“It is not surprising that our shepherds fall short of the high standards of the Christian Faith. It is surprising that they don’t even rise to the low standards of the secular world.”

— Catholic blogger Kevin O’Brien, writing about the scandal involving an accused Catholic priest who was allowed continued access to children despite a lifetime ban agreed to by prosecutors and Newark Archbishop John Myers

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“I said, ‘We agree to disagree,’ and he said ‘No, I’m right and you’re wrong.’”

— Green Bay Packers safety LeRoy Butler, rehashing a conversation he had with the pastor of a Wisconsin church that canceled his upcoming appearance because Butler tweeted in support of NBA player Jason Collins, who came out as gay. He was quoted by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

The post Quote of the Day: Green Bay Packers safety LeRoy Butler appeared first on Religion News Service.

“I feel honored to belong to the long list of people who have been murdered and burned alive for thinking and searching for knowledge.”

— Roberto Francisco Daniel, a Catholic priest who was ex-communicated for advocating homosexuality, open marriage and other “grave statements counter to the dogma of the Catholic faith and morality.” He was quoted by the Reuters news agency.

The post Quote of the Day: Ex-Catholic priest Roberto Francisco Daniel appeared first on Religion News Service.

Habemus Papam!

The college of cardinals may still be undecided, but the people have spoken.

The Bishop of the Bracket, the Victorious Vicar, the People’s Pope is …. Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Nigeria. In the final round of Sweet Sistine, Onaiyekan defeated Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada 54%-46%.

Nearly 40,000 votes were cast in our Sweet Sistine tournament, which was covered by the NBC Nightly News, NPR, USA Today and many other media outlets. We owe a big thanks as well to the many readers who voted and shared Sweet Sistine with friends.

A favorite comment came from Fark.com, which we’ll paraphrase as: “The guys from the Knights of Columbus fill out a bunch of brackets, but a nun always win the pool by making her picks according to vestment color.”

Now to the man of the hour…

Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Nigeria. Photo by michael_swan via Flickr (http://flic.kr/p/e2rh8u)

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This image available for Web publication. For questions, contact Sally Morrow.

Onaiyekan isn’t even listed in Paddy Power’s pope-betting field, which means the Irish bookmakers think the Nigerian is less likely to become pontiff than his countryman Cardinal Francis Arinze (who’s not part of the conclave because he’s over 80), Bono (also not part of the conclave) and Father Dougal Maguire (not a real person).

Still, some Vaticanistas say Onaiyekan, who was made a cardinal in 2012,  has an outside shot at the papacy. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI appointed him to several key Vatican roles, and Pax Christi International named the 69-year-old its Peace Laureate last year for working to relieve tensions between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria.

Reader Gerry McIntyre tells us: “A lot of us had met/knew John Onaiyekan as a young bishop in Nigeria and have followed his career. His rise in the hierarchy has not changed him significantly; he is still immensely approachable and natural and unaffected (relatively rare). And he is always pastorally motivated. He would be a vast improvement.”

We’d love to know what the rest of our readers think of Onaiyekan’s victory, so please feel free to comment below. And while you’re here, check out our other stories:

• ANALYSIS: The ‘tough guy’ option: Picking a pope to serve as sheriff
• Will God be left behind? An interview with Rob Bell
• Has the papacy been demystified?
• What Muslims want in a new pope

The post And the Sweet Sistine winner is …. appeared first on Religion News Service.

More than 26,100 people have voted in the first three rounds, delivering Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada and Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Nigeria to the finals. Who will be the People’s Pope, the Bishop of the Bracket, the Victorious Vicar?!?

THIS ROUND IS NOW CLOSED: PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR WINNER! 

We’re really curious about the criteria you guys used to pick your popes. If you’d like to weigh in, please tweet us at @ReligionNewsNow

And while you’re here, please check out some of our other religion stories:

• Jodi Arias’s Last-Ditch Defense Is . . . Blood Atonement? Are You Kidding Me?
• Inside the Vatican: A Photo Gallery
• Cardinal Dolan in Rome: Popular if not papabile
• Filipino Cardinal gets a “YMCA” campaign jingle

View results

The post Sweet Sistine update: The Final Two (Holy) Fathers appeared first on Religion News Service.

Canadian Marc Ouellet is facing off against Brazilian Joao Braz de Aviz; Milan’s Angelo Scola is up against Nigeria’s John Onaiyekan.

The winners from the East v. West conferences will square off for the chance to be elected the People’s Pope in the final round. Vote now, and enter your email address at the bottom to be notified of the next round of voting.

THIS ROUND IS NOW CLOSED: PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR WINNER! 

And while you’re here, check out our other religion coverage:

• Just in time for Passover, Israel braces for locust invasion
• Catholic bishops oppose Violence Against Women Act over lesbian provisions
• Bill Clinton urges Supreme Court to overturn gay marriage law he signed

The post Sweet Sistine update: The Sacred Semifinals appeared first on Religion News Service.

In the first round, Cardinal Peter Turkson had the narrowest margin of victory (12%) and Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi had the widest (a whopping 50%). The margins are much tighter in round two, so make sure you vote.

A special thanks to the nearly 20,000 people who’ve voted thus far. Because the conclave will begin soon, this round is shorter. Voting will close March 6 at 9 p.m. eastern time, so get your votes in soon!

And while you’re here, check out our stories about Pope Benedict XVI’s unfinished business, the colorful history of papal conclaves and what American Catholics want in a new pope.

THIS ROUND IS NOW CLOSED: PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR WINNER! 

View responses

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THIS ROUND IS NOW CLOSED: PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR WINNER! 

View results

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