Accused priest at center of N.J. scandal resigns
(RNS) The Roman Catholic priest at the center of a public furor enveloping Newark Archbishop John J. Myers has resigned from ministry, a spokesman for the archdiocese said Thursday.
Institutions
Pentagon refutes reports of anti-Christian policies
(RNS) Christian conservatives have grown increasingly alarmed over reports that the Pentagon has adopted new policies aimed at disciplining or even court-martialing those who share their faith. But the Department of Defense on Thursday said evangelization is still permitted.
‘Nuns on the Bus’ will hit the road for immigration reform
NEW YORK (RNS) The “Nuns on the Bus” are revving up their engines for another national campaign, only this time the Catholic sisters are taking their mobile platform for social justice along the country’s Southern border to push Congress to pass immigration reform.
Former Pope Benedict XVI to return to the Vatican on Thursday
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Benedict XVI’s return to Vatican City will present church leaders with the unprecedented situation of a reigning pope and a retired pope living a short distance from each other, both sharing the same top aide.
N.J. Catholics outraged over accused priest’s access to children
(RNS) Newark Archbishop John J. Myers is facing fierce criticism for his handling of a priest who attended youth retreats and heard confessions from minors in defiance of a court-ordered lifetime ban on ministry to children.
ANALYSIS: Will former Palin adviser help or hurt bishops’ media woes?
NEW YORK (RNS) The nation’s top Catholic bishop has said the hierarchy would benefit from hiring an “attractive, articulate, intelligent” laywoman to present their message because, as he put it, “In the public square, I hate to tell you, the days of fat, balding Irish bishops are over.”
As Holocaust Museum turns 20, the ranks of survivors dwindle
WASHINGTON (RNS) Adult survivors of the Holocaust are largely gone, and those who survived as children won’t be around much longer. That’s why when the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum marks its 20th anniversary Monday, museum officials say it’s likely to be one the last large gatherings of survivors.
Catholic bishop returns petitions to ousted gay man
NEW YORK (RNS) The story of a gay Catholic man who was relieved of all duties at his Long Island parish just got more interesting: His bishop returned a petition with 18,000 signatures with a one-line cover letter: “FROM YOUR FAITHFUL ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP.”
Catholics try their hand at old-fashioned evangelism
SHREWSBURY, Mo. (RNS) About 125 Catholics packed a basement conference room — most of them lay people, many of them older. They gathered to learn how to spread the faith, a concept that is both fundamental to Christianity and nearly foreign to modern Roman Catholics.
ANALYSIS: John Paul II, Oscar Romero and the politics of making saints
(RNS) Reports this week that the late John Paul II may be on the verge on canonization isn’t a huge surprise, but Pope Francis’ decision to take a second look at martyred Salvadoran archbishop Oscar Romero shows that the process of making saints is as much about politics as anything else.
