Roman Catholic leaders
A new Catholic legal doctrine
St. Louis Catholics react to native son Bishop Finn’s conviction
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (RNS) Bishop Robert Finn, a St. Louis native who was ordained in the St. Louis Archdiocese, is the first U.S. bishop convicted of failing to report criminal sexual activity by a priest. Local Catholics were polite but not subtle about the court ruling. By Jesse Bogan and Tim Towsend.
Was Cardinal Carlo Martini the last liberal Catholic bishop?
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The death of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, considered a leader by liberal Catholics, has been mourned by hundred of thousands of people last week. As their leading light passes away, advocates for reform in the church are left without a uniting figure. By Alessandro Speciale.
Catholic bishop says church’s credibility on sexual abuse is ‘shredded’
(RNS) The U.S. Catholic bishops' point man on sexual abuse said that the hierarchy's credibility on fixing the problem is "shredded." By David Gibson.
Paul Ryan, Joe Biden: A tale of two Catholics
(RNS) Vice president Joe Biden sits to the left of Catholic doctrine on abortion and other life issues. Fellow Catholic Paul Ryan, the newly minted GOP vice presidential candidate, sits to the right of his church on fiscal policy. If the 2012 presidential campaign proves anything, it's that there is no perfect Catholic politician. By Daniel Burke.
Do the American nuns have a future?
ST. LOUIS (RNS) Catholic sisters gathered at their annual assembly intensified discussions on Thursday (Aug. 9) aimed at thwarting a Vatican takeover of their group, but hanging over the meeting was an even larger, existential question: Do the nuns have a future? By David Gibson.
Nuns gather to plan response to Vatican crackdown
ST. LOUIS (RNS) As hundreds of nuns met here on Wednesday to begin crafting an answer to Vatican demands that their leaders toe the line on orthodoxy, there was a pervasive sense that this week's discussions could lead to a fateful juncture in the history of Catholicism in America.
Vatican Bank needs more transparency, regulators say
(RNS) The scandal-plagued Vatican Bank still has a long way to go in order to comply with international standards for independent oversight and financial transparency, according to a status report from European officials released Wednesday (July 18). By David Gibson.
Famed American Archbishop Fulton Sheen moves closer to sainthood
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Archbishop Fulton Sheen moved one step closer to sainthood as Pope Benedict XVI recognized his "heroic virtues" and declared him "venerable." By Alessandro Speciale.
Fox News reporter Greg Burke gets a new assignment: Vatican PR
ST. LOUIS (RNS) In his new job as the Vatican's senior communications adviser, Fox News reporter Greg Burke, 52, will be counseling Pope Benedict XVI and his closest staff on how to better project the Catholic Church's image to the rest of the world. By Tim Townsend.
Vatican offers special solution for conservative splinter group, SSPX
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican offered a breakaway traditionalist group a solution to re-enter the Catholic Church, as the final word on negotiations that lasted almost three years seems to be imminent. By Alessandro Speciale.
Vatican leaks scandal looms large at meeting to elevate new cardinals
VATICAN CITY (RNS) It isn't anywhere on the official agenda, but as Roman Catholic leaders meet in Rome this weekend, looming in the background will be a recent string of Vatican leaks that reveal a bitter power struggle among the hierarchy. By Alessandro Speciale.