Religion

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

From the National Center for Lesbian Rights: “Properly understood, today’s decision is a significant victory for LGBTQ people,” said Shannon Minter, NCLR Legal Director. “The Court ruled in favor of Catholic Social Services, but on the narrowest possible ground, based on language in the City of Philadelphia’s contract that authorized individualized exemptions for any provider. “The Court did not change …

The New York Times reports: The election of the pastor, Ed Litton , was the result of what was effectively a three-way standoff for the leadership of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. In the first round of voting on Tuesday afternoon, Southern Baptists rejected a prominent mainstream candidate and onetime favorite for the presidency, Al Mohler Jr., who received 26 …

Catholic News Services reports: President Joe Biden’s attendance at early morning Mass with Pope Francis was nixed from an early plan for the first meeting of both leaders, a reliable Vatican source told CNA. President Biden is currently in Europe for several high level meetings, offering a potential opportunity to meet with Pope Francis. According to Vatican sources June 15, …

The Christian Post reports: Days before he was found dead in Alabama of an apparent suicide, Steve Austin, a former youth pastor, suicide survivor and mental health advocate, sought financial help from subscribers to his newsletter as his wife, Lindsey, battled a mental health crisis a week after he publicly came out as queer. Days later, the author, podcaster and …

The New York Times reports: The Vatican has warned conservative American bishops to hit the brakes on their push to deny communion to politicians supportive of abortion rights — including President Biden, a faithful churchgoer and the first Roman Catholic to occupy the Oval Office in 60 years. But despite the remarkably public stop sign from Rome, the American bishops …

The Christian Post reports: Pastor Lewis Clemons of Kingdom Awareness Ministries International in Columbus, Georgia, could have settled a civil case against him for zero dollars if he agreed to acknowledge and record a public apology for allegedly sexually abusing and raping his former congregant, Lequita Jackson. He refused and went to trial. On Wednesday, a jury in the Superior …

Via press release from the Justice Department: Federal prosecutors today filed charges against a now-retired nun who was the principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance and who has agreed to plead guilty to fraud and money laundering charges for stealing more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips. Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, …

Religion News Service reports: Adam Evers created the app he’d been longing for. As a gay Christian, he felt caught between two worlds. In LGBTQ spaces, his faith was often an obstacle, because so many in the community have been hurt by churches that believe same-sex relationships contradict Scripture. So on Thursday (June 3), Evers launched believr, an app that …