National Association of Evangelicals Supports Immigration Reform, But Elsewhere Discord Reigns
Major religious leaders support immigration reform while a think tank argues that “loving thy neighbor” is relative. When we remember that real people’s lives are at stake, the moral landscape becomes clear.
Vatican Sexual Abuse and the High Priests of Hollywood?
As a defensive Vatican attempts to reclassify the pedophiles it has never ceased protecting, the centrist former editor of America magazine makes a flawed Polanski analogy.
Along Came a Spider: What the Pope Doesn’t See
In the official “Year for Priests,” dedicated by Pope Benedict, a priest in Florida has upped the ante on clerical malfeasance, allegedly fathering a child with a stripper, and threatening the woman with violence. What will it take for the Catholic Church to begin to take responsibility for priests gone wild?
The Best and the Brightest of the Catholic Bad Girls
We picketed bishops and Popes, stole their dresses, stood up at the consecration of the Eucharist and said the words out loud. We are the bad girls of Catholic feminism, and we have stood up, over and over again, for women’s freedom.
Capitalism and the Anti-Modern Pope
The Pope’s anti-modern critiques should not be waved off so easily, as many allegedly life-promoting institutions actually foster death. There is much in it that a progressive secularist could agree with—apart from feminism and sexual ethics.
What Do You Think?: “Padre Oprah” Scandal Has Many Asking Whether Priests Should Be Allowed to Marry
Father Alberto Cutie has admitted to falling in love with a woman and breaking his vow of celibacy. Is it time for the celibacy of the priesthood to end?
Common Ground on “Life”
A conservative and a progressive find common ground on organ donation. What do you think?
In a videotaped interview, Archbishop Raymond Burke calls Obama an “agent of death.” But his big mistake was to criticize his fellow bishops in public.
Catholic-Jewish Tension and the Rededication of Catholic Holocaust Memorial
At a time when the Pope isn’t doing much to help Jewish-Catholic relations, the Boston Diocese reaches out.
Your Prayer is Spoken! For Just $3.95 Per Month
A new subscription service pays homage to the days of indulgences. Only now it's cheaper. Praise capitalism.
Denying Communion to Prochoice Politicians
While some Bishops attempt to spread their views on the denial of communion beyond their fiefdoms, there's no theological demand for doing so.
Just Call Me Marie: When Women Become Priests
Marie Bouclin was excommunicated, or rather “self-excommunicated,” as the Catholic church puts it, for becoming a priest. But banishment from the church has not stopped her from living her vocation.
RDPulpit: Excommunicating the Victims
While the family of a 9-year-old incest victim’s abortion is excommunicated, the perpetrator never even made it to the ecclesial radar screen. Let this case signal the end of any credible claim to authority of bishops and the dawn of a new era when local communities determine their own members. I daresay the world will be a safer, kinder place.
The excommunication of those involved in procuring an abortion for a sexually abused 9-year-old in Brazil does not extend to the abuser. What exactly are the Church's priorities?
After abstaining from every possible diversion, what's left but sex?
Can a survivor of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy sue the Vatican for damages? The answer is complicated, but it’s looking better for survivors with every new court decision.
Hands in the Till: When Priests Steal
An awful lot of Catholic priests have been caught embezzling from their parishes lately. Is it a symptom of larger dysfunction in the Church?
Some conservative Anglicans have stated that if they are forced to work under women bishops, then they will seek refuge in the Catholic church.
In the Papal Pocket: Benedict XVI and the Press
When Pope Benedict XVI visits the United States for the first time this month, the media will tread lightly.
Religious Freedom in Post-Castro Cuba
“The preschool teacher used to say to the kids, ‘Close your eyes, and ask God to give you a piece of candy,’[...] When the children opened their eyes, and saw there was nothing there, the teacher said, ‘See? God doesn’t exist.’”
Needle Exchange Gets Religion
Between sin and science, religious supporters of needle exchange programs confront opposition.