Religion

Reuters reports: Pope Francis, in his first public comment after the release of an explosive report on the Vatican’s mishandling of the case of ex-U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, on Wednesday again vowed to put an end to sexual abuse in the Church. “Yesterday, the report about the painful case of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was published. I renew my closeness to …

The National Catholic Reporter reports: In an explosive report that calls into question the decision-making of three Catholic popes, the Vatican has revealed a series of institutional failures that led to the repeated promotion of now disgraced ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick despite rumors of his alleged sexual misconduct with young men as early as the 1990s. The Vatican places an abundance …

Religion News Service reports: In an exclusive interview with Religion News Service, President Trump said in a written statement that he no longer identifies as a Presbyterian and now sees himself as a non-denominational Christian. “Though I was confirmed at a Presbyterian church as a child, I now consider myself to be a non-denominational Christian,” Trump, who has repeatedly identified …

The New York Times reports: The Vatican had required that the interview be filmed with Vatican cameras and that the Vatican be given control over the footage. The Vatican cut out the pope’s remarks on same-sex unions in the edited version provided to Televisa, the two people said. Gone was this comment from the pope: “What we have to create …

Charlotte’s CBS News affiliate reports: A woman says her mother-in-law has died after attending a convocation at a Charlotte church now potentially linked to the county’s single-largest COVID-19 outbreak. The county is reporting 82 cases and three deaths along with a cluster of six cases at a senior living facility. This is all stemming from events held at United House …

Via press release from Courage International: First, and most importantly, Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, which is His Body, and the Spouse of the Church, which is His Bride. He has promised never to leave us abandoned (cf. John 14:18), to give us the Holy Spirit to teach and remind us what He has said (cf. John …

“The Holy Father’s apparent support for the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples needs to be clarified. “The Pope’s statement clearly contradicts what has been the long-standing teaching of the Church about same-sex unions. “The Church cannot support the acceptance of objectively immoral relationships. Individuals with same-sex attraction are beloved children of God and must have their personal human …

The Wrap reports: James Randi, a magician and illusionist known as “The Amazing Randi” as well as a scientific investigator who debunked paranormal and occult phenomena through his organization the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, has died. He was 92. Among one of Randi’s more famous instances of debunking — a word he frequently said he disliked in favor of “investigator” …

The Catholic News Agency reports: In a documentary that premiered Wednesday in Rome, Pope Francis called for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples, departing from the position of the Vatican’s doctrinal office and the pope’s predecessors on the issue. “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a …

The Jewish News reports: Ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election, some 75 percent of U.S. Jews would vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, while 22 percent would vote to re-elect U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a poll released on Monday by the American Jewish Committee. In 2016, 71 percent of American Jews voted for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary …

NBC New York reports: Health officials in New York delivered a ban days before a scheduled wedding after receiving reports that “upwards of 10,000 individuals” were scheduled to attend the ceremony in Brooklyn, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. At his briefing Saturday, the governor explained that state officials received word of a the wedding after the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office issued …

The Associated Press reports: The Vatican says someone who lives in the same Vatican hotel as Pope Francis has tested positive for coronavirus, adding to the 11 cases of COVID-19 among the Swiss Guards who protect him. The Vatican said Saturday that the resident of the Domus Sanctae Marthae has moved out temporarily and is in isolation, as are all …

ABC News reports: For the first time, a clergy sex abuse trial opened Wednesday in the Vatican’s criminal tribunal, with one priest accused of molesting an altar boy in the Vatican’s youth seminary and another priest accused of covering it up. The case concerns the closed world of the St. Pius X youth seminary, a palazzo inside the Vatican walls …

Gothamist reports: A prominent Hasidic rabbi who tested positive for COVID-19 last week continued leading large indoor prayer services in Borough Park this weekend — even after the New York City Sheriff’s Office issued the synagogue a fine for violating the governor’s hot spot restrictions. The Bobov-45 shul was one of five religious congregations in Borough Park that received a …

ABC News reports: Six in 10 registered voters say the U.S. Supreme Court should uphold Roe v. Wade as the basis of abortion law in the United States, and a majority in an ABC News/Washington Post poll — albeit now a narrow one — says the Senate should delay filling the court’s current vacancy. Sixty-two percent in the national survey …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: Reacting to the latest scandal in the local Catholic Church, an outraged New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond said Friday that he had burned the altar where a Pearl River priest was accused of taping himself engaged in group sex with two dominatrices. In a video message posted on the archdiocese’s website, Aymond called the Rev. …

Forbes reports: Orthodox Jewish groups in New York City filed a federal lawsuit Thursday in an attempt to block New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent restrictions on the number of people allowed in a house of worship amid a sharp spike in coronavirus infections – the suit comes after two nights of chaotic demonstrations against the crackdown. Cuomo announced heavy …

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports: The lights inside Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in Pearl River were on later than usual on Sept. 30, so a passerby stopped to take a closer look. Peering inside, the onlooker saw the small parish’s pastor half-naked having sex with two women on the altar, according to court documents. The women were …

NBC New York reports: Members of the ultra-Orthodox community in New York City gathered on the streets late Tuesday to protest the new restrictions imposed on neighborhoods with alarming numbers of new COVID-19 cases. Some protesters attempted to block the camera when NBC New York’s crew arrived at the scene in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, but video shows …

Gothamist reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday announced that he would seek to close non-essential businesses and all schools, both public and private, in nine ZIP codes in South Brooklyn and Central Queens where coronavirus cases have surged for weeks, as health officials scramble to avert a broader outbreak. “In Brooklyn and Queens we are having an extraordinary problem, …