Catholic Church

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Millions Flock to Honor 'God's Influencer' Ahead of Sainthood

Carlo Acutis to be canonized next month

(Newser) - Carlo Acutis will be canonized as the first millennial saint on April 27 in Assisi, Italy, and pilgrims are flocking to this hilltop town to honor him alongside St. Francis and St. Clare. Acutis, who died of leukemia at age 15 in 2006, was known for his devotion and modern...

She Said Her Virgin Mary Wept Blood. Not So Fast

DNA tests suggest blood was actually from Italy's Gisella Cardia, not some sort of supernatural event

(Newser) - About a decade ago, Gisella Cardia purchased a statue of the Virgin Mary at Bosnia and Herzegovina's Medjugorje, where thousands of religious pilgrims flock annually. The Sicilian native created her own pilgrimage site in the town of Trevignano Romano, on the outskirts of Rome, using the statue as the...

Vatican Sanctioned Opus Dei Cardinal

Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne says he handled sexual abuse accusations properly

(Newser) - The once-powerful archbishop of Lima, Peru, and the first-ever cardinal of Opus Dei acknowledged Saturday that the Vatican had imposed sanctions on him in 2019 following an allegation of sexual abuse, but he denied wrongdoing. Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, 81, wrote a response after Spain's El País...

Pope Dissolves Conservative Catholic Movement

Probe uncovered sexual, financial, spiritual abuses by Peru-based Sodalitium Christianae Vitae

(Newser) - Pope Francis has taken the remarkable step of dissolving a Peruvian-based Catholic movement, the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, after years of attempts at reform and a Vatican investigation. The probe uncovered sexual abuses by its founder, financial mismanagement by its leaders, and spiritual abuses by its top members, the AP reports....

Woman to Finally Head a Vatican Office—a Vital One

Sister Simona Brambilla named prefect of department responsible for religious orders

(Newser) - Pope Francis on Monday named the first woman to head a major Vatican office, appointing an Italian nun, Sister Simona Brambilla, to become prefect of the department responsible for all the Catholic Church's religious orders. The appointment marks a major step in Francis' aim to give women more leadership...

Pope Opens 'Holy Door' at Prison in Italy

Symbolic move is part of the Catholic Church's Jubilee celebration

(Newser) - Pope Francis made a symbolic gesture at one of Italy's largest prisons on Thursday that is a first for any pontiff, reports the Guardian . Francis visited Rebibbia prison outside Rome, where he opened what the church calls a "holy door." During the year, Francis will open five...

After Report, Michigan Bishop Apologizes for 'Terrible Things'

Report alleges historic sexual misconduct by nearly 50 priests

(Newser) - A search warrant obtained in 2018 has led to what NBC News calls a "landmark report" out of Michigan that details alleged historic sexual misconduct at the hands of dozens of priests. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the allegations made against Catholic priests and others in the Diocese...

The Saint-Makers: 'We Are a Very Peculiar Court'
He Will Be the First Saint
in Branded Clothes
longform
Dec 7, 2024 3:15 PM CST

He Will Be the First Saint in Branded Clothes

Guardian looks at the Vatican's process as the first millennial saint is about to join the ranks

(Newser) - On April 27, the pope will utter the Latin word "discernimus," meaning "we recognize it," in regard to the sainthood of Carlo Acutis . And thus, Acutis—who died in 2006 from leukemia at age 15—will become the first millennial saint. At the Guardian , Linda Kinstler...

Vatican Deems Texas Nuns 'Extinct' After Alleged Scandal

Sisters believe Fort Worth bishop is simply attempting a land grab of Arlington monastery

(Newser) - A group of nuns in Arlington, Texas, have been declared "extinct" by the Vatican, following a monthslong battle with the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth over a rumored affair between the head nun and a priest. Per Chron.com , Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson on Monday published a statement...

Church Reputation May Take Priority Over 'Survivor Support'

1st report from Vatican commission on clerical sexual abuse criticized for lack of data

(Newser) - A decade after it formed, a Vatican commission on clerical sexual abuse issued its first of what is to become an annual report on Tuesday and met immediate criticism, the New York Times reports. "I understand that it won't satisfy everybody and it won't satisfy survivors,"...

LA Archbishop: 'I Am Sorry for Every One of These Incidents'

Archdiocese of Los Angeles agrees to pay whopping $880M to victims of clergy sex abuse

(Newser) - The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades, in what an attorney said was the largest single settlement with a Catholic archdiocese over child sex abuse. After the Wednesday announcement of the agreement in principle, Archbishop Jose H....

Pope Names 21 Cardinals, Including a 99-Year-Old

Many come from 'the church's edges,' church historian says

(Newser) - Pope Francis named 21 new cardinals Sunday, significantly increasing the size of the College of Cardinals and further cementing his mark on the group of prelates who will one day elect his successor. They include a man who will be the oldest cardinal: Monsignor Angelo Acerbi, a 99-year-old retired Vatican...

Belgium's King, PM Had Strong Words for Pope

'When something goes wrong we cannot accept cover-ups,' PM says of sex abuse scandals

(Newser) - Belgium's prime minister blasted Pope Francis for the Catholic Church's horrific legacy of clerical sex abuse and cover-ups, demanding "concrete steps" to come clean with the past and put victims' interests ahead those of the institution in a blistering welcome at the start of Francis' visit on...

Pope Allows Pilgrimages to Site of Reported Apparitions

Vatican, however, is not authenticating purported sightings of the Virgin Mary in Bosnia

(Newser) - The Vatican on Thursday gave the green light for Catholics to continue flocking to a southern Bosnian village where children reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary, per the AP . In a detailed analysis after nearly 15 years of study, the Vatican's doctrine office didn't declare that the...

Archbishop Excommunicated for the 'Crime of Schism'

In rare move, Vatican boots Carlo Maria Vigano for not recognizing Pope Francis, among other things

(Newser) - Carlo Maria Vigano used to be the Vatican's envoy to the United States. Today, he's a former archbishop, excommunicated on Friday in a rare move by the Holy See for refusing to recognize Pope Francis, among other things, per the Washington Post . On June 20, Vigano announced he'...

Church Moves Teenager a Step From Sainthood
Millennial Teenager
Will Become a Saint
UPDATED
May 23, 2024 2:50 PM CDT

Millennial Teenager Will Become a Saint

Carlo Acutis 'used the internet in service of the Gospel'

(Newser) - Carlo Acutis is about to become the first millennial saint. The BBC reports Pope Francis on Thursday issued a decree recognizing a second miracle attributed to the teen, who died in 2006 at age 15 from leukemia. Acutis was beatified in 2020 after a first miracle was attributed to him:...

Swear You Saw Stigmata? Vatican Has New Guidelines

Church officials update norms to confirm Virgin Mary visions, other supernatural claims

(Newser) - The Catholic Church has a long and controversial history of the faithful claiming to have had visions of the Virgin Mary, of statues that purportedly wept blood tears, and of stigmata that erupted on hands mimicking the wounds of Christ. On Friday, the Vatican will announce new norms to help...

Despite 'Spiritual Halo,' Nuns Are Part of Something Darker

Victims who are sexually abused by women of the cloth aren't often discussed in church sex scandals

(Newser) - On Wednesdays, the support group meets over Zoom. Members talk about their lives, religious families, and old parochial schools. But mostly, they're there to talk about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Catholic nuns—and it's a topic that deserves more attention, they say. The...

Church 'Outraged' Over Funeral for Trans Activist
Church 'Outraged'
at 'Scandalous'
Funeral
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Feb 24, 2024 6:30 AM CST

Church 'Outraged' at 'Scandalous' Funeral

Trans activist Cecilia Gentili was memorialized at an iconic New York church, in iconic fashion

(Newser) - The funeral of a trans activist that was held at Manhattan's iconic St. Patrick's Cathedral went viral last week, and now the Archdiocese of New York is speaking out against it in no uncertain terms. Cecilia Gentili, who died at age 52, was a "pillar" of the...

He Kept Vatican's Secrets for 45 Years. Now He's Retiring

Retiring prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Archive reveals how US funds paid for 1922 peculiar conclave

(Newser) - The Vatican has been trying for years to debunk the idea that its vaunted secret archives are all that secret: It has opened up the files of controversial World War II-era Pope Pius XII to scholars and changed the official name to remove the word "Secret" from its title....

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