The Columbian

Churches & Religion

Pope Francis, flanked by Vatican spokesperson Greg Burke, listens to a journalist’s question during a press conference aboard of the flight to Rome at the end of his two-day visit to Ireland, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2018.

Pope accused of ‘complicity’ in clergy-abuse case

August 27, 2018, 4:42pm Churches & Religion

The archbishop of Washington on Monday “categorically denied” ever being informed that his predecessor had been sanctioned for sexual misconduct, undercutting a key element of a bombshell allegation that Pope Francis covered up clergy abuse. Read story

Participants form a circle to conclude their service Aug. 5 at the Church of the Wild in McLean, Va.

Church connects with nature

August 25, 2018, 6:02am Churches & Religion

The sound of drumming filtered through the trees and called the people from their cars. Read story

A contractor working at Vancouver United Church of Christ prepares to install new windows on July 19. The church’s west steeple was damaged by fire in May 2016.

From blueprints to Bibles, a resurrection for Hazel Dell church

August 25, 2018, 6:00am Churches & Religion

A core tenet of Christianity is resurrection and new life, the “understanding that some things have to die so new things can be born,” the Rev. Jennifer Brownell said. Read story

Muslim worshipers gather Tuesday on the field for the morning prayers for Eid ul-Adha at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. To celebrate Eid ul-Adha, the organization Super Eid hopes to bring together over 50,000 Muslims to pray.

Thousands join in ‘Super Eid’ celebration event

August 25, 2018, 5:01am Churches & Religion

Thousands of people knelt in prayer at U.S. Bank Stadium on Tuesday morning, on carpets unfurled atop the turf, to observe Eid al-Adha. Read story

Nuns look up at Pope Francis delivering his blessing during the Regina Coeli prayer he celebrated from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican. Advocates of women’s ordination as Roman Catholic priests are citing the church’s unfolding sex abuse scandals in mid-2018 as powerful arguments for their cause, while acknowledging, as they do so, the high unlikelihood of achieving their goal any time soon.

Women as priests? Some say it’s time but admit it’s unlikely

August 23, 2018, 1:35pm Churches & Religion

Advocates of ordaining women as Roman Catholic priests cite the church’s unfolding sex abuse scandals as powerful arguments for their cause, while acknowledging the high unlikelihood of achieving their goal anytime soon. Read story

U.S. Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick attends a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Allegations that disgraced ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick engaged in sex with adult seminarians have inflamed a long-running debate about the presence of gay men in the Roman Catholic priesthood.

Cardinal McCarrick scandal inflames debate over gay priests

August 20, 2018, 3:55pm Churches & Religion

Allegations that disgraced ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick engaged in sex with adult seminarians have inflamed a long-running debate about the presence of gay men in the Roman Catholic priesthood. Read story

FILE- In this Sept. 24, 2015, file photo a member of the clergy prays the rosary as he waits for Pope Francis to arrive at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for evening prayer service in New York. Across the U.S., Catholics once faithful with their financial support to their churches are searching for ways to respond to the constant sex-abuse scandals that have tarnished the institution in which they believe, with back-to-back scandals in the past two months.

Catholics mull withholding donations amid scandals

August 20, 2018, 2:00pm Churches & Religion

For decades, Michael Drweiga has opened his wallet whenever the donation basket comes around at church, but the latest revelations of priests sexually abusing children brought him to the conclusion that he can no longer justify giving. Read story

In this Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018 file photo, Pope Francis prays for the victims of the Kerala floods during the Angelus noon prayer in St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican. Pope Francis has issued a letter to Catholics around the world condemning the "crime" of priestly sexual abuse and cover-up and demanding accountability, in response to new revelations in the United States of decades of misconduct by the Catholic Church.

Pope on sex abuse: “We showed no care for the little ones”

August 20, 2018, 8:42am Churches & Religion

Pope Francis issued a letter to Catholics around the world Monday condemning the crime of priestly sexual abuse and its cover-up and demanding accountability, seeking to respond to new revelations in the United States of decades of misconduct by the Catholic Church. Read story