Churches & Religion

FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2014 file photo, Pope Francis, right, hugs Pope Benedict XVI prior to the start of a meeting with elderly faithful in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. Retired Pope Benedict XVI has broken his silence to reaffirm the value of priestly celibacy, co-authoring a bombshell book at the precise moment that Pope Francis is weighing whether to allow married men to be ordained to address the Catholic priest shortage.

Cardinal at center of ‘two popes’ storm doubles down on celibacy

January 27, 2020, 6:22pm Churches & Religion

A Vatican cardinal at the center of a storm over a book about celibacy and the Catholic priesthood is denouncing the “brutality” of criticism directed at him and his collaborator, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. Read story

In this Jan. 14, 2020 photo, Ana Lucia Salazar shows a photo of herself when she was 8-years-old, on her smart phone during an interview with the Associated Press in Mexico City. At the time Salazar says she was sexually abused by a Legion of Christ priest.

10 years after Vatican reform, Legion in new abuse crisis

January 26, 2020, 2:45pm Churches & Religion

The administrator of the elite Catholic school in Cancun, Mexico, used to take the girls out of class and send them to the chapel, where the priest from the Legion of Christ religious order would sexually abuse them. Read story

Guests of the Sunrise Springs Spa in Santa Fe, N.M., stroll through the walking paths in the design of a medicine wheel, a sacred Native American symbol.

Sacred Sante Fe spa stellar for spirituality

January 25, 2020, 6:00am Churches & Religion

Before flying to my Santa Fe, N.M., resort, I received a list of at least 20 activities available during my stay. Yoga Nidra. Zen Qi Flow. Sound Healing Journey. Meditation in Motion. Temazcal Sweat Lodge. Petroglyph Art Hike. Awakening the Elements Within. Chicken Chats. Read story

A child walks in front of Pope Francis during the weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020.

Vatican rejoins financial intelligence network after raid

January 23, 2020, 9:28am Churches & Religion

A global network of financial intelligence units has readmitted the Holy See after a two-month suspension sparked by a Vatican police raid on the Vatican’s financial watchdog agency. Read story

Notre Dame cathedral is pictured in Paris, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin who is overseeing the reconstruction of the fire-devastated Notre Dame Cathedral told French broadcaster CNews on Sunday that "the cathedral is still in a state of peril" after last year's fire, which destroyed its roof and collapsed its spire as the cathedral was undergoing renovations.

Notre Dame renovation chief says rebuild won’t be rushed

January 22, 2020, 2:45pm Churches & Religion

The French army general in charge of rebuilding fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris says renovation work will begin in earnest later this year. Read story

Pot dispensaries, churches at odds

Local controversy over marijuana dispensaries opening near churches took a new turn recently, when a man proposing a dispensary in Rancho Bernardo built a large fence on the property to create a longer walking distance between the business and the church — hoping to allow the dispensary under city rules. Read story

Retired pope distances himself from book on priest celibacy

FILE - In this June 28, 2017, file photo, Pope Francis, left, and Pope Benedict XVI, meet each other on the occasion of the elevation of five new cardinals at the Vatican. Retired Pope Benedict XVI has broken his silence to reaffirm the value of priestly celibacy, co-authoring a bombshell book at the precise moment that Pope Francis is weighing whether to allow married men to be ordained to address the Catholic priest shortage.

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI distanced himself Tuesday from a book on priestly celibacy and asked to be removed as its co-author after the project gave the impression the retired pope was trying to interfere with the reigning one. Read story