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Vatican blasts gender-affirming surgery, surrogacy and gender theory as violations of human dignity
The Vatican has declared that gender-affirming surgeries and surrogacy are grave violations of human dignity.
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Pope overcomes health concerns to preside over a blustery Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square
Pope Francis has rallied from respiratory problems to lead some 60,000 people in Easter celebrations and make a strong appeal for a cease-fire in Gaza and a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine. Francis presided over Easter Sunday Mass in a flower-decked St. Peter’s Square. He then delivered a heartfelt prayer for peace in his annual roundup of global crises,...
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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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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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Arrest made in vandalism of Boston church statue
A man has been arrested after allegedly damaging a crucifix outside a Boston cathedral.
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Arms broken off statue outside Boston Catholic church
Video shows Jesus’ upper arms fully removed but the forearms still intact on the statue, on the front lawn of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
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Arrest made in vandalism of Jesus statue outside Boston church
A statue of Jesus Christ on the cross displayed outside of a Catholic church in Boston’s South End was vandalized on Tuesday night, according to the Archdiocese of Boston. Boston police said 37-year-old Michael Patzelt, of Attleboro, was arrested on a charge of assault and malicious destruction of property in connection with the incident. Patzelt was arraigned in Boston...
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Dracut priest under fire for homily on trans community, false claims that kids identify as cats
A Catholic reverend in Dracut, Massachusetts, drew a lot of reaction for his Sunday homily on transgender people. “We don’t make any judgment calls on the people in transition, we treat people with dignity and respect,” Rev. Kevin Sepe of St. Francis Assisi of Dracut said Sunday. Sepe went on to say he did not support people who are...
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Dracut priest under fire for controversial sermon
A Catholic priest’s sermon regarding transgender issues drove some parishioners out the door.
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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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Ex-Roman Catholic cardinal, now 93, not competent to stand trial in sex abuse case, judge rules
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, a judge ruled Wednesday. Following Judge Paul J. McCallum’s ruling, for which McCarrick appeared remotely via Zoom, prosecutors moved to dismiss the case against the defrocked priest and the motion was granted, according...
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Protesters object to Worcester Catholic schools' restrictive new LGBTQ+ policy
Dozens of people took part in a protest Wednesday against a new policy at Catholic schools in Worcester, Massachusetts, prohibiting LGBTQ+ students from expressing themselves. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester’s new policy goes into effect at the start of the new school year. It requires students “to conduct themselves at school in a manner consistent with their biological...
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Protest held against new gender policy at Worcester Catholic schools
Dozens of people protested a new policy impacting LGBTQ+ students at Catholic schools in Worcester.
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Worcester's diocese announces restrictive LGBTQ+ policy in Catholic schools
A new policy at Catholic schools in Worcester, Massachusetts, will prohibit LGBTQ+ students from expressing themselves. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester’s new policy goes into effect at the start of the new school year. The policy requires students “to conduct themselves at school in a manner consistent with their biological sex.” Students also “may not advocate, celebrate, or...
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Worcester diocese issues pronoun, gender rule
In Worcester Catholic schools, any trans student will only be allowed to use pronouns and clothing consistent with their biological gender under a new policy from the diocese.
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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.