Vatican

Then and Now

Catholics without popes

Mar 13, 2013 by Julie Byrne

On February 11, comedian Stephen Colbert asked historian Garry Wills if he was in favor of the next pope being not John Paul III or Benedict XVII but “Nobody the First.” Wills smiled and said, “Ah, very good idea.”

For some Catholics, this idea is more than a joke.

In the World

Rose Berger on Benedict's possible reasons

Feb 12, 2013 by Steve Thorngate

When the pope says he's going to step down due to his deteriorating strength of mind and body, it's hard to say much more than that about it with any certainty. That said, I found Rose Berger's post pretty thoughtful.

News

Pope Paul VI is nearing sainthood status

Dec 25, 2012 by Alessandro Speciale

Pope Benedict XVI has moved Pope Paul VI closer to sainthood by acknowledging his predecessor’s “heroic virtues.”

On the Shelf

Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics

Margaret A. Farley

Another PR gift from the CDF

Jun 05, 2012 by Amy Frykholm

Margaret Farley’s Just Love: A Framework for a Christian Sexual Ethics is at #16 on the current Amazon sales list. When is the last time a sane, scholarly, carefully argued and theologically rich book of sexual ethics ranked that high?

I don’t know, but I can’t imagine it was recent. (Four out of the top five on the Amazon list are versions of Fifty Shades of Gray. If only those readers would open up Farley!) To make matters even stranger, the book is six years old and used mostly in seminaries and at religious institutions.

The flurry of interest was provoked by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

News

Vatican joins chorus opposing Quran burning at Fla. church

Sep 09, 2010 by Francis X. Rocca

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican on Wednesday (Sept. 8) joined Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other high-level U.S. officials in denouncing a Florida pastor's plans to burn the Quran on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

News

Obama nominates Latino professor as Vatican envoy

Miguel H. Diaz
Jun 30, 2009
President Obama has nominated Latino theologian Miguel H. Diaz as the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. Diaz is a professor of theology at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University in Minnesota.

If the May 27 nomination is approved by the Senate, Diaz, 45, would be the
News

Vatican ousts rogue African archbishop

Milingo excommunicated after installing married bishops
Oct 17, 2006
The Vatican on September 26 announced the excommunication of African archbishop emeritus Emmanuel Milingo as a penalty for his having installed four married men as Roman Catholic bishops two days before. The four men consecrated by Milingo during ceremonies in Washington, D.C., were also excommunicated.
News

Vatican astronomer’s backing of evolution no factor in his exit

Coyne to remain chair of observatory foundation
Oct 03, 2006
The former director of the Vatican Observatory has rejected speculation that he was replaced because of his vocal opposition to “intelligent design,” adding that Pope Benedict XVI “enthusiastically supported” his work.
News

People

Aug 08, 2006
Ralph Reed, former director of the Christian Coalition, who was attempting to launch a political career, lost his bid last month in the Georgia Republican primary election for nomination as lieutenant governor. Reed, 45, was defeated by Casey Cagle, a state senator, 56 percent to 44 percent.
Features

People

Sep 20, 2005
President Bush has tapped Laurence Francis Rooney III, a successful Oklahoma businessman and top Republican fundraiser, as his next ambassador to the Vatican. Rooney, an active Catholic, is the chief executive officer of Rooney Holdings, a multibillion-dollar building and construction company.