Latest Roman Catholicism News
Spiritual, not spooky. After Halloween, Christians observe All Saints' Day
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — It's the time of year — tradition says — when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is lifted. That traditional belief has morphed over the centuries into the spooky and secular celebration of Halloween. But on Friday,...
In Amharic, Karen and Spanish, worship is like home for migrants in heartland town
WORTHINGTON, Minn. (AP) — Come noon on Sundays, overlapping worship options reflect how much Worthington has changed from a typical Midwestern farming community to a majority-minority hub with migrants from around the world. An overflow crowd is still swaying to thumping praise...
Pope Francis' Catholic church reform process ends without giving more equity to women
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis' yearslong process to reform the Catholic Church closed Saturday with recommendations that fell short of giving women more equity as hoped, but reflected the pope’s aims for a church that at least listens more to its followers. In a significant...
Movie Review: It’s all politics at the Vatican in ‘Conclave’
In Edward Berger’s “Conclave,” the selection of the pope is no holy affair. Instead, it’s a petty, political campaign carried out in secrecy, where gossip flows, agendas are malleable and loyalties are fleeting. All are there to serve God, they say. But we all know how helpful that has been...
Peruvian theologian the Rev. Gustavo Gutiérrez, father of influential liberation theology, has died
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvian theologian the Rev. Gustavo Gutiérrez, the father of the social justice-centered liberation theology that the Vatican once criticized for its Marxist undercurrents, has died. He was 96. The Dominican Order in Peru announced on social media that the...
In annual religious pilgrimage, Panamanians crawl to reach the Black Christ of Portobelo
PORTOBELO, Panama (AP) — At dawn, pilgrims like Ernesto Troya undertook the hardest stretch of their journey to reach the statue of the Black Christ of Portobelo in Panama. Moved by faith, they crawled for several hours along the street toward the image of the saint. It is one of...
Hundreds mourn Catholic priest and Indigenous peace activist killed in southern Mexico
SAN ANDRES LARRAINZAR, Mexico (AP) — Hundreds gathered Monday to mourn Catholic priest Marcelo Pérez, an activist for Indigenous peoples and farm laborers who was killed in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas. It was a killing that many say was a tragedy foretold, in a state...
Catholic priest and Indigenous activist Pérez killed by 2 gunmen in southern Mexico
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Catholic priest Marcelo Pérez, an activist for Indigenous peoples and farm laborers in southern Mexico, was killed on Sunday. The prosecutors' office in the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, in the state of Chiapas, said the religious leader was shot...
Japan's beloved former Empress Michiko marks her 90th birthday as she recovers from a broken leg
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s beloved former Empress Michiko received greetings from her relatives and palace officials to celebrate her 90th birthday Sunday as she steadily recovers from a broken leg, officials said. Michiko is the first commoner to become empress in modern Japanese...
What to know about the Los Angeles Catholic Church's $880M settlement with sexual abuse victims
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to hundreds of victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades. The settlement with 1,353 people who allege that they were abused by local Catholic priests is the largest single child sex abuse...
