Religion

CT Diocese Files For Bankruptcy Amid Abuse Lawsuits

New Haven’s ABC News affiliate reports: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday. It is facing close to 60 sex abuse lawsuits, so the diocese of Norwich is seeking protection from federal bankruptcy laws. The Bishop assures his flock this will have a minimal impact on church activities. Advocates say it is not fair to …

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Methodists Seize Assets Of Anti-Gay GA Megachurch

The Roys Report reports: The United Methodist Church has seized the assets of a large congregation in Georgia whose pastor maintained a conservative stance on homosexuality and objected to being reassigned within the denomination. Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, has about 8,000 members and is one of the largest congregations in the North Georgia …

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Survey: US “Nones” Outnumber All Religious Groups

The Christian Post reports: A new survey reveals that the share of Americans who identify as religiously unaffiliated has declined slightly. However, more Americans still describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated than affiliate with any particular religious tradition. The term “nones” describes Americans who do not identify with a particular religion and includes atheists and agnostics. As noted by data compiled …

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Pope Backs Free Universal Healthcare After Surgery

Reuters reports: Pope Francis greeted well-wishers on Sunday from the 10th floor balcony of his hospital room where he is recovering from major intestinal surgery. The pope, 84, stood for 10 minutes on the balcony of his special suite at Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, and thanked the crowd of at least 200 supporters for their prayers. Pope Francis said good …

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Jehovah’s Witnesses: No Door-Knocking This Year Either

Religion News Service reports: For Jehovah’s Witnesses, the pandemic has meant putting principles ahead of personal preferences. “Our preference is to meet together, to hug one another, to greet one another, to see each other’s smiles, but our principles won’t let us do that, not yet,” said Robert Hendriks [photo], U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. For the second year, the …

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Third Christian Summer Camp Sees COVID Outbreak

Wichita’s ABC News affiliate reports: With 13 COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks and 23 overall, an AGK Ministries summer camp has been declared a cluster by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The KDHE and the Butler County Health Department are investigating the church camp that took place from June 21 to June 25 at the Wheat …

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NJ Court Upholds $3.5M Fine For Ex-Gay Torture Group

From my March 2019 report: A nonprofit organization that was found guilty of consumer fraud in New Jersey and ordered to disband for promoting gay-to-straight conversion therapy is operating under a new name and continues to make money from the discredited treatment, according to a new lawsuit. The SPLC filed an injunction in state Superior Court in Hudson County Wednesday …

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125+ Contract COVID At Texas Christian Summer Camp

Houston’s ABC News affiliate reports: More than 125 adults and youth from a Galveston County church camp event have tested positive for COVID-19, the church said in a statement to its members. The Clear Creek Community Church youth ministry camp was held at a facility near Giddings, Texas, last month. “Unfortunately, upon return from camp, 125+ campers and adults reported …

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Vatican: Pope Francis Doing Well After Colon Surgery

The Associated Press reports: The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis is “in good condition, alert” and breathing on his own, a day after he underwent a three-hour operation that involved removing half his colon. Francis, 84, is expected to stay in Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic, a Catholic hospital, for about seven days “barring complications,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said. “His …

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Pope Hospitalized In Rome For Intestinal Surgery

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis went Sunday to a Rome hospital for scheduled surgery for a stenosis, or restriction, of the large intestine, the Vatican said. The brief announcement from the Holy See’s press office didn’t say exactly when the surgery would be performed but said there would be an announcement when the surgery is complete. Last week, Francis, …

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Vatican Court Indicts Italian Cardinal For Embezzlement

Reuters reports: A Vatican judge on Saturday ordered 10 people, including an Italian cardinal, to stand trial for alleged financial crimes including embezzlement, money laundering, fraud, extortion and abuse of office. Those indicted include Cardinal Angelo Becciu as well as the former heads of the Vatican’s financial intelligence unit and two Italian brokers involved in the Vatican’s purchase of a …

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Vatican: “Exhaust All Efforts” To Battle Anti-Vax Lies

The Hill reports: The Vatican on Friday called on stakeholders to “exhaust all efforts” to fight vaccine hesitancy and inequity. The Vatican’s bioethics academy, the Pontifical Academy for Life, has been working with the World Medical Association and the German Medical Association to address vaccine equity and hesitancy, the groups said in a joint statement. The statement calls on stakeholders …

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Trudeau: Pope Must Apologize For Graves Scandal

The Christian Post reports: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has asked Pope Francis to visit Canada and apologize after 751 more unmarked graves were found at the site of what was once that country’s residential school under the administration of the Roman Catholic Church to assimilate indigenous people. “I have spoken personally directly with His Holiness Pope Francis to press …

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Pope Pens Letter Praising Pro-LGBTQ Jesuit Priest

Religion News Service reports: Pope Francis sent a letter praising the work of a Jesuit priest who has been an outspoken advocate for more respectful treatment of LGBTQ people within the Catholic Church, in which the pontiff described Father James Martin’s work as imitating the “style of God.” The letter, written in Spanish and dated June 21, was in response …

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Bishops Back Down On Banning Communion For Biden

The Hill reports: Members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a document clarifying that they will not create “a national policy on withholding Communion from politicians,” seeking to tamp down on escalating debate within the church over banning communion for President Biden. The move came days after a committee voted to begin creating a teaching document on the …

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Vatican Attempts To Soothe Outrage Over Interference In Italy’s Bill That Would Add LGBTs To Hate Crimes Law

The Associated Press reports: The Vatican’s Secretary of State attempted to tamp down controversy Thursday over a Vatican diplomatic communication to Italy, saying the Holy See was not trying to block passage of a law that would extend additional protections from discrimination to the LGBT community. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s No. 2, told Vatican News that he personally approved …

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Vatican Opposes Italian Bill On LGBT Hate Crimes

The Washington Post reports: The Vatican has taken a highly unusual step against its neighbor, sending a diplomatic note to the Italian government that protests a draft law aimed at preventing hate and violence against LGBT people. The complaint marks a formal effort by the Vatican to influence Italian lawmaking and could provide a test for how forcefully the church …

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Dem Rep Suggests Catholic Church Should Lose Its Tax-Exempt Status If US Bishops Move To Deny Communion

The Christian Post reports: As U.S. Catholic bishops draft a controversial document on whether priests can deny communion to politicians who support abortion, one House Democrat has implied that the Catholic Church should lose its tax-exempt status if churches institute such a ban. “If they’re going to politically weaponize religion by ‘rebuking’ Democrats who support women’s reproductive choice, then a …

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Graham Pressures Christians To Get Vax In New Video

Posted today to Franklin Graham’s Facebook page: Because Samaritan’s Purse has been involved in responding to the coronavirus pandemic here in the U.S. and overseas, I receive a lot of questions about the vaccine. Whether or not to take the vaccine is a personal decision. I encourage people to do their research, to pray about it, and to make the …

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Southern Baptists Approve Sexual Abuse Task Force

The Christian Post reports: Two days after the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee rejected a motion to create a task force to oversee a third-party investigation of allegations SBC leaders mishandled a “crisis of sexual abuse” in the denomination, messengers overwhelmingly approved a motion to do just that on Wednesday. Attorney and abuse advocate Rachael Denhollander, who has spoken freely …

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