Catholic Culture Podcasts
Catholic Culture Podcasts

Stories for March 2015

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Tuesday, Mar. 31

 Vatican defends appointment of Chilean bishop
 Vatican near accord with Italy on sharing financial data to trace tax evaders?
 Indonesian government shuts down jihadist web sites
 Bosnian Muslim craftsman delighted to carve chair for papal ceremony
 Security concerns cited for Pope's visit to Sarajevo
 Traditionalist bishops plan more illicit episcopal ordinations
 Papal bull to be issued on eve of Divine Mercy Sunday, proclaiming Holy Year
 Philippines: head of bishops' conference reacts to poll showing public support for legal divorce
 Hundreds march against San Francisco archbishop’s policy on teachers
 Pontifical council issues message to Jains
 Italian cardinal to lead Congregation for Catholic Education
 Leading Ukrainian prelate encourages young soldiers
 Prelate: religious communities are not a ‘Church within the Church’
 Nigeria: laity exhorted to greater involvement in politics
 Thousands to enter Church in US at Easter

Released Monday, Mar. 30

 English bishop issues warning on A Call to Action
 Bosnian cardinal: Europe fears Muslims, forgets its own Christian heritage
 Scottish archbishop urges faithful to maintain hope despite dramatic parish closings
 India: former nun settles claim against religious community
 Burundi: bishops argue against unconstitutional 3rd presidential term
 Nigerian presidential elections proceed despite Boko Haram attacks
 Slovenia: parliament denies plea for referendum on same-sex unions
 India: Protestant pastor arrested in Kashmir, charged with fueling sectarian hostility
 Italian bishops' conference opposes civil-union bill
 St. Peter’s Basilica goes dark for ‘earth hour’
 Bishops visit Texas detention center for migrant families
 Pope Francis: God’s way is the way of humility
 Papal condolences for victims of flooding in Chile, Peru
 Pope pays tribute to late head of Assyrian Church of the East
 Papal letter for 500th anniversary of St. Teresa of Ávila’s birth
 Holy See diplomat laments plight of Syrian refugee children

Released Friday, Mar. 27

 Iraqi prelate pleads for help at first-ever UN session on persecution of Christians
 Pope sends messages of solidarity to suffering Christians in Iraq, Nigeria
 India: police arrest one suspect in gang-rape of nun
 Papal preacher: Western Christians should learn from Eastern spirituality
 Vatican Secretary of State will take part in April's Summit of the Americas
 Cardinal Koch joins critics of German bishops' push for change in Church teaching
 Over 500,000 sign petition to free Asia Bibi
 New allegation against former Cardinal O’Brien
 Pope Francis to meet with President Obama in White House
 Holy See diplomat reflects on religion and free expression
 Head of Assyrian Church of the East dies
 Ukrainian bishops speak of ministry amid suffering
 Indiana governor signs religious-freedom legislation
 American prelates criticize death penalty

Released Thursday, Mar. 26

 Debate among German cardinals heats up; Cardinal Müller raps statement by Cardinal Marx
 Exploitation of child-soldiers peaked in 2014, Vatican envoy tells UN
 Survey shows US Catholics feeling stronger ties to faith
 As 150 homeless people tour Sistine Chapel, Pope greets each individual
 Despite devastation of war and threats of Islamic State, Syrian Christians returning to city of Homs
 Carmelites observe worldwide day of prayer for peace
 Pro-life march draws half-million participants in Peru
 Members of papal abuse commission worried by Chilean bishop's appointment
 Pope approves synod participants from nearly 40 nations
 French prelate reflects on January shooting, warns against isolationism
 Interreligious dialogue at European Parliament
 The future Pope Francis on fervor and evangelization
 Prelate: Nigeria needs a president who seeks the common good
 Controversy follows passage of Indiana religious-freedom bill

Released Wednesday, Mar. 25

 Firebomb tossed at pro-lifers outside Texas abortion clinic: no injuries, no major-media coverage
 Italian tourism official says Rome 'totally capable' of handling pilgrim traffic during Jubilee Year
 Cardinal Nichols instructs priests to avoid public debate on Synod issues
 Shots fired at police guarding church in Lahore, Pakistan
 Plans unveiled for April-June exhibition of Shroud of Turin
 Pope pleads for prayers for success of Synod
 Papal telegram of condolence following plane crash
 Homeless to tour Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums
 Synod leader: the Pope’s ‘great revolution’ is one of ‘language and attitudes’
 Prelate: Christians are not the only group targeted in Pakistan
 Over 1,000 missionaries killed since 1980
 Partial legal victory for student rejected by college, in part because of comment on faith
 Controversy over priestly blessings at public schools in Bologna

Released Tuesday, Mar. 24

 Christian doctors file legal challenge to new Ontario policy requiring abortion referrals
 Japanese archbishop says decline in Catholic population reflects crisis for faith
 Vatican plans 2nd raffle of gifts donated to Pontiff
 Vatican vigil marks 20th anniversary of Evangelium Vitae
 Benedict XVI no longer writing on theology, Archbishop Gänswein reports
 Cardinal Nichols presides at Requiem Mass before re-interment of England's King Richard III
 New Jersey law will end cemetery-headstone sales by Newark archdiocese
 461 priests in England and Wales sign statement urge clear Synod support for traditional teaching
 Head of 'Courage' ministry hopes to have an impact on October Synod discussions
 Former Vatican official raps Cardinal Marx, says German hierarchy unfit to guide universal Church
 Indian Christian identity under attack, cardinal says
 Italian bishops' leader: cultural collapse is reason why some join Islamic State
 Encyclical on environment nearly finished, Vatican spokesman reveals
 After church bombings, lynchings, Pakistani police arrest 200 Christians

Released Monday, Mar. 23

 Egyptian court upholds first-ever conviction of Muslim militant for blasphemy against Christianity
 Colombian priest killed in robbery
 Cardinal Kasper asks prayers for Synod, says 'a battle is going on'
 Nigerian cardinal says country needs change, whoever wins legislative elections
 Ivory Coast: bishops warn against messages, allegedly from Virgin Mary, predicting catastrophe
 No justice without mercy, Pope says in homily
 Angry protests mar installation of Chilean bishop accused of covering up abuse
 Report: 2 ‘underground’ priests arrested in China
 Cardinal preaches at transfer of Richard III’s remains
 Partial victory for Quebec Catholic school in Canadian high court case
 USCCB: religious freedom, conscience rights under fire in DC
 Offer the Gospel, the crucifix, and witness to those who are seeking Jesus, says Pope
 In Naples, Pope denounces corruption, calls criminals to conversion

Released Friday, Mar. 20

 Papal tribute to Japan's 'hidden Christians'
 Assyrian prelate: Church is not allied with any faction in Syrian conflict
 Head of Roman charity urges help for the poor, cautions against profiteering during Jubilee Year
 Dublin's Archbishop Martin calls for calm, respectful debate on same-sex marriage
 After public appearance in St. Louis cancelled at Vatican request, Medjugorje 'seer' holds private event
 Boston archdiocese goes to court to end occupation of closed parish church
 Senate Democrats block bill to aid victims of human trafficking, insist on abortion funding
 Egyptian Christians, Muslims closer together in wake of martyrdoms in Libya, bishop says
 Pope raises Byzantine-rite Hungarian Catholic Church to status of sui juris metropolitan see
 Capital punishment never justified, Pope argues
 Disgraced Scottish cardinal renounces his rank
 Pope Francis calls Pope Emeritus
 Pope decries terrorist attack in Tunis
 Chaldean bishop: war is the only way to stop the persecution of Iraq’s Christians
 USCCB, CRS call for ‘robust funding’ of federal housing programs
 Latin American bishops rue effects of mining by multinational coroporations

Released Thursday, Mar. 19

 Italian Senate approves 'fast-divorce' proposal
 Pope donates over 1,000 pounds of food to serve needy Roman neighborhood
 Vatican official: no return to 1998 English translation of the liturgy
 Breakaway traditionalist prelate ordains new bishop, incurs new excommunication
 Vatican downplays concerns about costs to government for Jubilee year
 Illinois CCD teachers face felony child-porn charges
 Cardinal Sarah speaks of ‘sound tradition,’ ‘legitimate progress’ in the liturgy
 Cardinal Parolin: the Church must be free to preach the Gospel
 Pope will address United Nations on September 25
 Vatican official assures Syria’s bishops of Pope’s closeness
 Christian schools transform education for Nepal’s girls
 Pope meets with homeless pilgrims from France
 San Francisco archdiocese removes controversial sprinkler system from cathedral

Released Wednesday, Mar. 18

 French assembly approves assisted suicide
 Italian cardinal 'amazed' by anger toward Dolce & Gabbana
 Vatican condemns terror attack in Tunis
 Canadian priest had long adversarial relationship with blogger he threatened to sue
 Italian bishop predicts Pope will reign 'another five years'
 Melkite Patriarch opposes international intervention in Syria
 Miracle approved; parents of St. Therese cleared for canonization in October
 Australian archbishop, charged with cover-up of abuse, steps down from bishops' board
 Family disintegration keeps women in poverty, Vatican envoy tells UN
 Vatican plans €2 million program to fight Ebola; Pope makes €500,000 gift
 Childless society is 'sad and gray,' Pope tells Wednesday audience
 Irish bishop pleads for help finding bodies of victims of 'the Troubles'
 Leading Holy See diplomat praises America’s youthful pro-life movement
 Pope receives Taizé leader
 Presbyterians approve same-sex marriage
 Colombia’s bishops begin novena for life
 Pakistan’s Christians mourn bombing victims; official denounces lynching of Muslims
 USCCB president speaks about upcoming synod

Released Tuesday, Mar. 17

 Bishop condemns killing of priest, persistent violence in Democratic Republic of Congo
 China will not budge on appointment of bishops without Vatican approval, AsiaNews director writes
 Cardinal Tagle: no single answer on Communion for divorced/remarried
 Connecticut priest who sold meth seeks reduced sentence
 Pope sends special message of solidarity to Nigerian bishops
 Ethiopian cardinal meets with Communists who imprisoned him
 Bishop: US violating international law in its interdiction efforts
 Chaldean patriarch calls for prosecution of preachers who incite violence
 Report: Bishop Williamson to consecrate new bishop
 Australian archbishop charged for failing to report abuse
 India: church’s cross smashed, replaced with idol
 Navy chaplain under fire for counseling against premarital sex, homosexual activity

Released Monday, Mar. 16

 San Marino's heads of state meet with Pontiff
 New York archdiocese announces academic program to train lay people as parish managers
 Report on Scottish cardinal's misconduct now on Pope's desk
 New Jersey parochial school suspends teacher for Facebook post against homosexuality
 Africa's problems should be solved from within: Cardinal Filoni
 Bishops should be fathers to all, not just to Catholics, Pope tells prelates from Bosnia-Herzegovina
 Gang rape of elderly nun in India
 2 church bombings in Pakistan; Pope, bishops lament persecution of Christians
 Pope reflects on God’s love
 Papal preacher’s 3rd Lenten sermon
 Pope Francis pays tribute to teachers
 Follow Christ, be a leaven in the world, Pope tells lay association
 Over 60 nations sign statement in support of Middle East’s Christians

Released Friday, Mar. 13

 Italian bishops' leader argues against Berlusconi political comeback
 China cool to Vatican proposal for compromise on selection of bishops
 St. Louis appearance by Medjugorje 'seer' cancelled at Vatican request
 Italian bishop angered by newspaper reports on mock 'confessions'
 Pope announces Jubilee: a Year of Mercy
 New interview with Pope Francis on 2nd anniversary of election
 European bishops’ conferences to host conference on ‘decent work’
 Vatican delegation traveling to Ivory Coast
 Regnum Christi to mark 75th anniversary with ‘sober joy’
 Cardinal Müller: bishops must confront clerical abuse, avoid false mercy
 Spanish priest a victim of apparent foul play; venerated Marian image missing
 Attacks on religious sisters in Haiti

Released Thursday, Mar. 12

 Virginia bishops back pastor who broke with K of C council over honor for pro-abortion governor
 Ancient Chaldean church in Mosul reported damaged but not destroyed
 Korean martyrs provide model for today's Church, Pope tells visiting bishops
 Pope urges priests: be available for Confessions during Lent
 Pope will visit Central African Republic in November, bringing hope to war-torn nation
 Having sold mansion he built, Atlanta's Archbishop Gregory completes move to more modest residence
 Irish bishops conclude meeting
 Report of planned attack on Bremen cathedral, synagogue
 Israel ends ban on Christmas trees in hotels
 Cardinal Zen: Vatican officials are naïve about China but Pope Francis is not
 El Salvador’s leading prelate hopes for declaration of martyrdom for 500 war victims
 Pray for victims of religious persecution, US bishops urge

Released Wednesday, Mar. 11

 Italian company's billboard of partially clothed 'nun' sparks protests
 Pope will visit prison, wash inmates' feet in Holy Thursday service
 English street preacher faces 'hate speech' charges for comments on homosexuality
 UN report finds restrictions on religious freedom in Vietnam
 Vatican Secretary of State outlines goals of Holy See's diplomacy
 Russian Orthodox leader speaks out on Ukraine conflict, European secularism
 Fighting against Islamic State driving more families from homes, Chaldean Patriarch reports
 Court orders St. Louis archdiocese to produce 20 years of documents on abuse
 St. Teresa's 'pilgrim staff' presented to Pontiff as 500th anniversary approaches
 L'Arche founder Jean Vanier wins 2015 Templeton Prize
 The elderly have a special spiritual mission, Pope tells Wednesday audience
 In new interview, Pope denounces drug trafficking, speaks on campaign finance, his own security
 Indulgences are a ‘hymn to liberty’
 Report: Islamic State destroys 10th-century church
 Date announced for Archbishop Romero’s beatification
 Court backs SNAP, overturns Missouri law against disrupting church services
 Prelate confirmed in curial position
 USCCB: support Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act

Released Tuesday, Mar. 10

 Archbishop in Medellin backs campaign for surrender of firearms
 Irish bishops encourage faithful to 'reflect' on implications of vote for same-sex marriage
 Indiana judge affirms discrimination judgment against diocese in teacher's in vitro case
 Italian archbishop denied meeting with slain premier before his death
 Support Christians in Middle East through Good Friday collection, Vatican prelates urge
 Court rules archdiocese’s cemetery funds should be available to abuse victims
 Papal message to British Catholic youth
 Holy See diplomat discusses human rights and the environment
 Report: new Islamic State attacks on Syrian Christian villages
 European bishops’ officials discuss conscientious objection
 USCCB official calls for increased aid for Syrian refugees
 Cardinal Burke on the synod and the family

Released Monday, Mar. 9

 Cardinal Tauran installed as camerlengo
 Belgian royals meet with Pontiff
 Did mystical experience change approach of Pope Francis?
 French cardinal dismisses government's plan to counter Islamic radicals by teaching secularity
 On parish visit, Pope urges the faithful to acknowledge their sins, trust in Jesus
 Theologians, too, should 'smell of the sheep,' Pope writes
 Pope will preside at Friday penance service
 Supreme Court vacates ruling against Notre Dame in contraceptive-mandate case
 Fighting thwarts release of captives held by Islamic State in Syria
 Papal nuncio to testify about failed negotiations in 1978 kidnap-murder of former Italian premier?
 Stolen Michelangelo papers offered back to Vatican, for $100,000 ransom
 Armed assault on Catholic church in Egypt
 Vatican cardinal argues against 'liturgical war' approach
 Italian bishop protests trend to censor Christianity
 Pope pays tribute to women
 Let Christ cleanse our hearts, says Pope Francis
 Pope recalls 50th anniversary of 1st papal Mass in Italian
 Encountering Christ is foundational, Pope tells Communion and Liberation members
 Pope recalls Japan’s hidden Christians
 Papal preacher devotes 2nd Lenten sermon to the Trinity in East and West

Released Friday, Mar. 6

 New deputy director appointed at Vatican bank
 Maronite Church will promote organ donation in Lebanon
 Ontario: physicians must provide abortion referrals
 Wall Street Journal op-ed supports Archbishop Cordileone in San Francisco schools dispute
 Vatican 'foreign secretary' says European unity should be based on human dignity
 Neocatechumenal Way receives strong papal endorsement
 Norwegian Church leaders defend Oslo bishop against fraud charges
 Catholic school breaks athletic ties with Evangelical school that sought exemption from non-discrimination policy on gays
 Azerbaijan's president meets with Pontiff
 Montana diocese reaches agreement with victims in bankruptcy case
 Italian bishop to write meditations for Pope’s Way of the Cross on Good Friday
 Papal telegram following Cardinal Egan’s death
 Holy See diplomat renews call for end to capital punishment
 Holy See, Italy in talks on tax evasion
 Japan’s bishops recall 70th anniversary of end of WWII
 Archbishop criticizes Xavier’s selection of honorary degree recipients
 Protestant evangelists beaten by police in India
 Leading Anglican prelate emphasizes evangelization

Released Thursday, Mar. 5

 Cardinal Marx questions 'the new evangelization'
 Christians being crowded out of health-care fields, editor warns
 San Francisco city officials, most Catholic-school teachers, challenge archbishop's policy
 Council of Europe directs France to legislate against spanking
 Chicago nuns, reportedly left without heat, have rich real-estate holdings
 Cardinal Edward Egan, retired Archbishop of New York, dead at 82
 Slovenian lawmakers approve same-sex marriage
 Palestinian Authority seeks Vatican action to stop attacks on Christians, Jews in Jerusalem
 Pope enjoys broad popularity in US, poll shows
 Vatican spokesman denies threat to sue blogger
 Encyclical on ecology will appear this year, 'a critical year for humanity,' Vatican cardinal says
 Pope repeats: do not abandon the elderly
 US Catholic weeklies unite in joint editorial call to end capital punishment
 Court backs Iowa diocese in discrimination lawsuit
 French atheist angry he was subject to German tax that funds Church
 German bishops condemn Russian actions in Ukraine
 Russian Orthodox official: number of abortions has plunged since fall of Communism
 Report: interview with released Syrian Christian hostage

Released Wednesday, Mar. 4

 Cardinal Dolan: Islamic State is perversion of Islam, as IRA was perversion of Catholicism
 Smart-phone app facilitates adultery, Peruvian cardinal fears
 Parents of St. Therese of Lisieux will be canonized in October
 Annual Mass celebrates peace on Chile-Argentina border
 Syrian rebels reject truce offer; bishop blames Western suppliers
 Cardinal Nichols weighs in on immigration
 Pope Francis: do not discard the elderly
 Philippine bishops call for land reform
 Cardinal calls for negotiations in Burma
 Cardinal Parolin to visit Belarus
 Report: Islamic State releases more Syrian Christian hostages
 The Eucharist ensures Christ is the center of unity, Pope emphasizes
 Social media can be a ‘vanity fair,’ says Russian patriarch

Released Tuesday, Mar. 3

 Schedule released for papal trip to Naples, Pompeii
 Coptic Patriarch meets with families of Libyan martyrs
 Wisconsin diocese raising funds to handle spike in number of seminarians
 US bishops' conference spokesmen urge Congress not to cut spending on welfare, relief programs
 Vatican security head: no immediate threat of attack by Islamic State
 US bishops' relief agency involved with condom distribution in Kenya, report charges
 Pope backs Secretariat for Economy in bid for Vatican reform
 Nigerian bishops issue statement on family life
 French hierarchy deplores persecution of Christians
 Vatican newspaper: negative review of new film on Pius XII and the Jews
 Russian foreign minister condemns rising anti-Christianity in the West
 Ukrainian president thanks leading prelate for support of nation
 Venezuelan cardinal: ‘stop murderous violence’
 Update on dialogue between Vatican, evangelicals

Released Monday, Mar. 2

 Keep hope alive, Pope encourages bishops of north African nations
 Study finds maternal health statistics best where abortion is restricted
 Islamic State releases some captives in Syria
 Secretariat for Economy rebuts charges of excess spending, says costs are below budget
 Pope's prayer intentions for March 2015
 Vatican press conference on new Church network for the Amazon
 Cardinal Burke: be devoted to the liturgy, study the Catechism
 USCCB urges President Obama, Congress to do more to assist persecuted Christians
 Papal preacher begins Lenten sermons
 Pope Francis: pray for persecuted Christians of Syria and Iraq
 Pope reflects on Christ’s transfiguration
 Papal praise for cooperatives

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