Pope slams ‘insinuations’ against John Paul II as baseless
April 16, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday publicly defended St. John Paul II, condemning as “offensive and baseless” insinuations that recently surfaced about the late pontiff.
Papal official rejects new claims in ‘Vatican Girl’ mystery
April 14, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — The Vatican pushed back hard Friday at “slanderous” insinuations against St. John Paul II that were aired following the reopening of an investigation into the 1983 disappearance of the teenage daughter of a Vatican employee.
Poland marches defend John Paul II from abuse cover-up claim
April 2, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Thousands of Poles joined marches Sunday in defense of the late pope, St. John Paul II, following a TV documentary that alleged he covered up child sex abuse involving clergy in his native Poland before his election as pontiff.
John Paul abuse claims trigger angry reactions in Poland
March 9, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Fallout from a TV report alleging that St. John Paul II covered up clergy sex abuse cases escalated Thursday, with Poland’s Catholic Church and lawmakers defending him as one of the greatest Poles ever and the government “inviting” the U.S.
Polish PM defends John Paul II after report he knew of abuse
March 8, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s prime minister on Wednesday stepped in to defend the good name of St. John Paul II, a “great fellow-countryman,” following claims that he knew of sex abuse of minors by priests under his authority while archbishop in Poland and sought to conceal it.
Pope seeks release of Cubans arrests during 2021 protests
February 8, 2023 GMTHAVANA (AP) — Pope Francis hopes Cuban authorities will release and grant amnesty to people arrested and sentenced after the historic protests that took place in 2021, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, who traveled to the island as the pontiff’s special envoy, said Wednesday.
Recalling Benedict’s grace but also the storms of his papacy
January 3, 2023 GMTROME (AP) — Flying back to Rome from Beirut in September 2012, I was escorted down the aisle to the first-class section of the papal plane and seated beside Pope Benedict XVI.
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Allentown Central Catholic 34, Bethlehem Liberty 28
Retired Gary Catholic Bishop Melczek dies at age 83
August 26, 2022 GMTGARY, Ind. (AP) — Retired Bishop Dale Melczek, who led Indiana's Catholic Diocese of Gary for more than two decades, has died at age 83.
The diocese said Melczek died Thursday after going into hospice care following a recent severe stroke.
Cardinal Hummes, close friend of Pope Francis, dies at 87
July 4, 2022 GMTSAO PAULO (AP) — Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the Brazilian Catholic cardinal who inspired Pope Francis to pick his name after the 2013 conclave, died on Monday at the age of 87. He was one of the country’s main religious leaders and a strong advocate for the poor.
Families, from Ukraine, elsewhere, tell pope of woes, joys
June 22, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Families from many places, including war-ravaged Ukraine, told Pope Francis their stories of joys, sorrows and hopes at an event on a stage at the Vatican Wednesday evening.
The occasion at the Vatican’s auditorium was part of events this week for the World Meeting of Families, a Catholic church tradition established by Pope John Paul II in 1994.
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April 2, 2022 GMTToday in History
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Archbishop Murphy 58, Cedarcrest 27
Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 67, Auburn Adventist Academy 23
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Presidents and popes over the years: Gifts, gaffes, grief
October 29, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden meets with Pope Francis on Friday, he won’t kiss the ring.
Biden, who has met with Francis three times and with two previous popes, has said he eschews the traditional sign of respect because his mother told him not to — that no one is “better” than him.
Presidents and popes over the years: Gifts, gaffes, grief
October 28, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden meets with Pope Francis on Friday, he won’t kiss the ring.
Biden, who has met with Francis three times and with two previous popes, has said he eschews the traditional sign of respect because his mother told him not to — that no one is “better” than him.
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Maine priest accused of abusing girl in the 1980s
July 5, 2021 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Roman Catholic priest who previously led youth retreats is on temporary administrative leave while the Diocese of Portland investigates an abuse allegation, officials said Monday.
Famous German boys’ choir to add separate choir for girls
June 15, 2021 GMTBERLIN (AP) — One of Germany's most famous Catholic boys' choirs, the Regensburg Cathedral Choir, plans to establish a separate choral group for girls for the first time in its more than 1000-year history.
Today in History
June 2, 2021 GMTToday in History
Today is Wednesday, June 2, the 153rd day of 2021. There are 212 days left in the year.
Judge slain in Sicily by mafiosi put on path to sainthood
May 9, 2021 GMTROME (AP) — A magistrate slain by mobsters in Sicily and praised by two popes has been beatified by the Roman Catholic church on Sunday in the last formal step before possible sainthood.
Rosario Livatino was gunned down on a Sicilian highway outside Agrigento as he drove to work in 1990...
Vatican faults others for McCarrick’s rise, spares Francis
November 10, 2020 GMTROME (AP) — A Vatican investigation into former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick found that bishops, cardinals and popes downplayed or dismissed multiple reports of sexual misconduct and determined that Pope Francis merely continued his predecessors’ handling of the predator until taking action when a former altar boy alleged abuse...
Key findings in Vatican report into ex-Cardinal McCarrick
November 10, 2020 GMTBy The Associated Press (AP) — The Vatican has taken the extraordinary step of publishing its two-year investigation into the rise and fall of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked in 2019 after a Vatican investigation determined he sexually abused adults as well as children...
Timeline of Cardinal George Pell’s career and accusations
April 7, 2020 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s highest court on Tuesday dismissed Cardinal George Pell's convictions on charges he molested two choirboys in a cathedral more than two decades ago.
Some events in Pell’s career and the criminal case:
New bishop named for Roman Catholic diocese in Alabama
March 26, 2020 GMTBIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Pope Francis named a new bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama.
The new position for Bishop Steven J. Raica, who was the bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, was officially announced Wednesday, news outlets reported.
Pope Francis to visit Thailand, Japan in November
September 13, 2019 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Pope Francis will travel to Thailand and Japan in November for a visit expected to highlight his call for complete nuclear disarmament and honor the small Catholic communities in each country...
Timeline of Cardinal George Pell’s career and accusations
August 21, 2019 GMTAn Australian appeals court on Wednesday upheld convictions against Cardinal George Pell for molesting two choirboys in a cathedral more than two decades ago. Some events in Pell's career and the criminal case:
Detroit-area Catholics curbing organized sports on Sundays
May 15, 2019 GMTDETROIT (AP) — The Roman Catholic Church in southeastern Michigan plans to stop its youth sports activities on Sundays in an effort to focus on rest and worship.
The Archdiocese of Detroit announced the policy on Wednesday.
Pope Francis lifts suspension on Nicaraguan priest, poet
February 18, 2019 GMTMANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Pope Francis has lifted the suspension imposed in 1983 on Nicaraguan priest and poet Ernesto Cardenal, the Vatican's ambassador to Nicaragua said in a statement Monday.
Nuncio Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag said in a statement that Francis removed the canonical censures following a request from the 94-year-old Cardenal, who has been hospitalized for more than a week.
Former Catholic priest gets 20 years in child rape case
October 23, 2018 GMTA 76-year-old former Catholic priest who already has served jail time for molesting boys in Maryland was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison in South Carolina for raping boys from a middle school four decades ago...
Seoul says Kim Jong Un wants Pope Francis to visit N. Korea
October 9, 2018 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants Pope Francis to visit the officially atheist country, South Korea said Tuesday.
South Korea's presidential office said in a statement that Kim told President Moon Jae-in during their summit last month that the pope would be "enthusiastically" welcomed in North Korea.
The Latest: Pope quips “I am the devil” next to John Paul
September 22, 2018 GMTVILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The Latest on Pope Francis' visit to the Baltic countries (all times local):
6:35 p.m.
Pope Francis has acknowledged that his reputation pales a bit compared to St.
Mercedes roadster sells for $852,500
September 3, 2018 GMTThe biggest-ticket items on the Auburn auction block this weekend smashed expectations and prompted bidding wars.
The top five bids at the RM Auctions Auburn Fall Sale on Saturday : which saw more than 200 cars cross the podium : generated 852,500, according to a news release.
Trump versus human rights declaration
July 8, 2018 GMT“The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.” So says Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in the wake of World War II, established common human rights standards for all peoples and nations.
Cardinal Law’s legacy: a stain of scandal on the church
December 20, 2017 GMTWhen the clergy sex abuse scandal erupted in Boston in 2002, Cardinal Bernard Law had every reason to think he would survive...
AP WAS THERE: Pope John Paul II arrives in Cuba
September 19, 2015 GMTHAVANA (AP) — EDITOR'S NOTE: On Jan. 21, 1998, Pope John Paul II became the first Catholic pontiff to visit Cuba, and more than 20 AP writers, editors, photographers and TV staffers arrived to cover the historic visit.
Poland unveils giant statue of John Paul II
April 13, 2013 GMTCZESTOCHOWA, Poland (AP) — A giant statue of the late Pope John Paul II billed as the world's tallest has been unveiled in southern Poland.
Archbishop Waclaw Depo unveiled the statue of the Polish pontiff Saturday in the southern city of Czestochowa, the home of this predominantly Catholic nation's most famous pilgrimage site, the Jasna Gora monastery.
Francis honors John Paul II before installation
April 8, 2013 GMTROME (AP) — Pope Francis was formally installed as bishop of Rome on Sunday in a ceremony characterized by more simplicity than the usual ritual and pomp enjoyed by papal predecessors taking up their pastoral duties.
‘Miracle nun’ to star in John Paul beatification
April 5, 2011 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — A French nun whose inexplicable cure from Parkinson's disease was the miracle needed to beatify Pope John Paul II will have a starring role in the Vatican's three-day, around-the-clock beatification extravaganza, officials said Tuesday.