Religion

“Doctrine is not the property of the pope, the bishops or the faithful. It must conform to the word of Jesus, no one can modify it. If Jesus says that marriage is between a man and a woman, no one can change this doctrine. The homosexual lobby wants to equate marriage with unions between people of the same sex, but …

The Associated Press reports: The Italian cardinal at the heart of the Vatican’s “trial of the century” announced Tuesday he was withdrawing from participating in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope for “the good of the church,” ending days of drama that had overshadowed the proceedings. Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s status has dominated discussions in the days after Pope …

Religion News Service reports: Prominent pastor and anti-poverty activist the Rev. William Barber and two others were arrested while praying in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday (April 28), an action he said would be part of a recurring series of demonstrations aimed at challenging the Republican-led budget bill. The arrests occurred roughly 15 minutes after Barber, the Rev. Jonathan …

Green Bay’s ABC affiliate reports: The Catholic school teacher Appleton Police arrested Wednesday has now been formally charged with 14 counts of various child sex crimes. Collin Killoren was charged Friday with 7 counts of Child Sexual Exploitation and 7 counts of Possession of Child Pornography. The court set his cash bond at $15,000 and he was ordered to surrender …

Reuters reports: Roman Catholic cardinals will meet in a secret conclave to elect the new leader of the global Church starting from May 7, a senior Vatican source said on Monday. The date was decided during a closed-door meeting of cardinals at the Vatican, the first since the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, the source said. The official announcement …

Boise’s ABC affiliate reports: Gregory Wayne Jones, a director of operations at a daycare, preschool, and after-school center in Mountain Home, was arrested on Friday, April 25 by deputies with the Elmore County Sheriff’s Department on charges of “human sex trafficking” and “sexual penetration with a foreign object.” His bail is currently set at $5 million. According to a police …

USA Today reports: With the passing of Pope Francis, who presided over the Roman Catholic Church and its estimated 1.4 billion followers for 12 years, attention now turns to the selection of his successor. The decision is made through a time-honored process known as the conclave, an election conducted in secrecy behind the locked doors of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. …

The New York Times reports: The funeral of Pope Francis will follow a series of centuries-old rituals. On Saturday, a public funeral Mass will be held in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the College of Cardinals. The funeral will be more modest than rites for past pontiffs: Pope Francis last …

The New York Times reports: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo agreed to a provisional settlement of $150 million with more than 800 victims of sexual abuse, a lawyer for dozens of the accusers said, bringing one of New York’s most embattled and scandal-plagued dioceses closer to resolving years of legal wrangling. Bishop Michael W. Fisher of Buffalo said in …

The Roys Report reports: A former Calvary Chapel pastor convicted of child molestation was charged in Washington state on Wednesday with first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with the death of an 82-year-old grandmother who was entombed under a shed. Jeffrey Zizz, 47, was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and first-degree felony murder, both while armed with a deadly weapon, …

CNN reports: A cardinal convicted of financial crimes by the Vatican is claiming he can take part in the forthcoming conclave despite being listed as a “non-elector.” Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, once one of the most powerful figures in the Vatican, was ordered by Pope Francis in 2020 to resign the “rights and privileges” of a cardinal after he became …

NBC News reports: A solemn procession of patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, canons and other priests chanted the names of the saints in Latin as they carried Pope Francis to St. Peter’s Basilica ahead of his funeral. He will now lie in state for three days, and the first of tens of thousands of mourners began filing in to pay their …

Little Rock’s CBS affiliate reports: The Pike County Sheriff’s Department announced on Monday that an Arkansas pastor has been sentenced to 110 years in prison. The man — James Vincent Henry who worked as a pastor in Delight, Arkansas — pleaded guilty to 11 child sexual abuse material charges. As result, Henry received 10 years per count for a total …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. local time in St. Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals. Cardinals met at the Vatican to schedule Pope Francis’ funeral and burial, planning the conclave to elect his successor and make other decisions about running the Catholic Church …

“As a mark of respect for the memory of His Holiness Pope Francis, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public …

The Times of Israel reports: Rabbi Meir Mazuz, a prominent ultra-Orthodox Sephardic religious leader known for his inflammatory homophobic comments, died in Bnei Brak on Saturday. He was 80 years old. Mazuz reportedly spent the past few days in a hospital, where his condition worsened until his death. After stating that he believed COVID-19 would not reach Israel because the …

“It is with great sadness that Jill and I learned of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. He was unlike any who came before him. Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time and I am better for having known him. For decades, he served the most vulnerable across Argentina and his …

The Associated Press reports: Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with the Vatican’s No. 2 official amid tensions over the U.S. crackdown on migrants, with the Holy See reaffirming good relations but noting “an exchange of opinions” over current international conflicts, migrants and prisoners. “There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, …

Columbus’s CBS affiliate reports: The sheriff’s office said 36-year-old Gary Thomas Keesee Jr. was arrested at his home and is charged with two counts of rape.  According to Mount Vernon Municipal Court records, the victim who made the initial report said the abuse happened when they were 5 and 6 years old and took place on over 50 occasions. During …

Michigan radio station WHMI reports: A former pastor has pleaded guilty to numerous felony charges for secretly recording people in a church bathroom. Former 2/42 Community Church Pastor 38-year-old Will Johnson pleaded guilty to all 15 charges against him that included tampering with evidence, child sexually abusive activity, using a commuter to commit a crime, possession of child sexually abusive …