Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A well-known dissenting theologian is mocking plans by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to sponsor a special conference on the Liturgical and Pastoral Practice of Exorcism in Baltimore this November just before the bishops' semiannual meeting.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Pope Benedict XVI has chosen religious freedom as the theme for the celebration of the 2011 World Day of Peace.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Contrary to what various media outlets are reporting, the Vatican’s U.S. lawyer says the Supreme Court decision handed down Monday that allows a lawsuit against the Holy See to move forward was not based on the merits of the case, but was merely a decision to allow the case to return to the lower courts.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Attorneys with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights asking it to hear the case of a seven-year-old boy seized by Swedish authorities because his parents homeschool.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The Vatican is expressing outrage over the raiding of church offices and the opening of two Archbishops’ tombs by Belgian authorities in search of information pertaining to alleged sex abuse scandals in that country.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
During a recent interview on Vatican television, the director of the Vatican Press Office cited the “impotence and slowness” of both BP and the U.S. government to plug the blown oil well in the Gulf, saying the disastrous episode should serve as a lesson in humility to all of us.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
An Italian priest and Vatican consultant is launching a free iPad app in July that will contain the entire Roman missal, thus enabling priests who travel frequently to use it on the altar.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney is taking on children’s clothing manufacturers who contribute to the cultural sexualization of young girls by marketing inappropriate clothing such as padded bras and other “Tweenage” underwear to girls as young as eight.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) criticized the actions of Sr. Carol Keehan of the Catholic Health Association (CHA) and other “so-called Catholic groups” for causing “confusion” and a “wound to Catholic unity” by publicly supporting ObamaCare in spite of the bishop’s open opposition to the bill.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Muslim rights groups in Cordoba, Spain are pressuring the local bishop for a “joint use” agreement that will entitle them to share usage of the Cordoba Cathedral in order to alleviate the need among the growing Muslim immigrant population in that country for worship space.
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