Raymond Burke
Pope Francis sidelines — but probably can’t silence — conservative Cardinal Raymond Burke (ANALYSIS)
By Josephine McKenna — November 10, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The stunning demotion may remake Burke into St. Raymond the Martyr, the patron saint of Catholic conservatives.
Cardinal: Pope Francis wants no ‘self pitying church’
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — November 7, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) Cardinal Walter Kasper, known as "the pope's theologian," says critics shouldn't fear Pope Francis' focus on mercy.
Pope Francis suggests no-cost annulments in divorce cases
By Josephine McKenna — November 5, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) “The mother church has so much generosity it could provide justice free of charge," Pope Francis said.
Cardinal says church under Pope Francis is a ‘rudderless ship’
By Josephine McKenna — October 31, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Catholics around the world are "feeling a bit seasick because they feel the church’s ship has lost its way," American Cardinal Raymond Burke said.
Catholic bishops narrowly reject a wider welcome to gays, divorced Catholics
By Josephine McKenna — October 18, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Saturday's vote was an abrupt about-face from Monday's mid-term report from the Synod, which spoke of "welcoming homosexual persons" and acknowledging the gifts they have to offer the wider church.
Conservatives insist Vatican isn’t changing teaching on gays or divorced Catholics
By Josephine McKenna — October 14, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) In what looked like strenuous damage control, the Vatican’s chief spokesman told a packed media conference Tuesday that this was a “working document, not a final document.”
Vatican debate on gays provokes strong reaction from all corners
By Josephine McKenna — October 10, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Should families welcome their gay son and his partner home at Christmas? Lay Catholics say yes, and one leading cardinal calls it "evil."
Catholic bishops debate: Where does doctrine end and pastoral practice begin?
By David Gibson — October 9, 2014
(RNS) “We have to repeat the doctrine, but the pastoral practice is what we are talking about. That’s why we are having a synod," says Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl.
Pope Francis wanted open debate. With clashing cardinals, he’s got it
By David Gibson — October 2, 2014
(RNS) Throughout the history of the church, apostles and bishops and theologians have often clashed, publicly and sometimes fiercely, to reach a conclusion on the very essentials of the faith.
US Cardinal Raymond Burke mounts defense on Catholic teaching on divorce
By David Gibson — September 30, 2014
(RNS) Public disagreements over whether the Roman Catholic Church can change its teachings on Communion for remarried Catholics are growing sharper on the eve of a major Vatican summit.
Do new ordinations signal rising popularity of Latin Mass?
By Lilly Fowler — August 6, 2014
(RNS) Decades after the Catholic Church moved away from celebrating Mass in Latin, a throwback movement is growing, in many cases with young people leading the charge.
U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke: Pope Francis opposes abortion and gay marriage
By David Gibson — February 21, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The former archbishop of St. Louis blasted those “whose hearts are hardened against the truth” for trying to twist Francis' words to their own ends.
ANALYSIS: Pope Francis’ Vatican reforms may prompt curial pushback
By David Gibson — December 16, 2013
(RNS) In private conversations, Pope Francis often acknowledges that reforming the Vatican will be a difficult task opposed by powerful interests in the church. Developments on Monday (Dec. 16) showed the challenges from within.
ANALYSIS: Meet the 4 most influential US Catholic bishops
By David Gibson — November 14, 2013
(RNS) Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, making him the public face of the American hierarchy. But in quieter ways, four other churchmen may wield more influence where it counts: with Pope Francis.
ANALYSIS: The ‘tough guy’ option: Picking a pope to serve as sheriff
By David Gibson — March 11, 2013
VATICAN CITY (RNS) One reason why conservatives are seeking a hard-liner pope is that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger turned out to be more of a papal pussycat as Pope Benedict XVI than the watchdog of orthodoxy that he had been for decades under John Paul II.
