The Catholic Church, sometimes referred to as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with approximately 1.3 billion baptised Catholics worldwide as of 2017. As the world's oldest and largest continuously functioning international institution, it has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilisation. The church is headed by the Bishop of Rome, known as the pope. Its central administration is the Holy See.
Former Pope Benedict wants his name removed as co-author of a new book on the issue of priestly celibacy, his personal secretary said on Tuesday, in the latest twist in a saga that has riveted the.. Reuters - Published
Hundreds of thousands of Roman Catholics in the Philippines walked barefoot on Thursday around a centuries-old black wooden statue of Jesus Christ believed to have healing powers, praying for good.. Reuters - Published
Former Pope Benedict, in a new book written with a conservative cardinal, defends priestly celibacy in the Roman Catholic Church in what appears to be a strategically timed appeal to Pope Francis to..
The United Methodist Church plans to split into two denominations later this year, church officials said on Friday, a schism that follows years of contention over whether the church should end its ban..
Pope Francis during the Christmas Eve Mass held in St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday invited Catholics to "acknowledge" their "sins" as they prepare to celebrate the Christmas holiday.
Pope Francis led the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas on Tuesday, urging them not to let the Church's failings lead them away from accepting God's love. Reuters - Published
Marcial Maciel, the Mexican founder of the ultra-conservative Legionaries of Christ, abused at least 60 minors, according to a new report published Saturday by the Roman Catholic group. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis’ abolishing of the use of the Vatican’s highest level of secrecy has been called a step in the right direction by advocates, but they say much more needs to be done by the Catholic.. SBS - Published
Seven people who say they were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests when they were children sued the Vatican on Tuesday, saying that a secrecy policy imposed on U.S. bishops effectively fostered.. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis on Tuesday issued sweeping changes to the way the Roman Catholic Church deals with cases of sexual abuse of minors, abolishing the rule of "pontifical secrecy" that previously covered.. Reuters - Published
Justice Peter McClellan, head of the royal commission into child sex abuse, has condemned Catholic leaders for failing to recognise sexual assault as a crime. SBS - Published
Justice Peter McClellan, head of the royal commission into child sex abuse, has condemned Catholic leaders for failing to recognise sexual assault as a crime. SBS - Published
Speaking for the first time, Justice Peter McClellan says the idea that the abuse of children was a moral failure not a crime was a sign of the "corruption". The Age - Published
In a highly unusual move, the Vatican has postponed the beatification of the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a charismatic figure of U.S. Roman Catholicism in the 20th century and pioneer in religious.. Reuters - Published
An Argentine court on Monday convicted two Roman Catholic priests and the former gardener of a church-run school for deaf students in the province of Mendoza on 28 counts of sexual abuse and corruption.. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis paid tribute on Friday to Catholics in Thailand who suffered or were killed for their faith in the past and urged today's Thais not to consider Christianity a "foreign" religion. Reuters - Published
Supporters of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega tried to storm a church on Thursday, with a priest saying they hit churchgoers, as tension ratchets up between Roman Catholics and the government in the.. Reuters - Published
An Argentine criminal prosecutor has requested the arrest of a Catholic bishop after officials said he ignored repeated calls and emails about an investigation of sex abuse allegations against him. Reuters - Published
The last time Vararunee Khonchanath was in the presence of a pope was before she was born just over 35 years ago, but when Pope Francis visits Bangkok later this week to bless Thailand's tiny Catholic.. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis hosted 1,500 homeless and needy people for lunch on Sunday as the Roman Catholic Church marked its World Day of the Poor. Reuters - Published
A choir formed of Catholic devotees training to join the church in Thailand were rehearsing on Saturday ahead of the visit of Pope Francis next week. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis on Sunday called for an end to the plundering of the Amazon basin, as he closed an assembly of Roman Catholic bishops who discussed the challenges the Church faces in the region. Reuters - Published
An assembly of Roman Catholic bishops from the Amazon on Saturday proposed that married men in the remote area be allowed to be ordained priests, which could lead to a landmark change in the Church's.. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis said on Saturday he would reconvene a commission to study the history of women deacons in the early centuries of the Catholic Church, responding to calls by women that they be allowed to.. Reuters - Published
As Haiti entered a sixth week of violent anti-government protests over corruption and economic woes, Catholic leaders held a rare march on Tuesday calling for a resolution to the crisis that has.. Reuters - Published
The Vatican on Tuesday accused ultra-conservative Catholic social media of fomenting hate, a day after militants stole statues they considered pagan idols from a church and dumped them in the Tiber.. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis on Sunday declared five people saints, including Cardinal John Henry Newman, a leading 19th century Anglican who converted to Catholicism and became one of the most influential Christian.. Reuters - Published
Ecuador sought mediation from the United Nations or Roman Catholic Church on Tuesday after six days of anti-austerity protests that have pushed President Lenin Moreno's government out of Quito and.. Reuters - Published
Ecuador's government said on Tuesday it would be open to mediation via the United Nations or the Catholic Church, after almost a week of anti-austerity protests that have rocked the nation and brought.. Reuters - Published
A majority of Brazilian Catholics believe global warming is a scientific fact and preservation of the Amazon rainforest is vital to reduce the effects of climate change, contrary to the view of.. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis appealed to conservatives on Sunday not to be bound by the status quo as he opened an assembly of bishops to discuss the future of the Roman Catholic Church in the Amazon, including the.. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis installed new cardinals on Saturday, putting his stamp on the future of the Roman Catholic Church with men who share his vision for social justice, the rights of immigrants and dialogue.. Reuters - Published
An assembly of bishops to discuss the future of the Roman Catholic Church in the Amazon, including the possibility of introducing married priests, has deepened faultlines between Pope Francis and.. Reuters - Published
The Mexican state of Oaxaca on Wednesday approved a bill to legalize abortion, making it only the second region of the predominantly Roman Catholic country after Mexico City to permit the procedure. Reuters - Published
A Chilean prosecutor who led one of the world's most aggressive investigations of sex abuse allegations against the Roman Catholic Church now faces removal from his post amid claims of impropriety.. Reuters - Published
"One has to wonder whether seminaries are the place or way to train men for the priesthood now," says Australian Catholics Bishops Conference chair Mark Coleridge. The Age - Published
Just before dawn, Shainkiam Yampik beats a drum carved from a tree trunk at the start of a Roman Catholic prayer service in Wijint, a hamlet of thatched-roof huts in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. Reuters - Published
In 2016, Chilean 14-year old girl Catalina began to identify with friends and family as Alexis, a boy. It took Chile's conservative, Roman Catholic legal system far longer to come around. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis leaves on Wednesday for Africa, where poverty, the environment, foreign exploitation of resources and corruption are expected to be high on his agenda as he visits the continent where.. Reuters - Published
Poland must resist the "traveling theater" of gay pride marches, the leader of its conservative ruling party said on Sunday, as the staunchly Roman Catholic country gears up for a parliamentary.. Reuters - Published
Poland's Catholic Church has doubled down on the anti-gay rhetoric that has become the nationalist ruling party's dominant theme in recent weeks, drawing a rebuke from liberal politicians who compared.. Reuters - Published
Rioters threw petrol bombs at police in Northern Ireland overnight on the eve of annual parades that often raise tensions between pro-British Protestants and Irish nationalist Catholics in the British.. Reuters - Published
The Vatican on Monday reaffirmed Catholic teaching that priests cannot reveal what they learn in confession, in an apparent response to moves in Australia and elsewhere to force them to do so in cases.. Reuters - Published
The Vatican on Monday reaffirmed Catholic teaching that priests cannot reveal what they learn in confession, in an apparent response to moves in Australia and elsewhere to force them to do so in cases.. Reuters - Published
The head of the Catholic church in Sri Lanka on Thursday issued a scathing criticism of the government over the Easter attacks that killed more than 250 people, decrying a "total lack of interest" in.. Reuters - Published
A proposal to allow children in Mexico City to decide whether to wear skirts or trousers to school has caused a swirl of controversy in a country long regarded as a bastion of Roman Catholic family.. Reuters - Published
Pope Francis on Sunday asked forgiveness in the name of the Catholic Church for the mistreatment of the Roma people, a move likely to increase tensions with Italy's anti-immigrant Interior Minister.. Reuters - Published
Italy's culture ministry has said it will revoke the lease on a state-owned monastery where a right-wing Roman Catholic institute close to former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon had planned to.. Reuters - Published
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