In the wake of the Pennsylvania grand jury's exclusive focus on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, people are coming out of the woodwork with outlandish tales of long-ago horrific abuses at Catholic institutions, and Internet sites such as BuzzFeed are enthusiastically blaring every wild-eyed accusation. The Catholic Church has never had a monopoly on the mistreatment [...]
Almost three in four Americans, 73%, think the Catholic Church has a serious problem with sexual predators among its clergy; most Catholics feel the same way. That is the central finding of a new Rasmussen survey. Also, only 15% think the media are overhyping the problem, and 12% are not sure. The perception is as predictable [...]
Every time there is a story about a priest accused of wrongdoing, it makes its way into the newspaper. If the accused is a bishop, it merits coverage by all the big media: print, digital, radio, and television. But when a bishop gets cleared of wrongdoing, they go mute. On September 13, Dauphin County District Attorney [...]
Stanford University has decided to rename many places on campus that give tribute to Father Junipero Serra, the 18th century Spanish missionary who was canonized in 2015. A total of 21 missions were established by the missionaries, nine of which were under the tenure of Serra; he personally founded six missions. The decision, which was approved [...]
Pope Francis' comments on economic issues, the environment, and migration, which reflect his more liberal leanings, have received much media attention, including before his addressing the World Meeting of Families in Dublin in August. In contrast, his statements on marriage, the family, and sexuality, which evince a more traditional moral outlook, have not been widely reported [...]
Father Basil Hutsko was getting ready to say Mass on a recent Monday morning at St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church in Merrillville, Indiana (he was praying at the altar) when a man came up behind him and assaulted him. The priest was grabbed by the neck, choked, thrown to the floor, and beaten mercilessly. His head [...]
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio violated the United States Constitution in September when he held political rallies in four Brooklyn churches. According to the New York Post, he went to the churches "to stump for Zellnor Myrie, who's running against state Sen. Jesse Hamilton" from Crown Heights. In doing so, de Blasio blatantly crossed [...]
