The Columbian

Churches & Religion

Fire damaged the First Congregational United Church of Christ on Wednesday morning n Hazel Dell.

‘Rescue Heroes’ spotlights Vancouver United Church of Christ arson

January 11, 2019, 6:04am Churches & Religion

Around 3 a.m. May 25, 2016, firefighters rushed to an arson at Vancouver United Church of Christ that nearly destroyed the west steeple of the boat-shaped building and caused millions of dollars in damage. The Hazel Dell church rebuilt and reopened last year. Read story

You Can Help

January 9, 2019, 6:02am Churches & Religion

Volunteer Connections provides opportunities through the Human Services Council. For information on the following, call 360-735-3690. Read story

Bulgarians sing and chaindance in the icy waters of the Tundzha river in Kalofer, Bulgaria, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019. Traditionally, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a wooden cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retrieves it will be healthy through the year. In the mountain city of Kalofer, in central Bulgaria, dozens of men dressed in white embroidered shirts waded into the frigid Tundzha River waving national flags and singing folk songs.

Christians celebrate Epiphany across Europe

January 6, 2019, 7:35pm Churches & Religion

Christians across Europe celebrated Epiphany on Sunday, with worshippers plunging into icy waters and parades being held in Poland and elsewhere. Read story

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, conducts Mass at St. Mathews Cathedral in Washington. Over the past four months, Roman Catholic dioceses across the U.S. have released the names of more than 1,000 priests and others accused of sexually abusing children in an unprecedented public reckoning spurred at least in part by a shocking grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania, an Associated Press review has found.

AP Exclusive: A reckoning is underway in U.S. Catholic Church

January 3, 2019, 4:45pm Churches & Religion

Over the past four months, Roman Catholic dioceses across the U.S. have released the names of more than 1,000 priests and others accused of sexually abusing children in an unprecedented public reckoning spurred at least in part by a shocking grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania, an Associated Press review has… Read story

Pope urges U.S. bishops to heal divisions, repair trust

January 3, 2019, 9:40am Churches & Religion

Pope Francis is encouraging U.S. bishops meeting near Chicago to unify as the Catholic church deals with a “crisis of credibility” stemming from the clergy sex abuse scandal. Read story

A Catholic nun stands at the foyer of the St. Francis Mission Home in Kuravilangad in the southern Indian state of Kerala. For decades, nuns in India have quietly endured sexual pressure from Catholic priests, an AP investigation has revealed.

AP Exclusive: For decades, nuns in India have faced abuse

January 2, 2019, 4:05pm Churches & Religion

The stories spill out in the sitting rooms of Catholic convents, where portraits of Jesus keep watch and fans spin quietly overhead. They spill out in church meeting halls bathed in fluorescent lights, and over cups of cheap instant coffee in convent kitchens. Always, the stories come haltingly, quietly. Sometimes,… Read story

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2018 file photo, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, listens to a reporter’s question during a news conference during the USCCB’s annual fall meeting, in Baltimore. When Cardinal DiNardo told a stunned meeting of U.S. bishops that the Vatican wouldn’t let them adopt new measures to address clergy sex abuse, he said the Holy See wanted them to wait until after a February abuse prevention summit called by Pope Francis. But a letter from the Vatican’s Cardinal Marc Oullet, obtained this week by The Associated Press, said the main reason the Vatican objected to the November vote was because U.S. bishops had withheld the problematic texts from the Vatican until the last minute, and didn’t consult Rome in drafting them.

AP Exclusive: Vatican letter undermines US cardinal on abuse

January 1, 2019, 4:05pm Churches & Religion

The Vatican blocked U.S. bishops from taking measures to address the clergy sex abuse scandal because U.S. church leaders failed to sufficiently consult with the Holy See beforehand about legally problematic proposals, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. Read story

Pope Francis arrives Sept. 15 in Piazza Armerina, Sicily. Below: Pope Francis appears during his weekly general audience Aug. 22 in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican. After commissioning an in-depth investigation into the Chilean church, Francis admitted he had made “grave errors in judgment” and personally apologized to the victims he had discredited.

Sex abuse blind spot threatens pope’s legacy

December 29, 2018, 6:00am Churches & Religion

It has been a wretched year for Pope Francis, whose blind spot on clergy sex abuse conspired with events beyond his control to threaten his legacy and throw the Catholic hierarchy into a credibility crisis not seen in modern times. Read story

Alert prompts shelters to expand capacity due to cold temperatures

December 29, 2018, 5:59am Churches & Religion

Council for the Homeless has issued a severe weather alert that runs Sunday night through Monday night. Read story

ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Accused of abusing children

Lawyer: McCarrick touched youth during confession

December 28, 2018, 5:25pm Churches & Religion

The Vatican’s sexual abuse case against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick has expanded significantly after a man testified that the retired American archbishop sexually abused him for years starting when he was 11, including during confession. Read story