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Pope calls for universal ban on surrogacy after comparing it to human trafficking
In a speech to his diplomatic core on Monday, Pope Francis compared surrogacy to human trafficking and called for a universal ban on the practice. “I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child.”
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Pope Francis denounces the weapons industry as he makes a Christmas appeal for peace in the world
Pope Francis delivered his annual Christmas Day speech from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica to the throngs of people in the piazza below.
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Pope Francis formally approves allowing priests to bless same-sex couples
A radical change in the Catholic Church as Pope Francis now says priests can bless same sex couples. The blessings can not be part of any Catholic celebration or mass and they cannot take place during a civil union ceremony. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News on Dec. 18, 2023.
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Catholic priests can now bless same-sex couples, Vatican announces
The Vatican said Monday that Pope Francis had approved Catholic priests to bestow blessings to people in same-sex relationships.
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Church roof collapses in Mexico, killing at least nine and injuring about 50, officials say
Authorities in Mexico say the roof of a church has collapsed in northern Mexico during a Mass, killing at least nine people and injuring about 50.
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Thousands of faith leaders could be deported due to green card processing change
Because of a procedural change in how the U.S. government processes some green cards, faith communities across the country may lose thousands of leaders and workers.
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Louisiana grand jury charges 91-year-old disgraced priest with sexual assault of teenage boy in 1975
A Louisiana grand jury has charged a now-91-year-old disgraced priest with sexually assaulting a teenage boy in 1975.
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Archdiocese of Philadelphia settles child sex abuse case for $3.5 million
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who claims he was sexually assaulted by a priest when he was 14 years old.
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For clergy abuse survivors, Sinead O'Connor's controversial Pope protest was brave and prophetic
In 1992, Sinéad O’Connor destroyed a photo of Pope John Paul II on U.S. national television. While the pushback was swift, for survivors of clergy sex abuse O’Connor’s protest was prophetic, forecasting the global denomination’s public reckoning that was still to come.
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The Vatican's new doctrine czar defends book on kissing he wrote as a young priest
Conservative sectors in the church are criticizing the appointment of Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández to lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith over his 1995 book “Heal Me with Your Mouth: The Art of Kissing.”
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Ex-Roman Catholic cardinal, now 92, is not competent to stand trial in sex abuse case, expert says
Former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is not competent to stand trial on charges accusing him of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Massachusetts decades ago, an expert for the prosecution says, raising doubts about the future of the criminal case against the 92-year-old. Prosecutors this week disclosed the findings of their expert to the judge, who will ultimately rule…
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Pope Francis to be released from hospital ‘in the coming days' after abdominal surgery, the Vatican says
Pope Francis is expected to be released from the hospital “in the coming days,” as he recovers well and without complications from abdominal surgery last week, the Vatican said Wednesday.
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Michigan Priest Pleads Guilty to Molesting 5-Year-Old Boy After Family Funeral
Vincent DeLorenzo, 84, will likely get a year in jail when he is sentenced in June and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
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Filipinos Nailed to Crosses Despite Church Objection
Eight Filipinos have been nailed to crosses to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a gory Good Friday tradition that is rejected by the Catholic church. The tradition draws huge crowds of devotees and tourists to the Philippines, an Asian bastion of Christianity. The real-life crucifixions in the rice-growing village of San Pedro Cutud resumed Friday after a three-year pause due...
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Report Details ‘Staggering' Church Sex Abuse in Maryland
More than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused more than 600 children over the past 80 years.
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Ash Wednesday: What to Know About the Christian Tradition Marking the Start of Lent
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and its observance lasts for 40 days, excluding Sundays. Here’s what to know about the Christian tradition.
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Catholic Community Mourns Shooting Death of LA Bishop
The Catholic community is mourning the shooting death of an LA bishop that was admired and loved by the people he served. Bailey Miller reports for the NBC4 News on Feb. 19, 2023.
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Cardinal Pell, Whose Convictions Were Overturned, Dies at 81
Cardinal George Pell, a onetime financial adviser to Pope Francis who had sex abuse convictions overturned, has died. Pell died Tuesday after undergoing hip surgery at a Rome hospital. He was 81. He had been in Rome to attend the funeral last week of Pope Benedict XVI. Pell, an Australian, was once the third-highest ranked Catholic in the Vatican. Pope...
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Pope Francis Has Resignation Letter Prepared In Case Health Deteriorates
Pope Francis has revealed that shortly after being elected pontiff in 2013 he wrote a resignation letter in case medical problems impede him from carrying out his duties.
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New York Bishop Accused of Covering up Sexual Abuse Asks to Be Removed From Priesthood
The retired bishop of Albany, New York, is asking Pope Francis to be removed from the priesthood. Emeritus Bishop Howard Hubbard announced the decision Friday in a statement.