Tag Archives: Catholic Church

The Telegraph reports: Confession, they say, is good for the soul and, in some cases perhaps, the sooner the better. Now, for those with a burning need to unburden themselves, one Roman Catholic archdiocese has launched what is thought to be the world’s first interactive GPS-powered “confession finder”. Using similar technology to the dating hook-up app Tinder, it guides the …

NPR reports: Pope Francis has declared that abortion, which remains a “grave sin” in the eyes of the Catholic Church, can be forgiven by ordinary priests for the foreseeable future — instead of requiring the intervention of a bishop. The change was implemented on a temporary basis, for one year only, as part of the Catholic Church’s “Year of Mercy,” …

The BBC reports: The Vatican has condemned a right-wing Catholic radio station after a broadcast said the recent earthquakes in Italy were “God’s punishment” for gay civil unions. The remarks, made on the station Radio Maria, were “offensive and scandalous”, the Vatican said. A Dominican friar said the quakes, including one in August that killed nearly 300, were caused by …

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports: Between requests for prayers for the sick and a notice for an upcoming chastity luncheon, a newsletter from a Catholic church in Old Town that doubles as an election-day polling site included a flier that told parishioners they’ll go to hell if they vote for Democrats. Two Sundays later, the message had changed: Satan was …

NJ.com reports: A Roman Catholic priest from New Jersey has been arrested on child pornography charges. Kevin Gugliotta, 54, of Mahwah allegedly uploaded illicit images from a computer in his vacation home in Lehigh Township, Pa. on July 9, the Wayne County District Attorney said in a news release on Wednesday. Gugliotta worked at Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church in …

The Guardian reports: Catholics are forbidden from keeping the ashes of cremated loved ones at home, scattering them, dividing them between family members or turning them into mementoes, the Vatican has ruled. Ashes must be stored in a sacred place, such as a cemetery, according to instructions disclosed at a press conference in Rome on Tuesday. Acknowledging that an increasing …

ABC News reports: Donald Trump was booed Thursday night at the annual Alfred E. Smith Dinner after delivering a series of jabs at his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, including trying to riff on a controversial remark he made at the latest presidential debate about her being a “nasty woman.” Clinton also didn’t play nice, however her jokes appeared to be …

Rex Wockner recaps today’s report from El Universal: The National Front for the Family will go to Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies Tuesday to deliver more than half a million signatures opposing President Enrique Peña Nieto’s initiatives on marriage equality and on inclusion of what opponents call “the ideology of gender” in school teaching. The announcement came from the Archdiocese of …

Via press release from Christian Newswire: Over the last several years Australia has led a worldwide call for extended periods of Prayer & Fasting for America. Now Australian prayer leaders are asking for prayer support from the USA and other parts of the world as they face the homosexual juggernaut of the political elites to redefine marriage in Australia. The …

Buzzfeed reporter J. Lester Feder has done a fascinating deep dive into Mexico’s nascent anti-LGBT movement, which first gained international headlines last month with massive protest marches against the president’s campaign to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. A couple of key excerpts: The national media were stunned, and marriage equality supporters were incredulous. There had never been a serious national anti-LGBT …

The Associated Press reports: After having remained quiet while Italy debated civil unions for same-sex couples in May, on Sunday Pope Francis expressed support for the Mexican bishops in their efforts to support the “family and life” amid a burgeoning national debate over gay marriage. “I join willingly the Bishops of Mexico in supporting the efforts of the Church and …

Telesur reports: At least 80,000 people have attended the anti-gay rally called “rally to defend our families” in Mexico City on Saturday, Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said. The protest is organized by Catholics and the ultra-conservative National Front for the Family, who have been calling people to take to the streets to “defend their families and children” against same-sex marriages …

From the Christian site LifeSiteNews: Some of the phrases that I can’t stand writing as a pro-family reporter are “men having sex with men (MSM)” or “gay sexual relationship” or “gay sex.” And I’ll tell you why. It’s obvious on a purely biological level that two males or two females are utterly incompatible with one another when it comes to …

The Archdiocese of New York says the accusation is “credible.” The New York Daily News reports: A priest who once said homosexuals had to live a “celibate life” to be good Catholics has been accused of molesting a 15-year-old boy at a Bronx church about 30 years ago. But without a change to the statute of limitations on child sex …

After the ceremony, everybody celebrated by forcibly converting some Hindus in return for shitty medical care. The BBC reports: Mother Teresa, revered for her work with the poor in India, has been proclaimed a saint by Pope Francis in a ceremony at the Vatican. Francis said St Teresa had defended the unborn, sick and abandoned, and had shamed world leaders …

ITV News reports: Church leaders have held crisis talks over fears that trainee Catholic priests in Ireland are using the gay dating app Grindr. Ireland’s Catholic Church hierarchy admitted concerns about an “unhealthy atmosphere” at the country’s main seminary. As a result Church leaders have ordered a review of the “appropriate use of the internet and social media” at a …

Sacramento’s Fox affiliate reports: As a monsignor, Larry McGovern is supposed to be a person Catholics can respect and trust. However, with recent allegations of sexual harassment, it seems that trust has been broken. According to attorney Vince Finaldi, his client, a parishioner with the Church of the Presentation, claims McGovern sent him sexually explicit pictures. “It’s extremely disturbing that …

The Associated Press: A 95-year-old Catholic priest admitted to sexually abusing boys decades ago on Guam. He said he confessed his sins to other priests on the island at the time but none told him to specifically stop. Instead, the Rev. Louis Brouillard said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Saturday morning that the other priests told …

Irish Central reports: The Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has announced that he will not send trainee priests from his own diocese, the largest in Ireland, to the national seminary at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. When asked about his decision to send three seminary students from Dublin to the Irish Pontifical College in Rome instead of Maynooth later this …

And apparently gays should just get opposite-married anyway. Philly.com reports: Divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, as well as cohabitating unmarried couples, must “refrain from sexual intimacy” to receive Holy Communion in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has asserted in a new set of pastoral guidelines. Released Friday, the guidelines instruct clergy and other archdiocesan leaders on implementing …