At 93 years and 141 days old, Pope Benedict XVI became the longest-living pope in the Catholic Church’s history. His papacy was a tumultuous one, seeing a series of scandals brought to light involving the sexual predation of young boys by members of the clergy and a still on-going battle for transparency within the Vatican Bank.
Read MoreJimmy Lai is one of the most prominent Catholics in China, known for his pro-democracy involvement and financing of underground Catholic churches. He was acquitted on Thursday from the charge of intimidating a reporter of a rival newspaper. He will now face several more charges in Chinese courts.
Read MoreThe Catholic Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan opened the Republican National Convention with a prayer for Americans, the elections, and specifically the unborn and the police during civil unrest over police brutality and racism.
Read MoreThe Democratic National Convention kicked off the week with a Sunday interfaith service featuring many different religious leaders but no Catholics, though Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden identifies with Catholicism. On Thursday, Father James Martin, a Catholic priest known for his work to advance LGBTQ acceptance in the church, is expected to speak and include pro-life views. Sister Simone Campbell, a progressive nun and friend of Biden’s, is also expected to speak.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Biden is a baptized Catholic and has made his faith a cornerstone of his bid for the presidency, often referring to his faith as a guide in his decision making and a source of comfort in the tragedies he has faced in his life. But many Catholics point out that his policies oppose the Church’s teaching, specifically on abortion. Catholics weigh in on what it all means.
Read MoreOrlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, San Francisco Giants reliever Sam Coonrod, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and other American athletes have stepped into controversy by declining to kneel in protest with their teammates and the Black Lives Matter movement. Their decisions and critics reflect the ideological divisions of the U.S. over religion and race.
Read MoreRep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) asked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos why his company partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, known to label mainstream religious beliefs about homosexuality as hate, to determine what charities should be omitted from the online retailer’s list of organizations customers can automatically donate a portion of their spending to.
Read MoreThousands of Catholic organizations in the U.S. received over $1.4 billion in small business paycheck protection loans under a religious exemption that qualifies them. The church says the loans have protected more hundreds of thousands of jobs in the social services sector, in which the church is the largest non-government employer.
Read MoreThe former National Security Advisor’s inside look at the Trump administration claims a widespread indifference from the president to China’s suppression of religious freedom, even as other diplomats pressed for the U.S. to act.
Read MoreThis week, St. Louis residents started a petition to remove a statue of the former French King St. Louis IX, deeming him anti-Semitic and Islamophobic. In response, local Catholics have formed a group to defend the canonized saint from vandalism or removal, while others are asking Pope Francis to “decanonize” the saint.
Read MoreThe landmark Supreme Court ruling protecting gay and transgender people from employment discrimination has raised concern among religious organizations, who say that the religious exemptions are too weak.
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