Catholicism
A Wisconsin ruling on Catholic Charities raises the bar for religious tax exemptions
By Todd Richmond — March 14, 2024
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — U.S. religious institutions enjoy tax exemptions, most notably from property taxes. Debate has raged for decades over whether the exemptions are fair.
Vatican puts the brakes on Synod on Synodality, pushes ‘controversial’ topics to 2025
By Claire Giangravé — March 14, 2024
(RNS) — Women deacons, priestly formation and other contentious questions won’t be a part of the next synod in October.
Unexpected defeat of referendums shows growing power of Ireland’s traditional Catholics
By Daniel O'Connor — March 13, 2024
DUBLIN (RNS) — At a Mass said in Latin on Sunday (March 10), Ireland’s traditional Catholics declared political victory, days after a pair of referendums aimed at secularizing the Irish Constitution were unexpectedly and resoundingly defeated.
Texas judge temporarily blocks attempt to shut down Annunciation House
By Aleja Hertzler-McCain — March 12, 2024
(RNS) — Ken Paxton attempted to ‘run roughshod over Annunciation House, without regard to due process or fair play,’ Francisco Dominguez, a state court judge, wrote in Monday’s ruling.
Mexico’s presidential candidates sign commitment for peace with church leaders concerned by violence
By MarÍa Teresa HernÁndez — March 12, 2024
MEXICO CITY (AP) — According to the church leaders, Mexico suffers from a “deep crisis of violence and social decomposition.”
Attacking Pope Francis, anonymous cardinal seeks to curb the influence of his papacy
By Thomas Reese — March 12, 2024
(RNS) — Demos II is a fraud who mourns a church of the past and his own loss of power in it.
Baltimore to pay $275k in legal fees after trying to block far-right Catholic group’s 2021 rally
By Peter Smith — March 11, 2024
(AP) — Church Militant has been known for publishing stories against LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Catholic Church and strongly criticizing its advocates, among other controversial topics.
Pope Francis tells Ukraine that there is ‘no shame in negotiating’
By Claire Giangravé — March 11, 2024
(RNS) — The pope’s words were met with outrage by Ukrainian political and religious leaders, while the Vatican scrambled to clarify the comments.
How Catholic is our president? The view from the SOTU.
By Charles C. Camosy — March 11, 2024
(RNS) — President Joe Biden had the opportunity to show the complexity of Catholic thought.
‘In the name of the Mother, Daughter and Holy Spirit’: Catholic women advocate change
By Claire Giangravé — March 7, 2024
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Women meeting in Rome this week to promote female leadership in the Catholic Church are challenging the hierarchy’s resistance to change and its theological emphasis on ‘natural’ gender divisions.
Scorsese’s gods of the streets: From ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ to ‘Silence,’ faith is rarely far off in his films
By Anthony Smith — March 7, 2024
(The Conversation) — Though only a few of Scorsese’s films focus on religious stories, deeper questions about faith, doubt and living in a violent world tend to haunt his movies.
Pope appears unable to climb a few steps as respiratory and mobility problems take their toll
By Associated Press — March 7, 2024
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Last Wednesday, Francis went to the hospital for unspecified diagnostic tests, the results of which have not been released.
Nine years after Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, Muslims launch a counterpart
By Fredrick Nzwili — March 5, 2024
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — The document was drafted by scholars and members of leading Islamic organizations assembled by the United Nations Environmental Program’s Faith for Earth Coalition.
Catholic news site Church Militant agrees to pay $500k in defamation case and is expected to close
By Peter Smith — March 5, 2024
(AP) — Church Militant and its sleek newscasts drew a loyal following for years with a mix of fiercely right-wing politics and radically conservative Catholicism in which many of America’s bishops were viewed with suspicion and disgust.
Pope Francis needs to reform papal election process — carefully
By Thomas Reese — March 5, 2024
(RNS) — The process for choosing a pope is not divinely inspired. It is a human creation that has changed over time and can change again..
