Religion

Chilean demonstrators light candles during an August vigil in Santiago that protested the sex abuse scandal roiling the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis Defrocks 2 Chilean Priests In Deepening Sex Abuse Scandal

4:45pm October 13, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

The two high-ranking retired clerics, Archbishop Francisco José Cox Huneeus and Bishop Marco Antonio Órdenes Fernández, were expelled from the priesthood because of alleged "manifest abuse of minors."

After Cardinal's Resignation, Parishioner Shares His Struggle With Catholic Church

8:05am October 13, 2018

Cardinal Donald Wuerl has been accused of covering up sex abuse scandals during his tenure in Pittsburgh. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with a Catholic who still believes in God but questions the church.

Washington Archbishop Cardinal Donald Wuerl Resigns Amid Pressure

5:55pm October 12, 2018

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro about Cardinal Donald Wuerl's resignation and Shapiro's plea for lifting the statute of limitations for sexual abuse crimes.

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Archbishop Óscar Romero stands outside the chapel of the Hospital de la Divina Providencia in San Salvador on Nov. 20, 1979.

A 'Voice For The Voiceless': Sainthood For El Salvador's Archbishop Óscar Romero

11:30am October 12, 2018

by Danny Hajek

Romero was an outspoken champion of the poor who pleaded for social justice during a time of widespread violence. On Sunday, Romero will be canonized as a saint at the Vatican.

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Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl. The two met in 2015 during the pope's visit to Washington, D.C.

Pope Accepts Resignation Of D.C. Archbishop Donald Wuerl Amid Sex Abuse Crisis

11:05am October 12, 2018

by Bill Chappell

Two months ago, a Pennsylvania grand jury detailed how Wuerl learned of credible abuse allegations against priests under his supervision — and still gave the men new parish assignments.

Religion

Pope Francis Accepts Cardinal Wuerl's Resignation

10:09am October 12, 2018

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., stood accused of being complicit in covering up years of sexual abuse by priests. NPR talks to Joshua McElwee of the National Catholic Reporter.

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News Brief: Hurricane Michael, Kentucky House Race, New Saint

10:09am October 12, 2018

Post Michael, what does Mexico Beach, Fla., look like now? As midterms draw near, we examine Kentucky's 6th congressional district. Sunday, Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero becomes a saint.

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Archbishop William Lori announced a new program to issue parishioner ID cards outside a Baltimore church on Wednesday.

To Help Immigrants Feel Safer Around Police, Some Churches Start Issuing IDs

4:31pm October 11, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

"No one in our city should live in fear," said Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh. The Catholic archdiocese program is modeled on one in Dallas, which aims to alleviate immigrants' fears of police stops.

Pope Francis leaves the Paul VI hall at the end of his meeting with youths attending the synod at the Vatican on Saturday. The three-week meeting will likely be dominated by what many analysts call Catholicism's worst crisis since reformation.

Vatican's Meeting Of Bishops Is Overshadowed By Abuse Allegations

5:45pm October 08, 2018

As the Catholic Church deals with new sex-abuse revelations, the pope opened a three-week gathering of bishops in Rome Saturday on how to make the Church relevant for young people.

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A semi-desert steppe after a storm, between Trelew and Las Chapas, Patagonia, Argentina.

'False Calm' Acts As A Record Of Real Life In Patagonia

7:01am October 08, 2018

by lily meyer

Argentine writer María Sonia Cristoff wants to be honest: She won't shape her subjects' narratives or take control another person's story. This is both the book's great strength and great weakness.