Roman Catholicism

September 20, 2018 - 12:20 pm

Anti-abuse activists pan US Catholic bishops' new proposals

NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers and advocates for victims of clergy sex-abuse are assailing as inadequate some new steps announced by U.S. Catholic bishops to curtail the abuse scandals that have deeply shaken the church this year. The initiatives, announced Wednesday, include developing a code of conduct...
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Cardinal Timothy Dolan addresses a news conference at the offices of the New York Archdiocese, in New York, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York said Thursday that it has hired former federal judge Barbara Jones, left, to review its procedures and protocols for handling allegations of sexual abuse. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
September 20, 2018 - 10:03 am

Cardinal hires judge to review church sex abuse policies

NEW YORK (AP) — Hoping to restore the faith of those disillusioned by how the Catholic church has handled sexual abuse allegations, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York appointed a former federal judge Thursday to review its procedures and protocols. Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced the...
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U2 rock band frontman Bono Vox talks to reporters during a press conference he held after meeting Pope Francis, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
September 19, 2018 - 1:11 pm

U2's Bono says pope's "aghast" about church sex abuse

VATICAN CITY (AP) — U2 frontman Bono has described Pope Francis as being "aghast" about sex abuse in the Catholic Church. The Irish singer met privately with Francis on Wednesday at the Vatican hotel where the pope lives, to discuss themes that Bono told reporters included "the wild beast that is...
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Pope Francis shows a crucifix during the Angelus noon prayer he delivers from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Tens of thousands of faithful have been treated to gifts from the pontiff, tiny crucifixes, distributed by nuns, refugees and some of Rome's homeless and poor after the pope’s traditional Sunday appearance to pilgrims and tourists in the square. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
September 18, 2018 - 8:37 am

Pope gives bishops more decision-making options

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis decreed on Tuesday that ordinary Catholics should be consulted about issues facing the Catholic Church and that bishops gathering for periodic meetings can make binding decisions on church teaching. Francis issued new rules reforming the Synod of Bishops, the...
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Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Palermo, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Pope Francis is paying tribute in Sicily to a priest who worked to keep youths away from the Mafia and was slain by mobsters. Francis has flown to the Mediterranean island on the 25th anniversary of the assassination in Palermo of the Rev. Giuseppe "Pino" Puglisi, who has been declared a martyr by the Vatican. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
September 16, 2018 - 4:26 am

Pope gives those in square a gift, jokes: 'don't pay for it'

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis had a surprise for the 35,000 people in St. Peter's Square — tiny crucifixes. Speaking to pilgrims, tourists and Romans on Sunday, Francis quipped that that because it's a gift, "if someone says you must pay for it, he's being shrewd" and there's nothing to pay...
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Pope Francis is driven through the crowd as a large banner reading " Let's renew the church " is visible in foreground, in Palermo, Italy, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Pope Francis is paying tribute in Sicily to a priest who worked to keep youths away from the Mafia and was slain by mobsters. Francis has flown to the Mediterranean island on the 25th anniversary of the assassination in Palermo of the Rev. Giuseppe "Pino" Puglisi, who has been declared a martyr by the Vatican. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
September 15, 2018 - 5:45 am

Pope says populism should serve people, not stir up quarrels

PALERMO, Sicily (AP) — Pope Francis is recommending a Christian kind of populism after being attacked by Italian politicians for defending migrants. Francis told a crowd of 100,000 at an outdoor Mass on Saturday that "the only possible populism" is a Christian one that "listens to and serves the...
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People wait for the arrival of Pope Francis, in Piazza Armerina, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Pope Francis is visiting Sicily to pay tribute to an Italian priest, father Pino Puglisi, who was slain by the Mafia for his efforts to distance young people from organized crime.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
September 15, 2018 - 12:53 am

Pope paying tribute in Sicily to priest slain by Mafia

PALERMO, Sicily (AP) — Pope Francis is paying tribute in Sicily to a priest who worked to keep youths away from the Mafia and was slain by mobsters. Francis says he flew to the Mediterranean island Saturday morning to mark the 25th anniversary of the assassination in a Palermo slum of a "martyr...
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September 14, 2018 - 7:57 pm

San Diego diocese adds 8 priests to list of predators

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego has added eight priests to its list of those believed to have molested children. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Bishop Robert McElroy's move responds to recent events including a Pennsylvania grand jury report that found children...
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Pope Francis kisses a baby as he arrives in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for his weekly general audience, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
September 12, 2018 - 3:18 pm

Francis calls clergy abuse summit as issue imperils papacy

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis summoned the presidents of the world's bishops' conferences Wednesday to a summit on preventing clergy sex abuse and protecting children, responding to the greatest crisis of his papacy with the realization that Vatican inaction on the growing global scandal now...
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September 12, 2018 - 10:36 am

Priest arrested in diocese of US cardinal leading pope visit

HOUSTON (AP) — As U.S. Catholic leaders head to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis about a growing church abuse crisis, the cardinal leading the delegation has been accused by two people of not doing enough to stop a priest who was arrested this week on sexual abuse charges. Two people tell The...
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