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The pope and the devil: Is Francis an exorcist?

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:31:11 -0400

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis' fascination with the devil took on remarkable new twists Tuesday, with a well-known exorcist insisting Francis helped "liberate" a Mexican man possessed by four different demons despite the Vatican's insistence that no such papal exorcism took place.

Russia moves closer to jail terms for offending religion

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:59:48 -0400

By Maria Tsvetkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian lawmakers on Tuesday took a step toward imposing jail terms for offending religious feelings, approving legislation proposed after punk band Pussy Riot performed a raucous protest song in Moscow's main Orthodox Christian cathedral. Critics say the bill will give government-approved religious groups protection others lack and blur the line between church and state under President Vladimir Putin, who has advocated a strong societal role for the Russian Orthodox Church. ...

Christian singer Patty to deliver Indy 500 anthem

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:13:27 -0400

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Christian music singer Sandi Patty will perform the national anthem at Sunday's Indianapolis 500 for a record sixth time.

Pope criticizes 'savage capitalism' on visit to food kitchen

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:03:30 -0400

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis criticized what he called "savage capitalism" on a visit to a food kitchen on Tuesday, in an address in which he called for the values of generosity and charity to be revived. "A savage capitalism has taught the logic of profit at any cost, of giving in order to get, of exploitation without thinking of people... and we see the results in the crisis we are experiencing," the pope said. Francis greeted the men and women coming to the 'Gift of Maria' food kitchen, located at the walls of the Vatican. ...

Pope expresses solidarity with tornado survivors

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:53:06 -0400

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has expressed his "closeness to the families of all who died in the Oklahoma tornado," with special concern for "those who lost young children."

Police: Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris evacuated after suicide inside the landmark church

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:02:05 -0400

PARIS - Paris police say Notre Dame Cathedral has been evacuated after a man committed suicide in the 850-year-old monument and tourist site.

Paris police say Notre Dame Cathedral evacuated after suicide inside the famed church

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:54:57 -0400

Paris police say Notre Dame Cathedral evacuated after suicide inside the famed church.

Vatican marks anniversary of 1972 attack on Michelangelo's Pieta

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:46:03 -0400

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Forty-one years ago, a crazed Hungarian named Laszlo Toth jumped an altar railing in St. Peter's Basilica and dealt 12 hammer blows to Michelangelo's Pieta, severely damaging the Renaissance masterpiece. To mark the attack on May 21, 1972, the Vatican Museums held a day-long seminar on Tuesday on the statue, the incident, and what subsequently became one of the most delicate and controversial art restorations in history. ...

The pope and the devil: Francis' obsession with Satan leads to suspicion he performed exorcism

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:31:05 -0400

VATICAN CITY - Is Pope Francis an exorcist?

Church of Scotland takes step to allow gay clergy

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:03:06 -0400

LONDON (AP) — Senior members of the Church of Scotland voted Monday to let some congregations choose ministers who are in same-sex relationships — an important compromise that must still pass further hurdles before it can become church law.

Church of Scotland votes to allow gay ministers

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:06:40 -0400

LONDON (AP) — Senior members of the Church of Scotland have voted to let some congregations have openly gay ministers, a compromise first step that could lead to the church allowing gay clergy.

Rosie Pope helps navigate exotic baby gear

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:40:33 -0400

NEW YORK (AP) — Amid the purveyors of belly casts and placenta pills, sonogram art and cord banks at a recent baby gear extravaganza stood a smiling Rosie Pope, pregnancy advice guru, mommy concierge to the rich and, with any luck, the Martha Stewart of maternity.

Five killed, six injured from church group in Illinois van crash

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:22:33 -0400

By Tim Bross ST. LOUIS, Mo (Reuters) - Five people were killed and six were injured Monday morning when a van carrying them home from a religious gathering in California rolled over off of Interstate 70 near Vandalia in southern Illinois, police said. Fayette County Sheriff's Department Deputy Shawn Carter said the van had Maryland plates, but the van's destination is as yet undetermined. Carter said the van was eastbound about four miles west of Vandalia, which is about 70 miles northeast of St. ...

Pope: church should open up but follow teaching

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:14:35 -0400

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is calling for renewal in the Catholic church as he wrapped up two days of mass gatherings in St. Peter's Square aimed at energizing the faithful.

Pope warns Church against closing in on itself

Sun, 19 May 2013 09:31:21 -0400

By Catherine Hornby VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis warned the Catholic Church to not close in on itself at a Mass to mark Pentecost Sunday attended by more than 200,000 people, urging the faithful to be open and present in a new and changing world. The Church should ask itself daily whether it is resisting new challenges and remaining "barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness to what is new," he said. ...

Pope leads pep rally at Vatican, meets with Merkel

Sat, 18 May 2013 19:26:21 -0400

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis lamented that investment losses by banks trigger more alarm in the economic crisis than the struggle of people to feed their families, as he led a huge rally Saturday to invigorate the church's moral conscience, hours after he held talks at the Vatican about the economic crisis with Germany's leader.

Church must help the poorest, not dissect theology, pope says

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:16:37 -0400

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis shared personal moments with 200,000 people on Saturday, telling them he sometimes nods off while praying at the end of a long day and that it "breaks my heart" that the death of a homeless person is not news. Francis, who has made straight talk and simplicity a hallmark of his papacy, made his unscripted comments in answers to questions by four people at a huge international gathering of Catholic associations in St. Peter's Square. ...

Merkel and Pope talk about a 'strong' Europe

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:01:41 -0400

VATICAN CITY (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel, mindful of the importance of Christian voters in September elections, met with Pope Francis on Saturday during a quick trip to Rome that focused on helping victims of Europe's economic crisis and emphasizing the continent's Christian roots.

Germany's Merkel visits Pope, urges tougher market controls

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:26:48 -0400

By James Mackenzie VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Pope Francis on Saturday and, apparently responding to his criticism of a heartless "dictatorship of the economy", called for stronger regulation of financial markets. On Thursday, Francis appealed in a speech for world financial reform, saying the global economic crisis had made life worse for millions in rich and poor countries. Merkel visited Rome for a few hours specifically to meet the pontiff and spoke with him privately in his library for 45 minutes, unusually long for a private papal audience. ...

Pope and Merkel, mindful of Christian vote, discuss a Europe focused on values, assistance

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:16:23 -0400

VATICAN CITY - German Chancellor Angela Merkel, mindful of the weight of Christian voters in September elections, made a quick trip to Rome Saturday for a private meeting with Pope Francis, focusing on how Europe's struggling economy should be at the service of the people.

Egypt Muslim-Christian clashes leave 1 dead

Sat, 18 May 2013 09:11:11 -0400

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian security officials say clashes between Muslims and Christians in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria left one man dead of a heart attack.

85-year-old wife of Mormon church president dies

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:34:18 -0400

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The wife of the Mormon church's president shied away from the spotlight, but her lifelong work behind the scenes left a lasting impression on those who knew her.

Police recover historic artifacts from Victoria church days after theft

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:58:52 -0400

VICTORIA - Invaluable, historic artifacts stolen from the Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria last week have been recovered.

Gaucho exhibition at Vatican a tribute to pope's homeland

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:47:00 -0400

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Gauchos, the legendary Argentine cowboys from the vast Pampas of Pope Francis's homeland, are being celebrated in a rare exhibition in no less a place than St. Peter's Square. Called "Argentina - The Gaucho, Tradition, Art and Faith," it opened on Friday in the Braccio Carlo Magno exhibition space under the square's left colonnade. But the pope, who is expected to visit it privately, had nothing to do with bringing a taste of his homeland's celebrated cowboy culture to the Vatican. ...

Georgia governor engaged in Bible dispute

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:57:57 -0400

When Ed Buckner and his family went to a north Georgia state park to celebrate his son's birthday, he was surprised and concerned to find Bibles in the state-owned cabin he had rented. An atheist, Buckner ...

Psychiatrists unveil their long-awaited diagnostic "bible"

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:05:17 -0400

By Sharon Begley NEW YORK (Reuters) - The long-awaited, controversial new edition of the bible of psychiatry can be characterized by many numbers: its 947 pages, its $199 price tag, its more than 300 maladies (from "dependent personality disorder" and "voyeuristic disorder" to "delayed ejaculation," "kleptomania" and "intermittent explosive disorder"), each limning the potential woes of being human. ...

Pope blasts "cult of money" that tyrannizes poor

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:23:59 -0400

Pope Francis has denounced the global financial system, blasting the "cult of money" that he says is tyrannizing the poor and turning humans into expendable consumer goods. In his first major ...

Vatican Bank to publish yearly report, launch website

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:42:28 -0400

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican Bank, a center of scandals for decades, is to launch its own website and publish its annual report in an effort to increase transparency, its new president said. Ernst von Freyberg told the bank's employees of the changes, which should be in place by the end of the year, this week, according to Vatican Radio. ...

Vatican Bank to publish its accounts, launch website

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:13:17 -0400

For First Time, the Vatican Enters Prestigious Venice Biennale

Thu, 16 May 2013 03:00:59 -0400

The first thing visitors will see when they enter the Vatican Pavilion at the Venice Biennale—an art show dedicated to the modern and cutting edge—will be a nod to the past: a three-paneled triptych on which the 20th-century Italian artist Tano Festa reproduced details from Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. The paintings, in tones of tan and ocher, serve two functions. They remind viewers of the Vatican’s past importance as a sponsor of art, and they serve as a frame for the rest of the show inside.