Critics slam Philadelphia ex-archbishop’s role in pope visit
A former archbishop who retired amid allegations he put church interests ahead of clergy sexual abuse victims returned to the city over the weekend to help Pope Francis celebrate Mass, drawing...
View ArticleWhy can’t weddings be held in a closed church?
It may be that the building in question has already been sold for a secular use. PLUS: Can a non-Catholic be a cantor?
View ArticlePope Francis calls sex abuse cover-up by some bishops ‘very ugly’
Pope Francis started his final day in the US by meeting sexual abuse victims and ended it by acknowledging that the problem is not just that Catholic priests have committed abuse, but that bishops have...
View ArticlePope Francis has a scary resting face
We've all seen Pope Francis' smiles and laughs. He's a pretty happy pope, as popes go. But even he has down times.
View ArticlePhiladelphia mayor says media scared people from seeing pope
News reports about extensive security in place for Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia may have deterred people from attending, the mayor said Monday, while calling the weekend a "tremendous success"...
View ArticleFrancis used his popularity to chart a new direction for the US Church
Pope Francis spent a whirlwind US visit bridging the realms of the disadvantaged and elite, trying to turn the attention of the mightiest nation on earth away from ideological battles and toward a...
View ArticleIs Pope Francis changing Church teachings before our eyes?
On two issues, Francis may have provided some answers during this visit, though the import of his comments received little attention.
View ArticlePope Francis departs with a ‘heart full of gratitude and hope’
After a nine-day trip that took him from the cradle of communism to the halls of democracy, Pope Francis returned to Rome Sunday night, leaving behind an infatuated country and a newly energized Church.
View ArticleIconic ‘POPE’ cover moves magazines in Philadelphia
Another image of Pope Francis graces another magazine cover, though this time in a more iconic fashion.
View ArticleKelly Gissendaner executed in Georgia
Pope Francis had urged clemency for the state's only woman on death row, but early Wednesday, she was executed, making her the first woman put to death by the state in seven decades.
View ArticleFinishing touches on a lifelong dream: Tiny church turns heads in Kansas bank
The couple from Kansas were devout Catholics who spoke often in their later years of building a miniature church — one with painstaking detail that reflected the faith they shared.
View ArticleJohn Boehner and Bob Brady: Catholic to the core
Two seemingly very different people were affected by the Holy Father in very similar ways.
View ArticleWill we be inspired to respond to Pope Francis’ call?
Or will we let this week just slip away and go right back to our frenzy of jobs, kids, commitments?
View ArticleKim Davis, clerk jailed over gay marriage says pope encouraged her
Lawyers for the clerk — who refused to comply with a court order to issue marriage licenses because of her opposition to same-sex marriage — say Pope Francis embraced her and thank her for her courage.
View ArticleWhat it means that Pope Francis met Kim Davis
The meeting gives US bishops backing for their fight for religious freedom – but it could also push the Synod on the Family toward seriously considering pastoral responses to gay and lesbian Catholics.
View ArticlePope Francis calls for development to fight refugee crisis
The pope asks the international community to help not just refugees, but also the countries they're fleeing.
View ArticlePope Francis’ words on sexual abuse vary by his audience
As Pope Francis zipped around the East Coast during his US visit last week, his words on confronting sexual abuse were all over the map as well.
View ArticleIn meeting Kim Davis, Pope Francis confounds and challenges
This meeting challenges a media narrative that Kim Davis is too fringe a figure and the pope too gracious a leader for the two to have much in common.
View ArticleWhy Medjugorje matters
The Marian shrine's symbolic dynamics have become a point of connection and communion for many Catholics worldwide.
View ArticleWhy can’t church be more like AA?
In what ways do the 12 Steps answer deep spiritual needs that the Catholic Church can learn from? In the wake of Pope Francis’ visit and his gentle urgings, we can begin to address our own sources of...
View Article
