Catholicism
Faith-based health organizations defend at-risk AIDS initiative from Republicans
By Yonat Shimron — October 3, 2023
(RNS) — Many faith-based organizations opposed to abortion are fighting for PEPFAR, an AIDS program that some Republicans now claim provides abortion services.
As synod on Catholic Church’s future begins, abuse survivors demand equal time
By Claire Giangravé — October 3, 2023
(RNS) — Victims advocacy groups are asking participants at this month’s Synod on Synodality to enact real change.
Pope suggests blessings for same-sex unions possible in response to 5 conservative cardinals
By Nicole Winfield — October 3, 2023
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Francis’ letter marks a reversal from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's 2021 noting saying the church couldn’t bless gay unions because “God cannot bless sin.”
Pope Francis has appointed 21 new cardinals – an expert on medieval Christianity explains what it means for the future of the Catholic Church
By Joanne M. Pierce — October 2, 2023
(The Conversation) — The College of Cardinals is an important part of the church’s governance structure. Its members elect the next pope and help develop future policies for the church.
Vatican, other faith leaders join in push for end of death penalty in Louisiana
By Adelle M. Banks — September 29, 2023
(RNS) — ‘We think that the clearing of Louisiana’s death row would be a monumental step towards the abolition of the death penalty,’ Vatican agency head said.
Critics of Pope Francis won’t rain on synod’s parade, says papal envoy to US
By Claire Giangravé — September 29, 2023
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — While conservative opposition to Francis and the synod often gets the limelight, it represents a small fraction of American clergy, said Archbishop Christophe Pierre.
The real threat of AI isn’t what you think
By Charles C. Camosy — September 29, 2023
(RNS) — AI has the capacity to undermine our understanding of the human person.
French schools’ ban on abayas and headscarves is supposedly about secularism − but it sends a powerful message about who ‘belongs’ in French culture
By Carol Ferrara — September 29, 2023
(The Conversation) — Catholicism, ‘Frenchness’ and secularism are often conflated in French culture, a scholar writes, while non-Christian traditions are viewed with suspicion.
New crop of cardinals shows Francis’ push for dialogue, whatever the cost
By Claire Giangravé — September 28, 2023
(RNS) — From the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to relations with China and Russia, Pope Francis has made dialogue a key theme of his pontificate, a principle reflected in his latest crop of new cardinals.
The Vatican’s ‘Synod on Synodality’ is about to begin. Here’s what to know.
By Claire Giangravé — September 27, 2023
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The unprecedented gathering of 464 Catholic clergy and laypeople, including women, begins Oct. 4 at the Vatican.
The secret synod
By Phyllis Zagano — September 27, 2023
(RNS) — Too many U.S. Catholics don’t know about the global discussion of the church’s future.
Less-redacted report on Maryland church abuse still redacts names of church leaders
By Brian Witte and Lea Skene — September 27, 2023
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Maryland Attorney General’s Office said in a statement last month that the five officials whose names remain redacted “had extensive participation in the Archdiocese’s handling of abuser clergy and reports of child abuse.”
Sex abuse allegations against a deceased cardinal add to the German church’s troubles
By Geir Moulson — September 26, 2023
(AP) — In 2018, a church-commissioned report concluded that at least 3,677 people were abused by clergy in Germany between 1946 and 2014. More than half of the victims were 13 or younger, and nearly a third served as altar boys.
Pope Francis has stacked the next conclave — but will it matter?
By Claire Giangravé and Jack Jenkins — September 25, 2023
(RNS) — In Pope Francis' new global church, the Vatican pastime of predicting the next pope gets increasingly trickier.
Pope decries indifference toward migrants, as he prays for the dead in the French port of Marseille
By Sylvie Corbet and Nicole Winfield — September 22, 2023
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis' two-day visit to Marseille is aimed at sending a message well beyond the Catholic faithful to Europe, North Africa and beyond.
