Latest Roman Catholicism News

Catholic priest resigns from Michigan church following protests over his criticism of a gay author

Apr. 19, 2024 14:47 PM EDT

BEAL CITY, Mich. (AP) — A Catholic priest has resigned as pastor of a church in a small central Michigan community, the result of weeks of controversy following his publicly expressed regret that a gay author had read a book to preschool children. Gay rights activists and others...

Catholic officials in Brooklyn agree to an independent oversight of clergy sex abuse allegations

Apr. 17, 2024 12:46 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — An independent monitor will oversee the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn's handling of sexual abuse allegations under a settlement between the diocese and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The agreement announced Tuesday will address “years of mismanaging...

Pope Francis sides with Peruvian villagers who accused Catholic group of trying to steal their land

Apr. 14, 2024 20:40 PM EDT

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Pope Francis on Saturday sided with a group of Peruvian villagers who have complained that companies linked to a powerful South American church group have tried to evict them from their land using lawsuits and obscure land titling schemes. In a video recorded...

Unfazed by danger and power, Guatemalan cardinal keeps up fight for migrants and the poor

Apr. 14, 2024 08:06 AM EDT

HUEHUETENANGO, Guatemala (AP) — As more than 100 men carrying an elaborate float of Jesus halted before him, Cardinal Álvaro Ramazzini lost no time in calling for social justice — the hallmark of the Catholic bishop’s decades-long frontline ministry. “Let’s hope that this...

Pope will travel to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore in longest trip of papacy

Apr. 12, 2024 07:18 AM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis will visit Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore in September, the Vatican announced Friday, confirming the longest trip of Francis’ papacy that is sure to test his health, stamina and mobility. The Vatican confirmed the Sept. 2-13...

Transgender Catholics say new Vatican document shows no understanding of their lives

Apr. 08, 2024 15:57 PM EDT

Transgender Catholics — as well as a priest who welcomes them to his parish — expressed disappointment Monday with a new Vatican document rejecting the fundamental concept of changing one’s biological sex. In essence, it was a restatement of longstanding Catholic teaching, but...

An Argentine judge recognizes gender abuse suffered for years by 20 nuns in a breakthrough ruling

Apr. 05, 2024 20:10 PM EDT

BUNEOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — An Argentine judge on Friday ruled that 20 cloistered nuns had suffered abuse for more than two decades at the hands of high-ranking clergy in the country's conservative north, and ordered the accused archbishop and church officials to undergo psychological...

Editorial Roundup: Kansas

Apr. 02, 2024 11:17 AM EDT

Topeka Capital-Journal. March 30, 2024. Editorial: Father Emil Kapaun showed the best Kansans can be with his dedication and sacrifice You don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate Father Emil Kapaun and his legacy. Kapaun was a Catholic priest and U.S....

Pope presides over Easter Vigil, delivers 10-minute homily after skipping Good Friday at last minute

Mar. 30, 2024 16:12 PM EDT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis presided over the Vatican's somber Easter Vigil service on Saturday night, delivering a 10-minute homily and baptizing eight people, a day after suddenly skipping the Good Friday procession at the Colosseum as a health precaution. Francis entered the...

Lawsuit in New Mexico alleges abuse by a Catholic priest decades ago

Mar. 21, 2024 16:55 PM EDT

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A man who says he was sexually abused as a boy by a priest in New Mexico in the 1960s sued the church and diocese this week, the latest case to surface in the state as the Roman Catholic Church wrestles with the global clergy sex abuse scandal. The suit...