Catholic Bishop ‘Can See the Arguments’ for Condoms in Third World

Staff / Truthdig Apr 1, 2010 The highest-ranking Catholic clergyman in England and Wales, Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols, has made the slightest of admissions that he understands why contraception use may seem, well, useful under certain conditions -- such as poverty, for example. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pope Accepts Irish Bishop’s Resignation

Staff / Truthdig Mar 24, 2010 Pope Benedict XVI has OK'd the resignation of Bishop John Magee, an Irish clergyman who had held prominent positions within the Catholic Church for decades and whose diocese was rocked by allegations of child sexual abuse by members of the clergy ranging from at least the mid-1990s. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

On Health Care, Listen to the Nuns

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Mar 18, 2010 One of the tragedies of the viciously politicized battle over health care reform is the defection of the nation's Roman Catholic bishops from a cause they have championed for decades. Thank God for the nuns. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Irish Bishops Called on the Carpet

Staff / Truthdig Feb 15, 2010 The long-running clergy sexual abuse scandal within Dublin's Archdiocese is still the Catholic Church's problem, and on Monday, Pope Benedict XVI met with Irish bishops for the first part of a two-day strategy and damage-control session at the Vatican. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Don’t Let Abortion Destroy Health Care Reform

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Nov 12, 2009 Pro-choice Democrats need to accept that their House majority depends on a large cadre of anti-abortion colleagues. They can denounce that reality, or they can learn to live with it. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Episcopal Church Making Progress on LGBT Rights

Staff / Truthdig Jul 14, 2009 Although it doesn't look like the Church of England is getting with the program at the moment, its American counterpart, the Episcopal Church, is preparing to officially perform same-sex marriages and to approve gay and lesbian bishops. One openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, was ordained in 2003. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Pope Admits Vatican’s Mistake in Holocaust Controversy

Staff / Truthdig Mar 14, 2009 The Vatican is about to become a more Web-savvy institution, according to Benedict XVI. The pope issued a public statement Friday acknowledging that the Holy See failed to investigate the background of Holocaust-denying British Bishop Richard Williamson before formally welcoming him back into the Church's good graces in January. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Consider the Source

Robert Fisk / Truthdig Mar 1, 2009 Now a lot of folk will go along with the line that the Holy Father is so stupid -- so utterly out of touch with Planet Earth -- that he has no idea how disastrously his actions are received. Hmmm. Well, I wonder. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

‘Holocaust Bishop’ Ordered to Recant

Staff / Truthdig Feb 4, 2009 With a media-dubbed moniker that doesn't look good for either party, the "Holocaust Bishop" -- a British bishop recently un-excommunicated by the pope -- is being told by the Vatican to recant his views after news broke that he "believe[s] there were no gas chambers [during World War II]." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bishop Robinson’s Invocation Cut From HBO’s Telecast

Staff / Truthdig Jan 19, 2009 Here's the footage of openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson's invocation, which he delivered Sunday before the inaugural concert festivities began -- and which was not included in HBO's special broadcast of the show. But was it the network's choice or Team Obama's? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama Asks Gay Bishop to Lead Pre-Inaugural Prayer

Staff / Truthdig Jan 13, 2009 Clearly Barack Obama and his legion of inauguration planners have registered the gay community's dismay over the selection of the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the inaugural invocation on Jan. 20, as Obama has tapped the openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson to lead the prayer session at an event two days prior. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Catholics Can’t Vote for Obama?

By Will Evans, Center for Investigative Reporting Nov 3, 2008 In a last-ditch attempt to derail Latino support for Obama, an anti-abortion crusader and an activist against illegal immigration have teamed up to send a retired Texas bishop's message to nearly 3 million Latino voters by e-mail and to even more by radio. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )