Priests

Catholic Priest Admits To Being Secretly Married

The Huffington Post | Laura Hibbard | Posted 05.02.2012

Father Kevin Lee, a Catholic Priest who presided over Padre Pio parish in Sydney, Australia, admitted to being secretly married for a year, and says m...

How To Properly Spank A Nun

Mark Morford | Posted 04.28.2012

Mark Morford

Until recently, I had not the slightest clue as to what American nuns did all day. Delivering meals to the poor. Knitting giant crucifix cozies. No idea. Until now. Until I discovered that a great many American nuns have been actively and frequently pissing off the Vatican.

Walking The (Catholic) Plank

Sarah O'Leary | Posted 04.27.2012

Sarah O'Leary

Why doesn't my Catholic Church get its own house in order first? Get the plank/log/boulder/semi truck/elephant out of its own eye before it tries to remove a speck from another's eye?

Real Catholics Don't Get Married Outside: Why The Church Should Reconsider

Cara McDonough | Posted 03.21.2012

Cara McDonough

"You can't get married outside." The priest paused, then repeated, "You just can't." My sister-in-law, however, wants to do just that. Plenty of people do. Why can't a Catholic ceremony take place outside?

The Shame Of Celibacy

C. Brian Smith | Posted 03.11.2012

C. Brian Smith

I was saddened to learn of the resignation this week of Bishop Gabino Zavala. This is not another sexual abuse case involving a priest. It turns out, like billions of people, he is a parent.

The Priest And The Prostitute: Storytelling As A Holiday Gift To God

Rabbi Will Berkovitz | Posted 02.23.2012

Rabbi Will Berkovitz

The priest walked past the prostitutes every day. He had no choice. But he confessed he never spoke with the women, studiously avoided eye contact and did his best to never acknowledge their existence.

Gingrich Makes Shocking Comparison

The Huffington Post | Paige Lavender | Posted 12.15.2011

Newt Gingrich believes people can choose to be straight, just like they can "choose to be celibate." During an interview with the Des Moines Regist...

The Catholic Sex Abuse Report: Too Little, Too Late?

Rev. Debra Haffner | Posted 07.20.2011

Rev. Debra Haffner

I found myself alternatively fascinated and infuriated as I read the new 152 page report by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, "Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests."

Sexual License of the 1960s Does Not Excuse Pedophile Priests

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach | Posted 07.19.2011

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

A new report argues the high incidence of sexual abuse by priests in the 1960s reflected the growing aberrance of American society during that period, including "an increase in premarital sexual behavior and divorce." Are they serious?

Fingerprinting Grandma, Checking The Old Priest's Background

Sister Mary Ann Walsh | Posted 07.18.2011

Sister Mary Ann Walsh

After an intensive investigation, John Jay researchers concluded: "The Catholic Church has taken serious steps toward understanding and reducing the problem of sexual abuse of minors by priests." The response must continue.

New Priests Offer Hope

Sister Mary Ann Walsh | Posted 07.06.2011

Sister Mary Ann Walsh

A list of those being ordained priests this spring elicits hope and joy. Almost 500 men, from age 25 to 63, constitute the class of 2011 and embody what we need in the priesthood.

Think You'll Need Last Rites? Better Plan Ahead

Posted 06.05.2011

By Michael O'Malley Religion News Service CLEVELAND -- In days long gone, Roman Catholic priests regularly made deathbed house calls, even in the mid...

Are Families To Blame For Declining Number Of Nuns?

Posted 05.25.2011

By Daniel Burke Religion News Service If she had listened to her parents, Sister Jenn Graus might never have professed vows last month to join the Co...

Marriage And Jewish Law: The Kohein's Conundrum

Shira Hirschman Weiss | Posted 05.25.2011

Shira Hirschman Weiss

The Torah says that a Kohein's mate be of "pure lineage" -- however questionable, outdated and unjust that term may seem.

'The Rite': Hollywood's Obsession With Exorcism Continues

Posted 05.25.2011

By Daniel Burke Religion News Service For nearly 40 years, Hollywood has been obsessed with the possessed. Since the 1973 blockbuster "The Exorcist"...

Say What? Lesbian Priests Marrying Each Other!

Irene Monroe | Posted 05.25.2011

Irene Monroe

All couples like to bring the New Year in on a loving note. And what better way for two lesbian priests of the Episcopal Church to demonstrate thei...

Catholics -- Shun the Pope Who Has Abused You

Johann Hari | Posted 05.25.2011

Johann Hari

I know that for many British Catholics, their faith makes them think of something warm and good and kind -- a beloved grandmother, or the gentler sayings of Jesus. That is not what Ratzinger stands for.

Gay Priests Not Wanted, Catholic Church Tests For Gays To Keep Them Out

New York Times | PAUL VITELLO | Posted 05.25.2011

...Since the abuse crisis erupted in 2002, curtailing the entry of gay men into the priesthood has become one the church's highest priorities. And tha...

Publishers Weekly Pick Of The Week: 'Vestments'

Publishers Weekly | Posted 05.25.2011

In this potent debut about a wayward yet devout young priest who struggles to reconcile his faith with longings of the flesh, Reimringer has crafted a...

This Isn't About Wallis vs. Beck -- It's About Biblical Social Justice

Jim Wallis | Posted 05.25.2011

Jim Wallis

While I have agreed that the cause of social justice has sometimes been politicized for ideological purposes by both Left and Right, I continue to defend the term itself as biblical.

On Catholic Child Abuse, Please Leave the Jews Out of It

Alan Elsner | Posted 05.25.2011

Alan Elsner

Like many non-Catholics, I have been observing the unfolding international scandal over sexual abuse of children by priests with a kind of shocked fascination.

The Catholic Church: A Church In Denial

Mark Shaw | Posted 05.25.2011

Mark Shaw

Pope Benedict has the opportunity to start a cleansing process in his Church. Will he be courageous and act with authority, or simply attempt to sweep this latest scandal under the rug?

The Catholic Church: Why Have Anything to Do With These People?

Richard Greener | Posted 05.25.2011

Richard Greener

Sadly, sexual abuse of boys by Catholic priests is not few and far between. Instead, it's seemingly often and everywhere.

Lovers Of Priests Take On Pope Over Celibacy

GlobalPost | Alessandro Speciale | Posted 05.25.2011

They are used to secrecy, to hiding their feelings, to waiting in the shadows for their men. But now a group of women who have had intimate relationsh...

The F Word: Pedophilia is Fine, but Hold the Abortion

Laura Flanders | Posted 05.25.2011

Laura Flanders

In another story from Arizona, but one that's attracting less attention than that state's check your documents anti-immigration law, a nun in Phoenix ...