If you live in the post-Modern, post-Christendom uber-hip world, you might not understand the full weight of this morning's announcement. A pope hasn't "resigned" in 600 years. ...

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said preparations for the conclave that will elect Benedict’s successor are in the early stages. A papal election could be expected “within 10 to 15 days,” he said. “We ...

Pope Benedict XVI announced today he will step down on Feb. 28, citing his advanced age. Pope Benedict XVI announced today he will step down on Feb. 28, citing his advanced age. T ...

Since Vatican II American Nuns have worked to fill in the gaps of the American health care system. A new documentary chronicles how these nuns changed the Catholic Church's social justice movement. ...

As Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Renaissance masterpiece, the Vatican said the growing number of tourists who visit the historic site every year might eventually lead t ...

While the sacraments and many fundamental beliefs remain identical to those of Roman Catholicism, the ANCC presents a more progressive version of Catholicism: divorced members can take Communion, women and gay ...

Fifty years after Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council that revolutionized the Catholic Church, will the jolly man known as the "Good Pope" be declared a saint of the Roman Catholic Ch ...

An Illinois priest who was forced out of his parish by his bishop for improvising prayers during Mass has had his suspension reversed by the Vatican. An Illinois priest who was fo ...

The Rev. Benedict Groeschel, a well-known Catholic author and television personality, has given up his longtime spot on the conservative cable network EWTN following comments in which he appeared to defend cle ...

The U.S. Catholic bishops' point man on sexual abuse has said that the hierarchy's credibility on fixing the problem is "shredded" and that the situation is comparable to the Reformation, w ...

The Rev. Benedict Groeschel, whose comments defending priests who sexually abuse children sparked a firestorm of controversy, on Thursday evening apologized for the remarks. NEW Y ...

The Roman Catholic Church has sent a letter to its parishes across Scotland protesting a political race to legalize same-sex marriage. The letter was read Sunday (Aug. 26) by priests in 500 Catholic parishes u ...

Christian churches call for nonviolence in northeast India. Interethnic violence has flashed through India during the conclusion of the Muslim holy season of Ramadan during whic ...

The Obama administration’s policy requiring most employers to provide free birth control coverage in their health insurance policies takes effect on Aug. 1 — a deadline that has sparked apocalyptic warnings fr ...

Monsignor William J. Lynn, the first U.S. Catholic official convicted for covering up the sexual abuse of children, was sentenced to 3-6 years in prison on Tuesday. Monsignor Will ...

Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, then, may provide a window into a church teaching that is helping to drive the most serious standoff between the church and the federal government in decades. ...

Influential church historian Diarmaid MacCulloch said he believes Christianity faces a bright future, but predicted the Roman Catholic Church will undergo a major schism over its moral and social teaching. ...

A popular online advice columnist has said that the late Rev. Robert Drinan, a famed Jesuit priest and onetime Democratic congressman from Massachusetts, tried to kiss and fondle her in the 1970s when she was 18 or 19 years old. Emily Yoffe, who writ ...

Religious groups have long vied for prime parcels of land, planting churches on town squares and monasteries amid isolated mountains. But now they’re targeting real estate in a less tangible sphere: cyberspace ...

I appreciate that some folks want to be very explicit and clear about what they believe. ... But personally, I think the whole “sign the statement of faith” thing is more or less pointless. ...

Duquesne University says it's too Catholic for adjunct faculty to unionize, but the Catholic Church has called unions an "indispensible element of social life." ...

Though today’s gender roles are hardly perfect, Mad Men does help point out how much progress has been made in a couple of generations. But it also serves to point out how out of step the Catholic Church is wh ...

In a building swap, the Crystal Cathedral has announced it will move its congregation to a smaller Roman Catholic church after the iconic Protestant megachurch was sold to the Catholic Diocese of Orange, Calif ...

Maria Riley Women's Concerns With the publication of the second draft of the National Conference of Cath ...

Under new rules announced on Wednesday (May 2), the Vatican will more closely oversee the operations of Caritas Internationalis, a global confederation of 162 national Catholic charities. ...

John Bacher Forests throughout North America would not be the same today without the trailblazing work of a small Mohawk Catholic communi ...

In an extraordinary move, the Vatican has reversed the closure of 13 churches in the Diocese of Cleveland, saying the parishes must be restored and the sanctuaries reopened for worship, according to activists ...

Lutherans and Catholics are not historically known for their theological sympathy, but earlier this month the president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod told the U.S. House that he will "stand with o ...

There are some religious beliefs, such as a particular stance on infant baptism, understanding of the Trinity, or belief in what occurs when Christians observe the Lord’s Supper that are significant theologica ...

VATICAN CITY — Ten years after the clergy sexual abuse scandal erupted in the United States, Catholic bishops from all over the world will meet next week at a Vatican summit aimed at preventing abuse and prote ...

Karen Sue Smith Despite the enormous success of lay involvement and Catholic outreach to the world, several trends indicate serious challenges for the Catholic Church in the United ...

Afternoon Links of Awesomeness: Monday, Nov. 28, 2011 Dunder Mifflin Paper Company , the fictional employer of Dwight Schrute, Pam Beasley, and the rest of the Office gang, ...

The Morning News: Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011 THE WASHINGTON POST: GOP Candidates Show Sharp Differences On National Security And Terrorism The Republican presidential candidat ...

Afternoon Links of Awesomeness: Nov. 18, 2011 “[ All American Muslim ] is not a documentary with journalistic standards, a la PBS’ Frontline , for example. It is a made-for-t ...

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops held their annual meeting this week. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops held their annual meeting this week.  Most items on the agenda ...

In his seminal 1974 book Models of the Church, theologian Avery Dulles offered five paradigms, or "models," each of which called attention to certain aspects of the worldwide Christian church. ...

More than 150 Roman Catholic priests in the United States have signed a statement in support of a fellow cleric Roy Bourgeois, who faces dismissal for participating in a ceremony ordaining a woman as ...

When the Alabama legislature passed their infamous, anti-immigrant law (HB 56), the religious community in the state immediately cried foul. When the Alabama legislature passed th ...

As the stand off between workers and Governor Scott Walker continues in Wisconsin, <a href="http://www.wichurches.org/advocacy/faith-community-response-to-the-wisconsin-budget-crisis/" target=&quo ...

One of the great things about <a href="http://www.lausanne.org/cape-town-2010" target="_blank">Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization</a> in Cape Town, South Africa is ...

Joseph Nangle Why I remain a Catholic priest -- despite repeated scandal. A friend tells me that she finds it ...

Late last week, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales released an <a href="http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/catholic_church/media_centre/press_releases/press_releases_2010/statement_by_the_catholi ...

These are dark days for Catholics and our church. The clergy sexual abuse scandals are a source of profound pain and raw anger. These are dark days for Catholics and our church. T ...

It is far too easy to blame the highly publicized priestly scandal for the alienation of Catholics in Europe or the United States. It is far too easy to blame the highly publicize ...

<p>The Catholic church is reeling from the several sexual abuse allegations that have come to light over the past three months. Downplaying the severity of this scandal will only further damage the alrea ...

<p>I've been told that I am obviously not a Christian because I watch movies. Because I believe women can be pastors. Because I don't take Mass in a Catholic church. Because I've rea ...

As a Christian, I have a high level of sensitivity toward Jews, of a never-ending sense to be protective of their religion As a Christian, I have a high level of sensitivity towa ...

The sex abuse scandals plaguing the Catholic Church simply will not go away. Even the Pope himself is not immune. The sex abuse scandals plaguing the Catholic Church simply will n ...

<p><a href="http://blog.sojo.net/2010/03/24/what-catholics-can-teach-glenn-beck-about-social-justice/"></a>While it's generally not worth spilling any ink over Glenn Beck, his ...

Glenn Beck says Christians should leave churches that use the word "social justice." He says social justice is a code word for communism and Nazism.</p> Glenn Beck ...