Tag: Catholic Church

• Saturday, January 20th 2018 - 09:33 UTC

  Francis blasts corruption, calls for greater transparency in public entities, private sector, and... the Church

  

  Pope Francis made a forceful call to combat corruption in Peru, calling it a social “virus” a month after the Andean nation’s president pardoned a former autocratic leader who had been jailed for graft and human rights abuses.

• Wednesday, October 29th 2014 - 06:47 UTC

  Francis said that if he speaks for a fairer world, “some people think the Pope is communist”

  

  True to his unorthodox style, Francis said some people think he is a “communist” Pope given his constant pledge for a fairer world. The head of the Catholic Church made the statements during the World Meeting of Popular Movements in Rome, attended also by President of Bolivia Evo Morales.

• Tuesday, October 14th 2014 - 05:53 UTC

  Pope Francis shakes Vatican policy with new attitude towards gays

  

  The Vatican has taken strides in announcing a new change in views towards homosexuals, which according to a Vatican document drafted after a week-long discussion of 200 bishops on family issues, states that homosexuals have “gifts and qualities to offer.”

• Monday, April 7th 2014 - 05:43 UTC

  Argentine church baptizes lesbian couple child; now they will fight for a catholic marriage

  

  A daughter of a lesbian couple was baptized by the Catholic Church in Argentina on Saturday, April 5 with President Cristina Fernandez acting as the godmother. It was the first case in the country, a gesture of opening from the institution headed by Argentine Pope Francis.

• Wednesday, October 23rd 2013 - 16:40 UTC

  German Catholics can only remain in the Church if they pay membership tax, rules court

  

  Germany's Roman Catholics can only remain part of the Church if they pay a membership tax, a court has ruled. All Germans who are officially registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews pay a religious tax, worth an extra 8-9% of their income tax bill.

• Friday, September 20th 2013 - 07:52 UTC

  Francis calls for a more welcoming church with priests acting as pastors and not dogmatic bureaucrats

  

  Pope Francis said the Catholic Church should not allow its bans on gay marriage, abortion and contraception to dominate its teachings, but must be a more welcoming Church where priests are understanding-pastors and not cold, dogmatic bureaucrats.

• Friday, September 13th 2013 - 00:39 UTC

  Celibacy ‘is not Church dogma’ and ‘can be discussed’, says Vatican’s number two

  

  The Vatican’s new secretary of state has surprised many in the Catholic Church, after saying in an interview with a Venezuelan newspaper that the issue of priests remaining celibate is up for discussion.

• Saturday, July 20th 2013 - 05:31 UTC

  Brazil Catholic church losing ground to Protestants and Pentecostals

  

  Brazil's Catholic population has declined since 2000 while its Protestant population has grown during the past two decades, a Pew survey fund.

• Friday, March 15th 2013 - 07:03 UTC

  Francis calls on the Church to keep to its roots or it could become “a passionate NGO”

  

  In his first public Mass, Pope Francis urged the Catholic Church on Thursday to stick to its roots and shun modern temptations, warning that it would become just “a compassionate NGO” if it forgot its true mission.

• Monday, February 25th 2013 - 05:54 UTC

  Brazilian clergy lobby for Sao Paulo archbishop as the next Pope

  

  Catholicism in Latin America is “lively and dynamic,” Brazilian Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis said on Sunday, suggesting that the church look to Latin America for leadership. Damasceno is one of the 117 “cardinal electors” that will participate in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope, following Benedict XVI announcement he is stepping down at the end of the month.