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VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI has tapped four top U.S. and Canadian bishops to help lead a high-profile inquiry into child sex abuse in the Irish Catholic Church. The announcement comes as the Vatican appears to be taking a tougher line on sexual abuse. At a special prayer service on Saturday (May 29), the…

WASHINGTON (RNS) Facing a reduced budget and a third round of layoffs, officials at Washington National Cathedral are considering disposing of priceless treasures — including a trove of rare books — that are no longer considered part of its central mission. The cathedral has begun tentative talks with Washington’s Folger Shakespeare Library as it reorients…

In video interviews, a Wall Street Journal reporter explores how German Catholics are struggling to separate their faith from the institution that they believe has mishandled the crisis.Video courtesy of the Wall Street Journal.

(RNS) In a bid to honor what would have been Mother Teresa’s 100th birthday on Aug. 26, the New York-based Catholic League has gathered more than 24,000 signatures to light the iconic spire of the Empire State Building in blue and white. The answer from the building’s management, so far, has been no, which has…

WASHINGTON (RNS) Standing before a room full of fellow African-Americans, Jamila Bey took a deep breath and announced she’s come out of the closet. Her soul-bearing declaration is nearly taboo, she says. “It’s the A-word,” said Bey, 33, feigning a whisper. “You commit social suicide as a black person when you say you’re an atheist.”…

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (RNS) Raychel Bone, Sam Selker, Naima Cohn and Taliesin Haugh sat on their front porch and mulled the surprising successes of the venture that teaches young Jews how to live together, laugh together, split the rent and, above all, share the faith. Movie night in the backyard brought over the neighbors. The…

(RNS) Pope Benedict XVI’s overseas travels typically involve vast crowds of adoring Catholics, often squeezed into sports stadiums or public venues for large-scale Masses. But when Benedict makes the first official papal visit to Cyprus next weekend (June 4-6), his total flock will number just 25,000, and his main speech will be held in the…

WASHINGTON (RNS) The House on Thursday (May 27) rejected a proposed amendment that would have allowed military chaplains to close public events with faith-specific prayers. The amendment, offered by Tea Party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., to the Military Construction Authorization Act, was deemed not relevant to the bill, Bachmann’s office said. The amendment would…

WASHINGTON (RNS) A slight majority of Americans view gay or lesbian relations as morally acceptable, a first since Gallup pollsters started asking about the issue in 2001. In a recent survey of 16 different behaviors or social practices, pollsters found that 52 percent of Americans accept gay or lesbian relations, a steady increase since a…

WASHINGTON (RNS) The Obama administration has made a rare foray into the Catholic sexual abuse crisis, backing the Vatican’s claim it is immune to lawsuits in the U.S. because it is a sovereign nation. In a brief filed on Friday (May 21) before the Supreme Court, the acting solicitor general argued an appellate court erred…
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