http://www.religionnewsblog.com Religion news about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:33:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23789/a-mother-a-sick-son-and-his-father-the-priest http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23789/a-mother-a-sick-son-and-his-father-the-priest#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:25:17 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23789 A rare look at how the Roman Catholic Church goes to great lengths to keep clergy members’ clandestine relationships hidden and the priests in active ministry.

Clergy members of many faiths have crossed the line with women and had children out of wedlock. But the problem is particularly fraught for the Catholic Church, as Catholics in many countries are increasingly questioning the celibacy requirement for priests. ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23789/a-mother-a-sick-son-and-his-father-the-priest/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23763/trevor-dal-broi http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23763/trevor-dal-broi#comments Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:36:12 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23763 A pharmacist in western NSW, Australia has banned the sale of condoms, the contraceptive and morning-after pill because it is against his beliefs as a Catholic.

In a move that has angered health experts, Griffith pharmacist Trevor Dal Broi has refused to sell the oral contraceptive pill, the morning-after pill and condoms, referring customers to other chemists in the area.

"As a practising Catholic, it is my obligation to accept the official teaching of the Catholic Church against the use of artificial contraception," he said.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23763/trevor-dal-broi/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23601/unethical-investments http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23601/unethical-investments#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:53:23 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23601 BBC Northern Ireland presenter William Crawley has a blog post about "Hardcore Profits, a BBC documentary about the pornography industry, has been looking into those organisations who have investments, directly or indirectly, with in the adult entertainment business."

Crawley says following a change in ethical policy guidelines the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops in 2003, Christian Brothers Investment Services now have investments of tens of millions of dollars in companies that make sizeable profits from commercial pornography. The Bishops' guidelines permit these investments because the new rules allow the church to do business with a company as long as income from pornography does not represent "a significant portion of its revenues".]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23601/unethical-investments/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23496/opus-dei-film http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23496/opus-dei-film#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:09:24 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23496 British film-maker Roland Joffe is to recreate the life and miracles of Jose Maria Escriva de Balaguer, the Spanish priest who founded Opus Dei, one of the most influential and secretive organisations within the Catholic Church.

The film seems set to stir up more controversy, following in the wake of several screen hits tapping into public fascination with tales of Opus-inspired crimes and conspiracies, which have set Vatican chasubles aflap. ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23496/opus-dei-film/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23473/ireland-catholic-priests-child-abuse http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23473/ireland-catholic-priests-child-abuse#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 14:13:28 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23473 The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse has spent nine years looking into allegations from thousands of former pupils of state schools and orphanages, some which date back more than 60 years.

It is due to report on Wednesday while a second report looking into how sex abuse complaints were handled by the Catholic Church will be published by the commission in the summer.

It is thought some 500 priests have been implicated in the abuse allegations.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23473/ireland-catholic-priests-child-abuse/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23455/vietnam-halts-church-construction http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23455/vietnam-halts-church-construction#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 10:34:41 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23455 Amid protests against reported church destructions, the city of Hanoi has ordered one of its districts to stop construction work on land claimed by the Catholic church.

The move was seen as a surprise turnaround by Communist authorities who since March demolished at least one historic church building in the Central Highlands, Christians said.

Government work crews reportedly destroyed a Protestant church building of Evangelical Church of Vietnam (South), or ECVN(S), in the area of Banmethuot om March 11.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23455/vietnam-halts-church-construction/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23385/legionaries-of-christ-2 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23385/legionaries-of-christ-2#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:16:45 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23385 Pope Benedict XVI has ordered a probe into the ultra-conservative Legionaries of Christ after allegations that the order's late founder Marcial Maciel secretly fathered a child.

The leadership recently admitted that Maciel, a cult figure among Legionaries, led a "double life" after the discovery of his liaison with the mother of his daughter.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23385/legionaries-of-christ-2/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23371/catholic-news http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23371/catholic-news#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:18:58 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23371 • Medical journal The Lancet has launched a stinging attack on the Pope for his opposition to the use of condoms.

• Two priests are jailed for stealing more than more than $8 million.

• The Pope vs. Witchcraft: Is One Man's Faith Another's Superstition? ]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23371/catholic-news/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23308/richard-williamson-holocaust-denier-2 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23308/richard-williamson-holocaust-denier-2#comments Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:14:44 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23308 The Vatican said Friday it is not satisfied by the apology issued by a Catholic bishop who denied the Holocaust, saying the cleric must still clearly "distance himself" from the controversial comments.

Bishop Richard Williamson, who is now in England, issued a statement Thursday saying he regretted making the remarks. But he did not retract them or say he had changed his mind about the Holocaust.]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23308/richard-williamson-holocaust-denier-2/feed 0 http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23306/richard-williamson-holocaust-denier http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23306/richard-williamson-holocaust-denier#comments Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:58:39 +0000 Religion News Blog http://www.religionnewsblog.com/?p=23306 A bishop whose recent rehabilitation by Pope Benedict XVI provoked global outrage has apologized for remarks in which he denied the Holocaust, a Catholic news agency reported on Thursday.

Some outside observers were not convinced by Bishop Williamson’s statement. “He does everything except confront the central issue of this whole crisis,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. “Has he changed his mind about the Holocaust, and does he believe that the Holocaust is a historic fact?”]]> http://www.religionnewsblog.com/23306/richard-williamson-holocaust-denier/feed 0