An obstructionist Vatican, a chronic shortage of priests and a shrinking worldwide congregation: the list is daunting
By Andrew Brown
When 117 cardinals gather in Rome to choose the next pope this month, the first thing that will determine their
WHAT THE POPE CAN PRAY FOR
BY JANE KRAMER
In the twelve days since Benedict XVI announced his retirement, I’ve been wondering whether the Church of Rome might not have been better served—at least from the point of view of progressive Catholics—by the Pope keeping his
It’ll be a miracle if a new pope ushers in real change in a decaying Church
By Colette Browne
THE resignation of Pope Benedict has prompted much debate about his legacy but another question also arises — why do so many people in this country continue to care about an anachronistic institution that doesn’t want them
Women priests set to ordain Roman Catholic from Toledo
New Polish film tackles homosexuality in Catholic Church
By Gareth Jones
Polish director Malgoska Szumowska tackles the controversial topic of homosexuality in the Roman Catholic priesthood in her film “In the Name of” that had its world premiere on Friday but she said her aim was not to
Priest Is Planning to Defy the Vatican’s Orders to Stay Quiet
By DOUGLAS DALBY
A well-known Irish Catholic priest plans to defy Vatican authorities on Sunday by breaking his silence about what he says is a campaign against him by the church over his advocacy of more open discussion on church
The Pope’s dangerous sex appeal
By Ian Buruma
Human sexual behaviour can be perilous, as the ghastly rape of a 23-year-old woman by six men on a Delhi bus in December once again showed. After going to the cinema, she and her boyfriend were beaten,
4 women go topless in St. Peter’s Square to protest Vatican opposition to gay marriage
VATICAN CITY — Four women have gone topless in St. Peter’s Square to protest the Vatican’s opposition to gay marriage.
Police quickly took the women away Sunday, and the pope appeared not to have been disturbed as he delivered his
Bourgeois receives official Vatican letter dismissing him from priesthood
By Joshua J. McElwee
Roy Bourgeois, the longtime peace activist and Catholic priest dismissed by the Vatican because of his support for women’s ordination, has received the official letter notifying him of the move three months after it was made.
Pope Brings English Church to Heel
By Richard Palmer
It’s hard to think of a more complete victory in the Vatican’s long-running battle with the English Catholic Church. To fully understand the magnitude of this victory, please bear with me while we go over some history