No fewer than three members of the Catholic hierarchy in the United States have spoken up for Catholic vice-presidential contender Paul Ryan, while refraining from endorsing his controversial candidacy. The first was Ryan’s own bishop, Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin. Clearly concerned at attacks on Ryan since he was named Republican contender Mitt Romney’s Read more
The archdiocese of Philadephia is handing the management of its secondary schools over to an independent foundation in a move aimed at improving finances and increasing enrolment levels. The first independently managed Catholic school system in the United States will be run by the Faith in the Future Foundation, created by concerned Catholics in conjunction Read more
The archdiocese of Atlanta has received a multimillion-dollar windfall from the fortune earned by the bestselling Civil War-era novel Gone with the Wind. The bequest from Joseph Mitchell, nephew of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Margaret Mitchell, includes a 50 per cent share of the trademark and literary rights to the novel. Also included are a Read more
Out-of-court settlements for victims of sex abuse are predicted to total more than $NZ19 million in the Australian diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, where a lawyer says the concentration of claims is far higher than in any other diocese in the country. The diocese, in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, has settled at least 78 claims, Read more
Further evidence of a Soviet plot to frame Pope Pius XII as “Hitler’s Pope” has been revealed in a new book co-authored by a former Romanian intelligence chief. Ion Mihai Pacepa, who defected to the United States in 1978, previously claimed he was part of a KGB-led campaign of disinformation to discredit the wartime pontiff, Read more
Mohammed was the most popular name for baby boys born in England and Wales in 2011 — well ahead of Harry, the next most chosen name. A government statement said Harry was the most popular boy’s name, but it was outranked by totalling the five most common different spellings of the Muslim prophet. Harry, the Read more
After an in-depth investigation of the finances of the Catholic Church in the United States, The Economist says its financial mismanagement and questionable business practices would have seen widespread resignations in any other public institution. “Of all the organisations that serve America’s poor, few do more good work than the Catholic Church: its schools and Read more
The rising incidence of HIV/Aids in the Philippines has prompted the Archbishop of Manila to call for greater awareness among Catholic clergy, religious and lay people. While new cases of HIV/Aids are decreasing globally, Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle said they are increasing in the Philippines, with an average of nine reported each day. “What is Read more
Whether or not drag queens have been banned from events at San Francisco’s Most Holy Redeemer Catholic parish has become a controversial topic in the city’s Castro district. Drag queens had been a feature of an annual Harvest Feast fundraiser held on the gay-friendly parish’s property by the Castro Country Club, an addiction recovery group. Read more
The Pope’s personal assistant passed confidential papers to an Italian journalist after seeing “evil and corruption everywhere in the Church”, according to the examining judge in the Vatileaks investigation. In a 35-page report, Judge Piero Bonnet said Paolo Gabriele — who has been charged with “aggravated theft” — felt sure Pope Benedict was not aware Read more