Catholic Culture Overview
Catholic Culture Overview

Stories for April 2011

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, Apr. 29

 Columnists' (favorable) opinions on beatification of John Paul II
 US court removes ban on funding for embryonic stem-cell research
 Syria: Melkite Patriarch fearful of escalating conflict
 New appointments due for Roman Curia?
 Malaysian bishop condemns broadcast of sex tape
 Father Pfleger's supporters protest suspension
 Tight security at Vatican for beatification
 Rome ready for beatification of John Paul II
 Illinois justice laments Philadelphia scandal, criticizes Pope’s response
 US bishops, other Christian leaders: protect budget funding for the poor
 Continued violence against Christians in India
 Libya: bishop denounces bombing near civilian area
 Christian Brothers of North America file for bankruptcy
 US commission names 14 worst violators of religious freedom

Released Thursday, Apr. 28

 Continued: media debate beatification of John Paul II
 New Vatican exhibit commemorates life of John Paul II
 Connecticut priest avoids jail term for $1 million theft
 Australian bishop admits: misconduct prompted retirement
 2005 conclave urged fast-track beatification for John Paul II
 Over 50 world leaders will attend beatification-- including Zimbabwe's Mugabe
 Beatification ceremonies will be available with streaming video
 Retired college president discusses conversion to Catholicism
 English bishops offer congratulations to royal couple
 Persecuted Beijing Christians evangelize police officers
 Mexico: priest brutally murdered
 Cardinal George suspends Father Pfleger
 Bishop denounces continued bombing campaign in Libya

Released Wednesday, Apr. 27

 Media debate on beatification of John Paul II
 Kmiec: bias against religion led to resignation as ambassador
 Rome expects 1 million visitors for beatification
 Gingrich warns of court-imposed secularization, at National Catholic Prayer Breakfast
 Three Vietnamese priests running for election to Communist ruling body
 Resurrection means new form of life, Pope tells audience
 Gingrich discusses conversion to Catholicism
 Journalist sees thawing Beijing-Vatican relations
 New York: Catholic schools face stiff competition from charter schools
 Canadian Christians turning to Conservative Party
 Catholics in Belarus seek return of cathedral
 Russian patriarch marks Chernobyl anniversary, urges care for environment
 Iraq: overflow Easter crowd at site of October massacre

Released Tuesday, Apr. 26

 Church of England reportedly blocked reform of British anti-Catholic law
 English Catholic agency loses appeal on same-sex adoptions
 Hadley Arkes reflects on becoming a Catholic
 Youths face charges for desecrating church in Massachusetts
 Blood of John Paul II preserved for veneration
 Filipino bishops will avoid religious clashes on birth-control bill
 Nigerian court blocks installation of archbishop, on tribal grounds
 Chinese 'underground' bishop dies during Easter Vigil
 Historian counters myths about the Crusades
 Renewed criticism of Cardinal Rigali over suspension of priests
 Vandalism at historic California mission church
 Nigerian cardinal rues post-election violence
 Jamaica: prelate rips newspaper over photo of blasphemous sculpture
 Typical new priest: 31-year-old who prays Rosary, takes part in adoration

Released Monday, Apr. 25

 Belgian archbishop shocked by suspended bishop's public comments
 Eldest Filipino cardinal criticizes president on family-planning bill
 Thinner crowd now expected for beatification of John Paul II
 Will Vatican accept US court's order to produce documents?
 Vandals hit Georgia parish
 Scottish cardinal raps 'aggressive secularism'
 Natural disasters are not punishment from God: papal preacher
 All Christians should proclaim the Resurrection, Pope tells audience
 Pope's Easter prayers for Libya, Ivory Coast, Japan
 Thief hits parishes in Detroit archdiocese
 New York Times columnist makes case for hell
 Jenkins: Fears of Islamization of Europe are exaggerated
 Archbishop criticizes Florida immigration bill
 Vatican investigating healing attributed to Blessed Kateri
 Jerusalem patriarch urges Holy Land Catholics to bear witness
 40 Christians detained in Beijing
 Bomb attack on Baghdad parish

Released Sunday, Apr. 24

 Pope Benedict's Urbi et Orbi message for Easter

Released Saturday, Apr. 23

 Pope Benedict's Easter Vigil homily (full text)

Released Friday, Apr. 22

 Pope Benedict: Address following Way of the Cross at the Colosseum (full text)
 New generation of birth-control pills carries higher risk of blood clots
 Oregon judge orders Vatican to answer queries in sex-abuse lawsuit
 Pope will chat with astronauts in space shuttle
 Filipino zealots stage crucifixions
 Pope answers questions on suffering, evil in broadcast interview
 Survey: Americans tend to believe capitalism, Christianity at odds
 Catholic Charities president criticizes proposed budget cuts
 Archbishop opposes Florida pastor’s protest at Detroit mosque
 Indonesia: police thwart bombing of Catholic parish
 Way of the Cross at the Colosseum: full text

Released Thursday, Apr. 21

 Pope Benedict: Holy Thursday Evening Mass homily (full text)
 Vatican representative visiting Vietnam for Holy Week
 Spanish court blocks atheists' Holy Thursday march past Catholic churches
 Pope warns: West seems 'tired' of faith
 Philippines: Earth Day moved to avoid conflict with Good Friday
 Papal Q+A session to be aired on Italian television for Good Friday
 Rome: new book charges many priests are sexually active
 Egyptian protests against appointment of Christian governor
 Should Bishop Vangheluwe be laicized? It's complicated
 Pope Benedict: Chrism Mass homily (full text)
 Author Michael O’Brien on the abuse scandal
 USCCB increases efforts to aid unemployed
 Police: Cardinal O’Brien may be letter-bomb target
 900 Anglicans to enter Church at Easter
 Bishop laments war in Libya
 Prelate: Egypt ‘on the edge of a volcano’

Released Wednesday, Apr. 20

 Spanish priest who paid for abortions escapes excommunication
 India nets few convictions under law against sex-selection abortion
 Report on abuse in 2nd Irish diocese will not appear until May
 Weigel on the "station churches" of Rome
 Arson suspected in California church fire
 New abuse allegation reported against suspended Belgian bishop
 Polish birthplace of John Paul II prepares to celebrate beatification
 Irish cardinal invited to British royal wedding
 Arson damages Barcelona's Sagrada Familia basilica
 Moscow's Catholic archbishop welcomes cooperation with Orthodox, seeks common calendar
 Pope exhorts audience: be vigilant with Christ in Gethsemane
 Vatican newspaper recalls German Jew hired by Pius XI
 Scholar criticizes Vatican Museums’ treatment of Jewish artifacts
 April 20: day of prayer for Asia Bibi
 Obama: Jesus ‘took on the sins of the world’
 US bishops to discuss Philadelphia abuse scandal
 Muted Holy Week celebrations in Syria
 Majority of Catholic senators voted to fund Planned Parenthood
 Nigeria: Christian churches, homes burned down
 Jerusalem’s Christian leaders release Easter message

Released Tuesday, Apr. 19

 Vatican newspaper goes online
 Vatican Radio recalls papal election 6 years ago
 Shanghai to host beatification of early Catholic convert
 Bolivian bishops say government, society must act against drug traffic
 Italian film comedy on fictional Pope draws large crowds, mixed reviews
 Anglican parishioners began enrolling in English Catholic ordinariate
 Belgian prosecutors weigh new charge against Bishop Vangheluwe
 Delaware prosecutors move to close abortion clinics where indicted doctor worked
 Father Schall on Nietzsche and Europe, rulers and servants
 Spanish vandals desecrate church
 American nun strives to save pets after Japanese quake and tsunami
 Woman 'bishop' wants deconstruction of Catholic Church
 Filipino president: ready to risk excommunication over birth-control bill
 Italian Cardinal Saldarini dead at 87
 Arson latest in string of attacks on California churches
 British PM: End law against Catholic monarchs
 China: crackdown on Protestant church
 Cardinal Wuerl defends USCCB critique of Sister Johnson’s book
 Pakistan: militants attack Christian village, church
 Cardinal urges UK to abandon nuclear weapons

Released Monday, Apr. 18

 Vatican holiday April 19: anniversary of Pope's election
 Schedule set for Pope's June visit to Croatia
 Pope joins prayers for peace in Colombia
 Beatification cause for Archbishop Sheen advancing
 Church must speak clearly against homosexuality, bishop says
 Chilean police seize Vatican documents on priest suspended for abuse
 Israeli restrictions dampen pilgrimages to Jerusalem for Holy Week
 Pakistani Christian freed of blasphemy charge, but danger of violence remains
 Jesus draws all up to God, sin drags us back down, Pope says in Palm Sunday homily
 Church will continue fight for human dignity, Pope tells Spanish ambassador
 Bhutan: persecuted Christians, prospect of religious freedom
 Religious leaders urge Obama to take lead on Mideast peace
 French protestors destroy infamous anti-Christian art
 Ambassador Kmiec resigns following State Department report
 Leading English prelate criticizes ‘Big Society’ program
 Belgian prime minister calls on Vatican to punish Bishop Vangheluwe

Released Friday, Apr. 15

 Italian journalist predicts key appointments in top Church leadership posts
 Catholic book, magazine publishers eye e-book option
 At UN, US blasts Catholic resistance to population programs
 Vatican message to China seeks to embolden fearful bishops
 Another Pakistani Christian faces death threats on 'blasphemy' charges
 British Catholic journalist blasts 'unpardonably sloppy' translation of YouCat
 Psychology should draw on Church Fathers’ insights: Russian Church official
 Time article on new missal translation
 Michigan bishops criticize proposed budget cuts
 US bishops urge Congress to end funding of Planned Parenthood
 50,000 Christians imprisoned in North Korea
 Bishop: Do not arm the Libyan rebels
 Belgian bishop grants TV interview, admits molesting 2nd nephew

Released Thursday, Apr. 14

 Pope's liturgical schedule for Holy Week and Easter
 New Maronite Patriarch meets with Pope
 Latvian president meets with Pope
 Australian debate continues; editor of priests' magazine raps Cardinal Pell
 Vietnam releases jailed Catholic activists
 London choral director rips quality of Catholic church music
 Jesuit journal sees Shahbaz Bhatti as a martyr
 Vatican report rues divisions within Church in China
 Guttmacher report on Catholic contraceptive use
 US bishops weigh in on budget deal
 India: tens of thousands of Christians to protest persecution
 Pakistan: hundreds of Christian girls forced to convert to Islam
 Hong Kong cardinal rues Communist persecution, ‘policy of compromise’
 Libya: Christian leaders call for immediate ceasefire

Released Wednesday, Apr. 13

 Christian charity should increase is government programs are cut
 Islamic extremists increase activity in Egypt
 Vatican unveils YouCat catechism for World Youth Day
 Vatican confirms: Belgian bishop instructed to leave country
 Azerbaijan: worshippers face arrest under law on 'religious freedom'
 Mother Teresa pressured to leave Belfast?
 Vatican served with papers in Milwaukee abuse lawsuit
 Different pro-life perspectives on the political battle to de-fund Planned Parenthood
 Fight poverty, not population, Vatican envoy urges UN
 Austrian Church dealing with over 800 abuse cases
 Egyptian Muslim leader repeats demand for papal apology
 AP airs criticisms of beatification for John Paul II
 All are called to be saints, Pope tells audience
 Canada: transgendered teacher refuses Catholic school’s settlement offer
 Missionary sees spiritual awakening in Japan
 Blair sees religious revival in China
 State Department criticizes Ambassador Kmiec
 History Channel documentary claims nails used in Crucifixion discovered
 Australian priest rips recent popes; Cardinal Pell responds
 Italian translation of youth catechism pulled over contraception error

Released Tuesday, Apr. 12

 Synod committee sees 'precarious' future for Christians in Middle East
 Psychiatrists question Philadelphia investigation, defend priests
 Bloodshed continues in Ivory Coast; archbishop seeks prayers
 'Underground' Chinese priests arrested, beaten
 As Islam eyes political power, Egyptian Christians consider emigration
 October 22: feast of John Paul II
 Ring, cross given away by Paul VI to be auctioned on eBay
 New York Times article on new missal translation
 Father Pfleger willing to leave Church rather than resign pastorate
 Vatican cardinal to offer Mass for Pakistan’s persecuted Christians
 1,000 attack non-Muslim village in Nigeria
 Abuse scandal’s total cost: $2.34 billion since 2004

Released Monday, Apr. 11

 China: nearly 200 Christians arrested for public prayer
 Malaysia, in reversal, will allow Bible imported without 'warning label'
 Papal commission to discuss Chinese pressure on Church
 Pope sees European 'amnesia' about Christian roots
 Catholic Theological Society leaders question bishops' caution on theologian Johnson
 Milingo continues recruiting married priests for new sect
 Vatican-sponsored youth catechism: ambiguous on contraception?
 Harsh report expected on abuse in Ireland's Cloyne diocese
 Abortion debates heat up in many American states
 Christ's truth breaks all barriers, even death, Pope tells audience
 Pope lauds new Polish documentary on John Paul II
 150 US Catholic schools have links to Planned Parenthood
 Mass attendance down 10% in Philadelphia area
 Regime change in Syria could lead of mass persecution of Christians
 Vietnam: Catholic lawyer arrested
 Chile: priests who committed abuse urged to come forward, admit guilt
 Europe: fertility remains well below replacement level
 Bishop sees impasse in Libya
 Pakistan: another Christian accused of blasphemy
 CDF orders disgraced Belgian bishop to seek treatment

Released Friday, Apr. 8

 Vatican invites bloggers to May 2 conference
 Homosexual activists pelt Belgian archbishop with pies
 Papal preacher's focus on charity toward neighbors
 Excommunicated priest will not recant; faces expulsion from Maryknoll order
 Irish court approves release of report on abuse in Cloyne diocese
 Former Irish prime minister defends religious instruction
 Tomb of St. Francis of Assisi to reopen after renovations
 Russian prelate says 'godless' West doomed to collapse
 Elderly Filipino cardinal returning home to work against family-planning bill
 California priest in TV ministry on leave after revelation of affair
 Popular forms of piety are healthy if they spring from real faith, Pope says
 Christian leaders protest Israeli taxes on church property, ouster of Anglican bishop
 Ivory Coast refugees seeking asylum in Abidjan cathedral
 Washington: Democrats threaten government shutdown over Planned Parenthood funding
 Religious order, Catholic school students lobby for controversial UN treaty
 Franciscan University’s atmosphere fosters priestly, religious vocations
 'Voice' of children, teens to be part of Good Friday Via Crucis meditation
 Bishop: Violence will not prevent Southern Sudan’s independence
 US bishops weigh in on Afghanistan transition, Pakistani religious freedom
 Leading European bishop reflects on world crises

Released Thursday, Apr. 7

 Shipwreck of Libyan refugees revives Italian debate on migrants
 Texas bishop joins budget-cut protest
 Anglican ordinariates will advance liturgical 'reform of the reform'
 Condemned for 'blasphemy,' Pakistani woman is reported gravely ill
 New Hampshire legislators pour on criticism of Catholic bishop
 Church support for labor unions: at odds with Church practice?
 More Cuban political prisoners released to exile in Spain
 President of Pakistani bishops' conference resigns
 Papal envoy unable to reach Ivory Coast
 Departures from German Catholic Church soared in 2010
 Jesuit journal praises spirit of Wikipedia
 Safeguard Church unity, Pope urges bishops of India's Syro-Malabar rite
 Italian journalist sees curial infighting, says Vatican diplomacy in disarray
 Slain cabinet minister’s brother forgives assassins
 Canadian bishops: Allow election workers to worship on Good Friday
 US bishops: Enact conscience-protection legislation
 Libya: bishop welcomes Pope’s appeal for diplomacy
 Pakistani bishop links Western military actions, persecution of Christians
 Mass graves in Ivory Coast; leading prelate in hiding

Released Wednesday, Apr. 6

 Jaruzelski hints Islamic forces were involved in plot to kill Pope John Paul II
 Dome of St. Peter's basilica found stronger than expected
 Archbishop of Santa Fe takes strong stand on cohabiting couples
 Astrophysicist named for Templeton Prize
 Pope appeals for peace in Libya, Ivory Coast
 Pope recommends 'little way' of St. Therese
 Irish report argues against hasty government takeover of Church-run schools
 Tanzania and Islamists: analysis
 Los Angeles archbishop pays tribute to César Chávez
 Archbishop Chaput lauds failure of civil unions measure
 Profile of Rhode Island’s Bishop Tobin
 In Ivory Coast, priest labors for peace
 Russian Church: regime changes threaten North Africa’s Christians
 Neither side in Libyan conflict blameless, says bishop

Released Tuesday, Apr. 5

 Nigerian prelate disappointed by postponement of elections
 Pakistan: Christians may lose parliamentary seat; another blasphemy charge
 Instruction on Summorum Pontificum coming after Easter?
 Australian prime minister shores up relations with religious leaders
 New Italian book examines Vatican view of sports
 Belgian bishop will not face criminal charges for abuse
 New Hampshire newspaper editorial says bishop has lost moral authority
 Irish archbishop, speaking in Milwaukee, demands candor on sex abuse
 Some Massachusetts religious groups back 'transgender' rights
 Catholic influence on decline in Mexico
 Vietnamese police arrest 29 Catholics after conviction of human-rights advocate
 New French law barring veils re-opens debate on Islamic immigrants
 Russian Church, secular advocates at odds on crucifix display
 New Ukrainian Catholic leader wants meeting with Moscow patriarch to ease tensions
 Canada: revised missal to be implemented in Advent
 Saudi Arabia: where carrying the Rosary is a crime
 USCCB: Lobby against ‘disproportionate’ budget cuts to the poor
 European bishops urge compassion for Libyan refugees
 2 Canadian bishops cancel priest’s presentations over abortion ties
 Pakistani prelate calls on US to detain pastor who burned Qur’an

Released Monday, Apr. 4

 US Supreme Court upholds school vouchers in Arizona
 Vatican pulls support from international journalists' group
 Nuns question compensation for Goldman Sachs executives
 Hopes dim for religious freedom, democracy in Islamic world: Vatican analyst
 Vatican official emerges as key figure on Vatican-China ties
 Vietnamese rights advocate sentenced to 7 years in prison plus house arrest
 Pope accepts retirement of outspoken Australian bishop
 Irish bishops set to adopt standard abuse policies?
 Michigan nuns' bid to purchase John Paul II Cultural Center falls through
 New York Times asks: how many more Philadelphias?
 Pope looks forward to Easter, beatification of John Paul II
 Vatican explains plans for 'day of reflection' at Assisi
 Vatican clears 28 for beatification
 India: bishop denounces sex-selective abortions
 Lawmaker calls bishop ‘pedophile pimp’
 Muslim birthrate plunges in North Africa
 US birthrate falls below replacement level; 41% of births to single mothers
 Massacre in Ivory Coast; Church facilities destroyed
 Bishop: more civilians killed in Libya; hundreds of thousands flee
 Afghanistan: 3 days of violent protests over Florida Qur’an burning

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