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Baltimore archdiocese declares bankruptcy as sexual abuse lawsuits loom
BALTIMORE -- Facing a mountain of potential lawsuits connected to its history of child sexual abuse committed by priests, America’s oldest Catholic archdiocese declared bankruptcy Friday, a move designed to limit its liability against potential damages and conserve its assets.
The bankruptcy petition, filed in federal bankruptcy court in ...Read more
As the Archdiocese of Baltimore faces potential bankruptcy, untangling its assets proves murky
BALTIMORE -- A law making it easier for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits goes into effect Sunday, and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore is already preparing for how to pay survivors.
The Child Victims Act, passed in April on the heels of a state attorney general’s report that details the history of how Catholic ...Read more
High-ranking Catholic officials' names withheld from latest Maryland AG report after group appeals
BALTIMORE — The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released a newer, less-redacted version Tuesday of its report on the history of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, but some key names remain hidden as people are appealing their inclusion.
The names of five high-ranking Catholic officials who helped enable and ...Read more
What's an LA Jew to do on Yom Kippur if they don't go to synagogue?
LOS ANGELES — Yom Kippur is a complicated day for Miriam Bar-Zemer.
The Jewish holiday, which begins this year on the evening of Sept. 24, is considered the holiest day of the year — a time of deep introspection, fasting and repentance, which Jews have traditionally honored by spending the day in synagogue in a collective act of prayer, ...Read more
'They have been suffering so much.' Migrant families lean on faith in Catholic baptism ceremony
MIAMI — It took months of trekking across Central America to escape economic hardship in Venezuela and get to Miami for Karen Ugas, her husband and her five kids.
They needed everything — food, clothes, a place to live and most of all, a plan to figure out their next step in a new country — and a lot of faith.
Ugas says she and her ...Read more
Archbishop concedes the Baltimore archdiocese is considering bankruptcy; survivors say they'd oppose the move
BALTIMORE — When Teresa Lancaster learned the Archdiocese of Baltimore could file for bankruptcy in the face of an anticipated deluge of lawsuits over its history of child sexual abuse, the news only strengthened her resolve.
Lancaster, a victim of childhood sexual assault in the 1970s and an attorney based in Annapolis, is a prominent voice ...Read more
Pope praises religious freedom on first papal visit to Mongolia
Pope Francis praised Mongolia for its openness to religious freedoms as he met with political leaders during the first-ever papal visit to the nation, hemmed between Russia and China.
Francis, speaking alongside Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa in Ulaanbaatar, also applauded the nation’s efforts to promote peace and preservation of the ...Read more
Latin Mass not just for older Catholics -- what's driving Miami's newer, younger members?
MIAMI — It’s the kind of Catholic Mass your grandparents might remember: The liturgy is spoken in Latin, the choir sings Gregorian chants and women wear chapel veils, or “mantillas.” But, this Traditional Latin Mass isn’t full of elderly parishioners.
At Our Lady of Belen Chapel in West Miami, roughly 350 people — young and old — ...Read more
NYC says mosques can now broadcast call to prayer on Fridays and during Ramadan without a permit
NEW YORK — New York City mosques can now broadcast the Islamic call to prayer freely on Fridays and during evenings in the month of Ramadan without a permit, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday, seeking to foster a spirit of religious inclusivity in the five boroughs.
Under NYPD guidance outlined by the Adams administration, mosques’ ability to ...Read more
Episcopal priest included in Maryland AG report on Catholic sexual abuse resigns
An Episcopal priest whose name was blacked out in the Maryland attorney general’s report on sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore has resigned his position as priest-in-charge of a parish in Western Maryland.
The Rev. Thomas Hudson, onetime spiritual leader of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Allegany County, left the ...Read more
In push to withhold names from Maryland AG report, accused Catholic priests respond to allegations of abuse, cover-up
BALTIMORE — When a city judge called for “more transparency, not less,” it was in reference to his decision to reveal 43 blacked-out names in a Maryland attorney general’s report on the history of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore.
But it also applies to the inclusion in his opinion of some of the arguments ...Read more
Judge orders most Catholic Church names made public in Maryland AG report, calls for 'more transparency, not less'
BALTIMORE — A Baltimore judge has ordered the release of most of the redacted names in the attorney general’s report on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s history of child sexual abuse, according to court records unsealed Tuesday.
The order allows for the release Sept. 26 of 43 of 46 blacked-out names, including those of five high-ranking ...Read more
Baltimore Catholic Church abuse: Judge orders most redacted names in AG report can be made public
BALTIMORE — A Baltimore judge has ordered the release of most of the redacted names in the attorney general’s report on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s history of child sexual abuse, according to court records unsealed Tuesday. ç
The order allows for the release of 28 of 31 blacked-out names, including those of five high-ranking church ...Read more
An aging Minneapolis church gave its building to a younger congregation
MINNEAPOLIS -- On flyers, they called it the "Back to the Future Celebration." In conversation, they referred to it as the "great handover."
This summer, Walker Community United Methodist Church, which dates back more than a century, gave its Minneapolis building to New City Church, a growing congregation just eight years old. The move signals ...Read more
Archdiocese of Philadelphia agrees to $3.5 million settlement in priest sexual assault lawsuit
PHILADELPHIA — The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will pay $3.5 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that one of its priests sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy in Delaware County nearly two decades ago.
Filed in 2020, the lawsuit alleges that Pastor John Close raped the boy at St. Katherine’s of Siena in Wayne in 2006. The plaintiff, whose ...Read more
New law lets Minn. churches help homeless people by building tiny homes on property
Valerie Roy chose to paint the door on her new tiny home in Roseville a bright shade of cerulean.
"It's called 'Dignity Blue,' as a matter of fact," said Roy, 53, who was homeless for years but now rents the structure built on a church's property. "This is the most dignified approach to long-term homelessness that I've seen in this country."
...Read more
San Francisco archdiocese says bankruptcy 'very likely' given child sex abuse lawsuits
The Archdiocese of San Francisco will "very likely" file for bankruptcy in order to deal with a wave of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by its priests and other employees and volunteers going back decades, the archbishop said.
In an open letter Friday, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said the option was the result of "much contemplation...Read more
India religious violence threatens Modi's image before G-20
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to welcome Group of 20 leaders next month, some of the worst religious violence in years threatens to taint his efforts to showcase India as a strategic counterweight and investment alternative to China.
Clashes between Hindus and Muslims this week left six people dead near New Delhi’s international ...Read more
Final Mass comes for dozens of Catholic parishes across the St. Louis region
ST. LOUIS COUNTY — Longtime parishioners of St. Andrew Catholic Church in the Lemay area gathered in the pews Wednesday night to share memories and a prayer of lament.
“In a land where faith was strong, stood a parish proud and long. Named for St. Andrew’s guiding light, a beacon shining through the night. ... As we bid farewell in sorrow...Read more
Pope Francis tells trans youth that 'God loves us as we are' -- even 'if we are sinners'
Pope Francis told a young transgender person that “God loves us just as we are” in a new podcast released Tuesday by the Vatican.
Francis’ comments were featured in the second episode of Vatican Media’s “Popecast” ahead of World Youth Day — a global event set to take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from Aug. 1 to 6.
The leader of the ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Baltimore archdiocese declares bankruptcy as sexual abuse lawsuits loom
- As the Archdiocese of Baltimore faces potential bankruptcy, untangling its assets proves murky
- What's an LA Jew to do on Yom Kippur if they don't go to synagogue?
- High-ranking Catholic officials' names withheld from latest Maryland AG report after group appeals
- Latin Mass not just for older Catholics -- what's driving Miami's newer, younger members?
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