurs, and to help Australian victims heal—but one victims' group still accuses the Church of covering up abuse by priests...

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...

Rumors From Vatican: Bush May Convert

Sit-down with pope sparks talk that prez could turn Catholic

(Newser) - President Bush visited Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican yesterday, sparking rumors that the president may convert to Catholicism, the Telegraph reports. They spoke in a garden where the pontiff prays daily, not in the library where Benedict greets most world leaders. “What an honor!” said Bush, who...

US Clergy Tell Aussie Critic to Go Home

Bishop vows to keep slamming Vatican for sex abuse, celibacy

(Newser) - On orders from the Vatican, a dozen top US bishops have asked their Australian colleague to cancel his American book tour, the Los Angeles Times reports. But Geoffrey Robinson, former auxiliary bishop of Sydney, vows to keep on promoting Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church, which blames clergy...

When in Venice, Can the Water Bottles

Legendary city pleads with tourists to use public fountains

(Newser) - Faced with a mountain of discarded plastic bottles, Venice is asking 19 million tourists to quit drinking mineral water and use the city's 122 public fountains. Beginning Thursday, visitors to the Piazzale Roma will be handed reusable plastic bottles and a map showing fountains that city officials claim are "...

'Obamacon' Denied Communion
'Obamacon' Denied Communion
OPINION
Jun 3, 2008 4:07 PM CDT

'Obamacon' Denied Communion

Snub raises questions about politically active Catholics' options

(Newser) - The question of whether pro-choice Catholic politicians should take Communion is a familiar one in election years, but in 2008 it has a new twist. A Repubilcan abortion opponent, onetime Reagan administration official, and private citizen who supports Barack Obama was denied Communion in April. EJ Dionne of the Washington ...

High-Tech Pope to World Youth: Bless U

Church looks to reach young Catholics with text messages

(Newser) - The Catholic Church is going digital. During July’s World Youth Day in Sydney, Pope Benedict will reach out to the 225,000 young Catholics in attendance by text message, "using new ways to connect with today's tech-savvy youth," a spokesman tells Reuters.

Benedict's US Trip Improved His Image

Majority of Americans feel better about both pope and the church

(Newser) - Both the pontiff and the Catholic Church got an image boost following the pope's recent US visit, reports Reuters. A post-trip poll found that 61% of Americans, both Catholics and non-Catholics, believe the pope's 6-day stint met or exceeded their expectations; 65% now have a more positive view of Pope...

Plagiarist Priests May Face Jail Time in Poland

Church tries to curb problem of online sermon swiping

(Newser) - If Polish priests don’t stop their plagiarizing ways, they could be slapped with a fine or even thrown in jail for 3 years, church authorities warn. Uninspired priests have been swiping their homilies off the Internet, and “unfortunately the practice has become more usual than not,” said...

No Rest for the ... Faithful? Italy's Padre Pio On Display

700K already signed up to view exhumed Italian saint

(Newser) - Beloved saint Padre Pio, exhumed in March after 40 years, is now on display in southern Italy, where 700,000 faithful have signed up to view his remains, BBC reports. The archbishop who ran the exhumation marveled at the body: “The knees, hands, mittens, and nails are clearly visible....

Pope Prays at Ground Zero
 Pope Prays at Ground Zero 
Apr 20, 2008 11:09 AM CDT

Pope Prays at Ground Zero

Benedict XVI blesses 9/11 victims and their families

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI got on his knees at Ground Zero today to bless the site where 2,600 people died and pray for the victims of the 9/11 attacks and their grieving families. "Turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred,"...

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