Catholic Church
Scottish cardinal to atone for sex misconduct
VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican on Wednesday ordered a disgraced Scottish cardinal to leave Scotland for several months to pray and atone for sexual misconduct, issuing a rare public sanction against a "prince of the church" and the first such punishment meted out by Pope Francis.
Date: 05/16/2013 | Nation & World
Pope to visit Rio slum during July World Youth Day
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis will visit one of Rio de Janeiro's favelas, or slums, during his weeklong visit to Brazil for World Youth Day, his first foreign trip as pontiff.
Date: 05/07/2013 | Nation & World
Pope emeritus Benedict moves into retirement quarters
VATICAN CITY -- Benedict XVI, the first pope to resign in 600 years, returned Thursday to Rome, where Pope Francis was waiting for him at the retirement home where the pope emeritus has promised to spend the rest of his days in semi-seclusion.The Argentine pope greeted his...
Date: 05/02/2013 | Nation & World
Leftist priest: Pope Francis can fix a church 'in ruins'
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- A new pope from Latin America who wants to build "a church for the poor" is stirring hopes among advocates of liberation theology, a movement of social activism that alarmed former popes by delving into leftist politics.
Date: 04/28/2013 | Nation & World
Pope taps cardinals for advice on reforms
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis named eight cardinals from around the globe Saturday to advise him on running the Catholic Church and reforming the Vatican bureaucracy, marking his first month as pope with a major initiative to reflect the universal nature of the church in key governing...
Date: 04/14/2013 | Nation & World
Shroud of Turin on display amid new research
VATICAN CITY — The Shroud of Turin went on display for a special TV appearance Saturday amid new research disputing claims it's a medieval fake and purporting to date the linen some say was Jesus' burial cloth to around the time of his death.
Date: 03/30/2013 | Nation & World
Foot-washing pope irks Catholic conservatives
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has won over many hearts and minds with his simple style and focus on serving the world's poorest, but he has devastated traditionalist Catholics who adored his predecessor, Benedict XVI, for restoring much of the traditional pomp to the papacy.
Date: 03/29/2013 | Nation & World
In break with tradition, pope washes women's feet
ROME — In his most significant break with tradition yet, Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of two young women at a juvenile detention center — a surprising departure from church rules that restrict the Holy Thursday ritual to men.
Date: 03/28/2013 | Nation & World
Pope reluctant to enjoy perks of office
VATICAN CITY -- He still goes by "Bergoglio" when speaking to friends, seems reluctant to call himself pope and has decided to live in the Vatican hotel rather than the grand papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace. It might seem as if Pope Francis is in a bit of denial over...
Date: 03/28/2013 | Nation & World
Two popes pray side-by-side (video)
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — The two men in white embraced and showed one another the deference owed a pope in ways that surely turned Vatican protocol upside down: A reigning pope telling a retired one, "We are brothers," and insisting that they pray side-by-side during a date to...
Date: 03/23/2013 | Nation & World
Vatican's communications site, Twitter feed hacked
VATICAN CITY -- One of the Vatican's main Twitter accounts and the website of its communications office have apparently been hacked.The website of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications on Thursday was running a fabricated lead story with the headline "Holy...
Date: 03/21/2013 | Off the Wire
New pope wants 'church for the poor'
The focus of Pope Francis' papacy began to emerge Saturday as he offered some intimate insights into the conclave that elected him pontiff, describing how he was immediately inspired to name himself after St. Francis of Assisi because he wants to see a church that is "for the poor."
Date: 03/17/2013 | Nation & World
Argentine elected pope
First from the Americas takes the name Francis (gallery)
Date: 03/13/2013 | Nation & World
Pope Francis chose name of beloved saint
For his name, he chose one that harks back eight centuries, to Italy, and to a man who renounced a life of privilege, gave away everything he owned, wore a coarse woolen tunic, lived in a hut and took a vow of poverty.
Date: 03/13/2013 | Nation & World
Pleasant surprise
Local Catholics react to the election of Pope Francis
Date: 03/13/2013 | Local News
Pope Francis known for simplicity, humility
VATICAN CITY — In unadorned white robes, the first pope from the Americas sets a tone of simplicity and pastoral humility in a church desperate to move past the tarnished era of abuse scandals and internal Vatican upheavals.The choice of...
Date: 03/13/2013 | Nation & World
Black smoke from chapel chimney: No pope yet
VATICAN CITY -- Black smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Tuesday, signaling that cardinals had failed on their first vote of the papal conclave to choose a new leader for the world's 1.2 billion Catholics and their troubled church.
Date: 03/13/2013 | Nation & World
Black smoke from chapel chimney: No pope yet
VATICAN CITY — This time there was no doubt. There was no new pope yet, and the mystery of who — and when — was as thick as the unmistakable heavy black smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel chimney.As thousands waited in a cold...
Date: 03/12/2013 | Nation & World
Prelates prepare to pick a pope
VATICAN CITY -- The chimney is up, the tourists are out and the cardinals are on deck.Final preparations were under way Saturday in the Sistine Chapel for the conclave of prelates who will elect a new pope to head the Roman Catholic Church.
Date: 03/10/2013 | Nation & World
Pope's farewell
Benedict XVI boards helicopter, leaves Vatican (gallery)
Date: 02/28/2013 | Nation & World
Pope Benedict's final words as pontiff
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Benedict XVI delivered his final public words as pope on Thursday to well-wishers gathered at the papal vacation retreat in Castel Gandolfo south of Rome. Here is the translation of what he said, delivered to a roaring crowd:
Date: 02/27/2013 | Nation & World
Pope gives final Sunday blessing (video)
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI bestowed his final Sunday blessing of his pontificate on a cheering crowd in St. Peter's Square, explaining that his waning years and energy made him better suited to the life of private prayer he soon will spend in a secluded monastery than as...
Date: 02/24/2013 | Nation & World
Top cleric calls for married priests
LONDON -- Roman Catholic priests should be allowed to marry and have children, Britain's most senior Catholic cleric said Friday.
Date: 02/23/2013 | Nation & World
An American pope? It could happen
NEW YORK — Conventional wisdom holds that no one from the United States could be elected pope, that the superpower has more than enough worldly influence without an American in the seat of St. Peter.But after Pope Benedict XVI's...
Date: 02/16/2013 | Nation & World
How Lent is spent
Churches mark the days before Easter in different ways
Date: 02/16/2013 | Local News
Pope celebrates last public Mass as pontiff
VATICAN CITY — Starting his public farewell to his flock, a weary Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his final public Mass as pontiff, presiding over Ash Wednesday services hours after a bittersweet audience that produced the extraordinary scene of the...
Date: 02/13/2013 | Nation & World
Will Benedict XVI still be infallible after he resigns?
Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world Monday by announcing his resignation from the papacy, effective Feb. 28. He will be the first pope to step down since Gregory XII in 1415. His resignation raises several questions that the Explainer will endeavor to answer -- even though the...
Date: 02/12/2013 | Nation & World
Local Catholics praise pope's decision as act of courage
Local Catholics, surprised by Monday's historic announcement by Pope Benedict XVI that he will soon step down, look with faith to the future of their church."As Catholics, we trust in...
Date: 02/12/2013 | Local News
Pope to step down
Benedict XVI will be the first to resign in nearly 600 years
Date: 02/11/2013 | Nation & World
Report: Pope was considering quitting for months, brother says
BERLIN -- The pope's brother, Georg Ratzinger, says the pontiff had been advised by his doctor not to take any more transatlantic trips and had been considering stepping down for months.Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he would resign Feb. 28.
Date: 02/11/2013 | Nation & World
Text of pope's resignation speech
Text of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation speech, as reported by Reuters:"Dear Brothers,
Date: 02/11/2013 | Nation & World
Obama offers faith groups birth control options
WASHINGTON — Facing a wave of lawsuits over what government can tell religious groups to do, the Obama administration on Friday proposed a compromise for faith-based nonprofits that object to covering birth control in their employee health plans.
Date: 02/01/2013 | Nation & World
Lawsuits target birth control in 'Obamacare'
NEW YORK -- The legal challenges over religious freedom and the birth control coverage requirement in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul appear to be moving toward the U.S. Supreme Court.
Date: 01/27/2013 | Nation & World
Tree lighting opens Christmas at Vatican
VATICAN CITY -- The Christmas season kicked off Friday at the Vatican with the traditional lighting of the tree in St. Peter's Square -- and a reminder from the pope about what happened when the "lights" of God were turned off in past atheistic regimes.
Date: 12/15/2012 | Nation & World
Vatican: World won't end on Dec. 21
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican's top astronomer has some assurances to offer: The world won't be ending in 10 days, despite predictions to the contrary.
Date: 12/12/2012 | Off the Wire
Man who lost leg in crucifix mishap sues church
ALBANY, N.Y. — David Jimenez was so elated over his wife's recovery from cancer that he offered to clean the large crucifix outside the Hudson Valley church where he spent many hours praying for her to beat the disease. On Memorial Day 2010, he was scrubbing grime off the cross when the...
Date: 11/07/2012 | Off the Wire
Snohomish church Mass marks All Souls Day
SNOHOMISH -- On Friday, the Catholic Church celebrated All Souls Day, a time to remember loved ones who have died and to pray that their souls get to Heaven.
Date: 11/03/2012 | Local News
Woman guilty of embezzling from nuns
LOS GATOS, Calif. -- A woman convicted of embezzling more than $100,000 from Catholic nuns in California may receive forgiveness, but is still facing possible prison time.
Date: 10/27/2012 | Nation & World
Pope names 6 cardinals, none from Italy
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI named six new cardinals on Wednesday, adding prelates from Lebanon, the Philippines, Nigeria, Colombia, India and the United States to the ranks of senior churchmen who will elect his successor.
Date: 10/25/2012 | Nation & World
Pope names two new American saints (video)
VATICAN CITY — Some 80,000 pilgrims in flowered lei, feathered headdresses and other traditional garb flooded St. Peter's Square today as Pope Benedict XVI added seven more saints onto the roster of Catholic role models in a bid to reinvigorate the faith in parts of the world where it's...
Date: 10/21/2012 | Nation & World
Theft trial for papal butler starts next week
VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI's ex-butler and another Vatican employee will go on trial Sept. 29 in the theft of documents from the pontiff's private quarters.The date was announced Monday by Vatican City judge Giuseppe Dalla Torre.
Date: 09/18/2012 | Nation & World
Pope visits Lebanon amid 'Prophet' crisis
BEIRUT — Pope Benedict XVI appealed for peace and reconciliation among religions Friday as violence over an anti-Islam movie spilled over into Lebanon within hours of his arrival in the tumultuous region.
Date: 09/15/2012 | Nation & World
Bishop convicted of failing to report child sex abuse
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn on Thursday became the highest-ranking U.S. Catholic official convicted during the church's decades-long child sexual abuse scandal.
Date: 09/07/2012 | Nation & World
Pope goes green with new electric car
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI is now a bit greener.The 85-year-old pontiff was presented with his first electric car Wednesday, a customized white Renault Kangoo for jaunts around the gardens of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.
Date: 09/06/2012 | Nation & World
Abortion ban fails to make Colorado ballot
DENVER — The nation's only pending ballot measure to ban abortion in all circumstances has failed to advance to voters in Colorado.
Date: 08/29/2012 | Nation & World
Nuns under rebuke to continue talks with Vatican
ST. LOUIS -- American nuns described as dissenters in a Vatican report that ordered an overhaul of their group said Friday they would talk with church leaders about potential changes but would not compromise on the sisters' mission.
Date: 08/11/2012 | Nation & World
U.S. nuns consider response to Vatican censure
ST. LOUIS — At a pivotal national meeting, members of the largest group for American nuns have been weighing whether they should accept or challenge a Vatican order to reform.
Date: 08/10/2012 | Nation & World
Monroe nun has ‘been there’ for people for 60 years
MONROE -- God has sent Sister Barbara Geib a lot of places.In many of them, people were hurting.She found her blessings in being there for them.Geib, who turns 80 soon, has been a nun for 60 years on Wednesday. A celebration is planned in Monroe on July 29.
Date: 07/21/2012 | Local News
Polish statue honors Reagan, John Paul II
GDANSK, Poland -- Polish officials unveiled a statue of former President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II on Saturday, honoring two men widely credited in this Eastern European country with helping to topple communism 23 years ago.
Date: 07/15/2012 | Nation & World
Monroe church gets new bell after theft
MONROE -- They've missed the sound most of all.For years, a vintage brass bell rang for Sunday services at Monroe's St. Mary of the Valley Catholic Church.The bell was a call to worship and a reminder of faith, said the Rev. Phillip Bloom.
Date: 07/10/2012 | Local News
Man acquitted of beating priest he said molested him
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A man who beat up a priest who allegedly molested him as a child was acquitted Thursday of assault, a surprising verdict that allowed the defendant to escape a prison sentence.
Date: 07/05/2012 | Nation & World
Monsignor convicted for covering up sex abuse claims
PHILADELPHIA — A Roman Catholic church official was convicted of child endangerment but acquitted of conspiracy Friday in a landmark clergy-abuse trial, making him the first U.S. church official branded a felon for covering up abuse claims.
Date: 06/23/2012 | Nation & World
Nuns lead protest against GOP budget cuts
CHICAGO -- Tired of being pushed to the proverbial back of the bus by Roman Catholic leaders, a group of American nuns rolled into Chicago on their own set of wheels Wednesday to protest proposed federal budget cuts and spotlight the work their sisters do to help the nation's poor.
Date: 06/21/2012 | Nation & World
Catholic hospitals reject birth control compromise
WASHINGTON -- The nation's Catholic hospitals are rejecting President Barack Obama's compromise for providing birth control coverage to their women employees.
Date: 06/16/2012 | Nation & World
Arlington, Darrington priest ends career of 44 years
ARLINGTON -- The Rev. James Dalton will miss Sunday dinners in Darrington and the ability of his Arlington parish to rally to meet community needs."Father Jim," as he is known, is retiring after 44 years as a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Seattle, which covers Western Washington.
Date: 06/16/2012 | Local News
Bishops defend fight with Obama over contraception
ATLANTA — Stung by criticism that they are engaging in partisan attacks in a presidential campaign, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops insisted Wednesday that their fight with President Barack Obama has nothing to do with party politics or contraception, and everything to do with what they...
Date: 06/13/2012 | Nation & World
Monroe church finds help in replacing stolen bell
MONROE -- When their new bell arrives, the congregation at St. Mary of the Valley Catholic Church in Monroe already will have memories of sweet sounds played in its honor.
Date: 06/02/2012 | Local News
U.S. nuns challenge censure by Vatican
NEW YORK -- The largest umbrella group for U.S. nuns on Friday broke weeks of near-silence on a stinging Vatican report that they had undermined Roman Catholic teaching, saying the inquiry was "flawed" and based on "unsubstantiated accusations" that were causing pain throughout the church.
Date: 06/01/2012 | Nation & World
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