More than 300 Catholic priests across Pennsylvania sexually abused children over seven decades, protected by a hierarchy of church leaders who covered it up, according to a sweeping grand jury report released Tuesday.The investigation, one of the broadest inquiries into church sex abuse in U.S. history, identified 1,000 children who were victims, but reported that there probably are thousands more.…More than 300 Catholic priests across Pennsylvania sexually abused children over seven decades, protected by a hierarchy of church leaders who covered it up, according to a sweeping grand jury report released Tuesday.The investigation, one of the broadest inquiries into church sex abuse in U.S. history, identified 1,000 children who were victims, but reported that there probably are thousands more.WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareAcknowledging that their voice had been missing, the Washington region’s faith community stood front and center Sunday as thousands of protesters again converged in the nation’s capital in the 10th straight day of protests against racism and police brutality.After Saturday’s demonstration in the District drew more than 10,000 participants — the biggest crowd since protests in the city began May 29 — Sunday brought still more peaceful mass gatherings, underscored by the presence of Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) marching...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareAcknowledging that their voice had been missing, the Washington region’s faith community stood front and center Sunday as thousands of protesters again converged in the nation’s capital in the 10th straight day of protests against racism and police brutality.After Saturday’s demonstration in the District drew more than 10,000 participants — the biggest crowd since protests in the city began May 29 — Sunday brought still more peaceful mass gatherings, underscored by the presence of Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) marching...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoGift ShareLeaders of two of Minnesota’s largest faith groups are planning to resume indoor worship services next week in defiance of the governor’s order, saying it’s “extreme and prejudicial” to put religious gatherings in a reopening category similar to that of tattoo parlors or hair salons and subject them to limits stricter than those placed on retail stores.In a conference-call news conference Thursday, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Catholic leader for the state, and the Rev. Lucas Woodford, president of the Minnesota South District of...…This article was published more than 2 years agoGift ShareLeaders of two of Minnesota’s largest faith groups are planning to resume indoor worship services next week in defiance of the governor’s order, saying it’s “extreme and prejudicial” to put religious gatherings in a reopening category similar to that of tattoo parlors or hair salons and subject them to limits stricter than those placed on retail stores.In a conference-call news conference Thursday, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Catholic leader for the state, and the Rev. Lucas Woodford, president of the Minnesota South District of...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareGuidance for reopening houses of worship amid the coronavirus pandemic has been put on hold after a battle between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the White House, which was resistant to putting limits on religious institutions, according to administration officials.The CDC this week for reopening schools, child-care facilities, restaurants and mass transit. On Tuesday night, the agency issued additional guidance in the form of “health considerations” for , including overnight camps, and organizations...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareGuidance for reopening houses of worship amid the coronavirus pandemic has been put on hold after a battle between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the White House, which was resistant to putting limits on religious institutions, according to administration officials.The CDC this week for reopening schools, child-care facilities, restaurants and mass transit. On Tuesday night, the agency issued additional guidance in the form of “health considerations” for , including overnight camps, and organizations...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWASHINGTON - President Donald Trump triggered sharp condemnation from top religious leaders for the second time in two days on Tuesday, with Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory slamming his visit to a D.C. shrine honoring Pope John Paul II.On Monday, Trump's appearance in front of St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House set off a controversy because it involved aggressively clearing peaceful protesters."I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWASHINGTON - President Donald Trump triggered sharp condemnation from top religious leaders for the second time in two days on Tuesday, with Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory slamming his visit to a D.C. shrine honoring Pope John Paul II.On Monday, Trump's appearance in front of St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House set off a controversy because it involved aggressively clearing peaceful protesters."I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareROME — Pope Francis has called in a new documentary for the creation of civil union laws, giving his clearest support to date for the rights of same-sex couples while breaking from the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.“What we have to create is a civil union law,” the pope says in the film, released in Rome on Wednesday. “That way they are legally covered.”Francis’s comment does nothing to alter Catholic doctrine, but it nonetheless represents a remarkable shift for a church that has fought against LGBT...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareROME — Pope Francis has called in a new documentary for the creation of civil union laws, giving his clearest support to date for the rights of same-sex couples while breaking from the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.“What we have to create is a civil union law,” the pope says in the film, released in Rome on Wednesday. “That way they are legally covered.”Francis’s comment does nothing to alter Catholic doctrine, but it nonetheless represents a remarkable shift for a church that has fought against LGBT...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePastor J. Artie Stuckey has cut or eliminated every staff salary at his small Mississippi church. He is nervously watching the payments for the building where Restoration Baptist meets. He reminds his congregation to keep tithing, but he knows many of them — the barber, the electrician, the musician — have also seen their finances rocked by the pandemic shutdown.Stuckey, a 42-year-old who sold cars until the ministry called him 15 years ago, is sympathetic to being cash-strapped. Restoration wasn’t in great financial...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePastor J. Artie Stuckey has cut or eliminated every staff salary at his small Mississippi church. He is nervously watching the payments for the building where Restoration Baptist meets. He reminds his congregation to keep tithing, but he knows many of them — the barber, the electrician, the musician — have also seen their finances rocked by the pandemic shutdown.Stuckey, a 42-year-old who sold cars until the ministry called him 15 years ago, is sympathetic to being cash-strapped. Restoration wasn’t in great financial...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoGift ShareElizabeth Hunter says she became suicidal after Bob Jones University administrators grilled the former student about her sexuality for tweeting “happy Pride” and writing a book with lesbian characters. She was fined, sent to anti-gay counseling and removed from her job at the campus TV station. Veronica Penales says she’s told officials at Baylor University, where she is a sophomore, that people leave anti-gay notes on her door, but they don’t investigate. Lucas Wilson said he graduated from Liberty University with “a profound...…This article was published more than 1 year agoGift ShareElizabeth Hunter says she became suicidal after Bob Jones University administrators grilled the former student about her sexuality for tweeting “happy Pride” and writing a book with lesbian characters. She was fined, sent to anti-gay counseling and removed from her job at the campus TV station. Veronica Penales says she’s told officials at Baylor University, where she is a sophomore, that people leave anti-gay notes on her door, but they don’t investigate. Lucas Wilson said he graduated from Liberty University with “a profound...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoGift ShareThe Rev. Michele Morgan was at home recovering from a coronavirus vaccine shot Friday when she got a disturbing call from an employee at her church, St. Mark’s Episcopal on Capitol Hill. He told her there was a green-roped noose, dangling from a branch of a large tree in the courtyard.“It looked from the photo [he had sent] like a slipknot. But when I got here, I could see the coils. It’s such a symbol of racialized hatred — it’s shocking to see it where I gather people to talk about more love and more God and more light in the...…This article was published more than 1 year agoGift ShareThe Rev. Michele Morgan was at home recovering from a coronavirus vaccine shot Friday when she got a disturbing call from an employee at her church, St. Mark’s Episcopal on Capitol Hill. He told her there was a green-roped noose, dangling from a branch of a large tree in the courtyard.“It looked from the photo [he had sent] like a slipknot. But when I got here, I could see the coils. It’s such a symbol of racialized hatred — it’s shocking to see it where I gather people to talk about more love and more God and more light in the...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareIn a city where intense protests are regular fare, D.C. residents Saturday plopped down lawn chairs, busted out their crossword puzzles and ate pizza — all to show their objection to a four-mile fence around the U.S. Capitol that they say is choking off an essential slice of Washington’s life.After hundreds of protesters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, high razor-wire-topped black metal fencing has surrounded the complex and many blocks encircling it. For residents of the neighborhood in particular, this has cut off...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareIn a city where intense protests are regular fare, D.C. residents Saturday plopped down lawn chairs, busted out their crossword puzzles and ate pizza — all to show their objection to a four-mile fence around the U.S. Capitol that they say is choking off an essential slice of Washington’s life.After hundreds of protesters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, high razor-wire-topped black metal fencing has surrounded the complex and many blocks encircling it. For residents of the neighborhood in particular, this has cut off...WW…