Catholic Church

New Sex-Abuse Scandal Divides Irish Catholics

AP | SHAWN POGATCHNIK | Posted 01.23.2009 | World


DUBLIN, Ireland — Ireland's most prominent Roman Catholic leader, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, questioned Tuesday whether all of his fe...

Pope Likens Saving Gays To Saving The Rainforest

Reuters | Posted 01.22.2009 | World


VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict said on Monday that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behavior was just as important as saving the...

Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt

Cathleen Falsani | Posted 01.12.2009 | Chicago


Cathleen Falsani

The big-screen incarnation of Doubt may be even more powerful than the play, particularly given the eerie similarities it bears to a very real drama that has unfolded in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Separation of Church and Estate

Jeff Schweitzer | Posted 12.25.2008 | Politics


Jeff Schweitzer

Churches are political organizations that routinely violate IRS statutes, undermining any claim they might have had to property tax exemptions.

Church Threatens to Excommunicate Father Roy Bourgeois, Founder of the School of the Americas Watch

Rabbi Michael Lerner | Posted 12.20.2008 | Living


Rabbi Michael Lerner

What do we do if one of our religious communities is directly involved in racist, sexist, homophobic, or anti-Semitic doings?

Not So Fabuloso: Latinos and Proposition 8

Daniel Cubias | Posted 12.17.2008 | Politics


Daniel Cubias

Is it possible that the old boogeyman, the Catholic Church, is somewhat responsible for the invincible strain of homophobia in Latino culture? To the surprise of absolutely no one, the answer is yes.

Italians Are in Love -- with Obama

Jim Schumacher and Debbie Bookchin | Posted 12.15.2008 | Politics


Jim Schumacher and Debbie Bookchin

Our friends implore us for Obama buttons or any other campaign memorabilia we can find, and it seems as if every Italian stranger we've encountered has been unable to contain themselves with excitement.

Jesus Wouldn't Give $200K to Back Prop 8

Kip Williams | Posted 12.05.2008 | Politics


Kip Williams

I was shocked and offended to learn that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had thrown down $200K to back Prop 8, which would revoke the right of same-sex couples to get married.

Archbishop Warns 220,000 Omaha-Area Catholics: Voting Obama 'Evil'

The Ballot Box | Posted 12.02.2008 | Home


The Ballot Box

BY BRAD DAVIS The archbishop of the Omaha archdiocese released a letter Saturday implying his flock of 220,000 should not cast their votes for Barack...

Tough Times for the Catholic Right

Chris Korzen | Posted 11.22.2008 | Politics


Chris Korzen

The Catholic right's message loses its effectiveness when voters realize it uses the same logic that impelled Catholic voters to help re-elect Bush in 2004 -- who turned out to be a disaster for Catholic values.

A Cell Phone Call During Mass (Remembering the Anti-Catholic Smears of the 1928 Election)

David Quigg | Posted 11.19.2008 | Politics


David Quigg

"Great-great-grandma Frances will set you straight. By the time I'm done with you, you'll vote for who you want to vote for. You won't let anybody scare you out of it. That's the lesson of Al Smith."

Prop 8: Preying on California

Tom Gregory | Posted 11.17.2008 | Politics


Tom Gregory

The church poking its nose into politics has too long been too pervasive and too powerful in Bush's America.

Pope John Paul II Was Stabbed By Priest, Aide Reveals

AP | DANIELA PETROFF | Posted 11.15.2008 | Home


VATICAN CITY — The longtime private secretary of the late Pope John Paul II revealed in a film screened Thursday that the pope was lightly wound...

Vatican Installs Solar Panels On Roof

AP | Posted 10.30.2008 | Green


ROME — The first solar panels were installed Monday on top of the papal audience hall at Vatican City. Workers began putting photovoltaic cells...

Less Outrage -- More Repentance Please

Larry Gellman | Posted 10.27.2008 | Politics


Larry Gellman

It was appropriate that outrage be expressed during those hearings, but the criticism should have been directed from Paulson to the members of Congress.

Cardinal George Endorses McCain?

Chicago Sun-Times | Carol Marin | Posted 10.11.2008 | Chicago


The church does not endorse candidates for office," said Chicago's Cardinal Francis George in a letter read at all masses last Sunday. Yes, it does. ...

Omnipotent -- The Slowly Dwindling Power of Religion

Daniel Cubias | Posted 10.08.2008 | Politics


Daniel Cubias

At this point in history, is the net effect of religion in general (and Catholicism on Latino culture specifically) a positive? My belief is that it ultimately does more harm than good.

Sam Stein

Obama Infanticide Attack Being Readied By 527s, Pat Buchanan Says

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 09.18.2008 | Politics


A few weeks ago, the Huffington Post's Seth Colter Walls reported that Republican officials and outside groups were set to launch a smear campaign aga...

Alms for the Media Consultant? Catholic Dioceses Nationwide Fund Political Fight in WA State

David Goldstein | Posted 09.14.2008 | Politics


David Goldstein

The Catholic Church has started pouring in hundreds of thousands of dollars from dioceses across the nation to fight I-1000, Washington's Death with Dignity initiative.

Chicago Archdiocese Settles With Sex-Abuse Victims For Over $12 Million

The Chicago Tribune | Manya Brachear | Posted 09.12.2008 | Home


The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago will pay $12.7 million to settle lawsuits brought by clergy sex-abuse victims, including boys molested by Da...

Coldplay Takes On the Pope

Mark Joseph | Posted 08.12.2008 | Entertainment


Mark Joseph

It seems that a debate is already raging in cyberspace about his band Coldplay and its song "Viva La Vida." At first blush, it appears to be a direct, albeit melodic attack on the Catholic Church.

Seth Colter Walls

The Next Smear Against Obama: "Infanticide"

HuffingtonPost.com | Seth Colter Walls | Posted 08.12.2008 | Politics


Catholic voters should steel themselves to hear Barack Obama accused of "infanticide" this fall. Support for that heinous crime is the latest charge b...

40 Years Later, an "Infallible" Ban on Modern Birth Control

Robert Engelman | Posted 08.01.2008 | Living


Robert Engelman

The Church's policy paradoxically has made it harder for people of every faith to use safe and effective contraception, especially if they are young, unmarried, and poor.

Pope Benedict Apologizes For Clergy Sex Abuse In Australia

AP | KRISTEN GELINEAU | Posted 07.27.2008 | Home


SYDNEY, Australia — Pope Benedict XVI urged young people Sunday to reject what he said was the "spiritual desert" spreading throughout the world...

A Sermon for Our Times: Bishop Gene Robinson in the Face of Fear

Rev. Debra Haffner | Posted 07.23.2008 | Living


Rev. Debra Haffner

To appease those who oppose the ordination of gay clergy and leaders, the Archbishop fo Canterbury has excluded the openly gay Bishop Robinson of New Hampshire from attending.