Roman Catholic Church News

“Roman Catholicism is the evil force in Pullman's writings”

The Catholic League, which responds to incidents of anti-Catholicism, has begun a campaign urging people to boycott "The Golden Compass," a movie set to open next month. via Weatherford Democrat

“The remedy lies with Congress, not with the courts”

A federal appeals court has thrown out a civil racketeering lawsuit filed by 14 alleged victims of priest sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. via York Dispatch, The York Sunday News

“As the numerous initiatives of these days show, it's a crucial passage, upon which depends the very survival of Lebanon and its institutions”

VATICAN CITY : Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday described Lebanon's approaching presidential elections as crucial to the nation's survival and called on leaders there to set aside personal interests for the sake of ... via International Herald Tribune

The nation's bishops are expected to elect the archbishop of Chicago to head the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at an upcoming meeting in Baltimore. via WQAD-TV Moline

“Doctors told me, 'this is impossible."' said Valeria Herera, 24. "But they were never able to explain it to me scientifically speaking.”

Ceferino Namuncura became the first Argentine Indian to be beatified by the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, in a ceremony before tens of thousands including Indians in bright ponchos and plumed headdresses. via Courier News

A Navajo man who claims a Catholic priest gave him alcohol and sexually abused him as a teenager is suing the priest and the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico. via WSJV-TV South Bend

“The celebration of this public session”

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 8, 2007 .- A culture worthy of human life needs to be promoted, both in the Church and in the world, says Benedict XVI, who encouraged pontifical academies in their quest to accomplish this ... via Zenit

“This understanding of church as an exclusive country club with a set of rules that everyone's got to follow -- I don't think that's reflective of the type of community that Jesus was all about”

Paul and Minneapolis. Carol Curoe of Minneapolis and Robert Curoe of Bernard, Iowa, were to speak at St. via Gay.com

“Try to hear the message from those who have left us in an untimely fashion”

Mourners filed into a cemetery under leaden skies Wednesday to tenderly bury the urn containing the ashes of a toddler killed in a teen driving accident. via 900 CHML AM

“As far as the Salt Lake City thing, he's a Mormon and the Mormons of Salt Lake City had caused that scandal. And to clean that up, again, it's not a subject”

Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney said Saturday his political advisers have warned him against giving a speech explaining his Mormon faith.

During a house party overlooking Lake Squam, Romney was asked by voters if he would give a speech outling his religious beliefs and how those beliefs might impact his administration, much like then-Sen. John F. Kennedy did as he sought to explain his Catholic faith during the 1960 election.

'I'm happy to answer any questions people have about my faith and do so pretty regularly,' the former Massachusetts governor said. 'Is there going to be a special speech? Perhaps, at some point. I sort of like the idea myself. The political advisers tell me no, no, no _ it's not a good idea. It draws too much attention to that issue alone.' Read more

“Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans??? ... You owe me big time pal”

A BOSTON priest who says he stalked popular US television host Conan O'Brien since their days at Harvard University 25 years ago was declared fit to stand trial on stalking and harassment charges. via News.com.au

The first Argentine Indian to be beatified by the Roman Catholic church will be recognized by a papal envoy at a ceremony Sunday attended by thousands of faithful.

Ceferino Namuncura _ the son of a Mapuche Indian chief who died of turbeculosis in 1905 at age 18 _ has a wide following among the Argentina's poor.

Pope Benedict XVI signed a decree in July beatifying Namuncura. Beatification is sometimes the first step to sainthood.

The secretary of state for the Vatican, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, will lead the ceremony in the southern Argentine community of Chimpay. It will be the first such ceremony held in Argentina under new efforts by the pope to beatify subjects in their homelands rather than Rome. Read more

“It's not appropriate to invite this group, to aid and abet a group like this, which undercuts our theology and teaching,'”

The Archdiocese of St. Louis and a Jewish Reform congregation are on the same side when it comes to advocating for immigrants and the poor, often finding common ground in a zeal for social justice. via Cleveland.com

“I want a public confession before I ever consider giving you absolution - or a spot on your couch.”

Stoneham vicar arrested in NYC The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has placed a Stoneham priest on leave after the 46-year-old was arrested in New York City last week on charges of stalking talk-show host ... via Boston.com

The Diocese of Scranton has agreed to pay $3 million to settle claims brought by a former altar boy who said he was sexually abused by a priest.

The victim said former Roman Catholic priest Albert M. Liberatore Jr. sexually abused him from 1999 to 2002, when he was a teenage altar boy at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Duryea.

Liberatore, now 42, pleaded guilty in 2005 in Luzerne County and New York to sexually abusing the victim. He was given 10 years probation and defrocked.

The victim's attorney, Daniel T. Brier, said the settlement was reached late Wednesday and approved by U.S. District Judge I. Richard Caputo on Thursday. Read more

“What is he going to do, burn us at the stake, or what?”

The St. Louis Archdiocese has warned two Roman Catholic women that they will be excommunicated if they are ordained as priests on Sunday.

Rose Marie Dunn Hudson, 67, and Elsie Hainz McGrath, 69, are set to be ordained by a former nun as part of the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement that began in 2002.

Only men are ordained as priests and deacons in the Catholic Church. The Womenpriests and the advocacy group, the Women's Ordination Conference, are among Catholics pressing to change that tradition. Read more

“This is the same old speculation.”

TONY Blair, the former prime minister, is set to become a Roman Catholic within weeks, it emerged yesterday. via Scotsman.com News

“The taxpayers are saying enough is enough.”

New Jersey voters rejected the state's plan to borrow $450 million over 10 years to finance stem cell research, one of the most closely watched questions on state ballots Tuesday.

The measure, one of the nation's most ambitious public efforts to fund the research, was placed on the ballot by the Legislature with strong backing from Gov. Jon Corzine.

The multimillionaire governor campaigned heavily for the measure and spent $200,000 of his own money on TV ads for it. He argued the money would help find cures for conditions such as spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease, sickle cell anemia and multiple sclerosis while also luring leading scientists and research firms to the state. Read more

Benedict XVI raised concerns about restrictions on Christian worship in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in the first meeting ever between a pope and a reigning Saudi king. via Centre Daily Times

President Bush plans to nominate Harvard University law professor Mary Ann Glendon to be his new U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.