Posts in Catholicism
Americans Remain Divided As More States Legalize Assisted Suicide

In the most recent Lifeway Research study, the youngest and oldest Americans are among the most likely to support physician-assisted suicide. Those 18-34 (56 percent) and 65 or older (54 percent) are more likely than those 50-64 (45 percent) to see the practice as morally acceptable. Men are also more likely to agree than women (54 percent vs. 49 percent).

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Are Christians Disappearing Across The Middle East?

(ANALYSIS) It is entirely accurate to say that Christianity continues to thrive as an international religion, spanning vast regions across the world. But it is also necessary to acknowledge that the global Christian community is not without its travails. And it is increasingly necessary to take a careful look at the “world’s largest religious group,” revealing not only thriving communities across several continents, but also increasing numbers of endangered religious believers who continue to face real threats to their survival.

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Majority Of US Catholics View Pope Leo XIV Favorably

A large majority of American Catholics said they have a favorable view of Pope Leo XIV, even as many admit they know little about the new pontiff. A new report found that 84% of U.S. Catholics view Pope Leo positively, just months after he assumed the papacy following the death of Pope Francis in May. Only 4% reported an unfavorable view, while 11% say they have never heard of him.

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Crossroads Podcast: Sainthood And The Struggle To Translate Faith

After 40-plus years on the Godbeat, let me offer this observation: It’s extremely difficult to write about ancient, complex, often mysterious religious beliefs and doctrines in language that is both accurate and easily understandable in the mainstream media.

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‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Success Highlights Growing Power Of Religious Audiences

(ANALYSIS) “The Exorcist” may be the most famous exorcism film ever made. But “The Conjuring” is easily the most successful exorcism franchise. Starting with “The Conjuring” in 2013, the franchise follows Ed and Lorainne Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, respectively) as they, with the blessing of the Catholic Church, help families who claim to be haunted by demons.

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Jimmy Lai Submits Appeal Over Life-Threatening Detention Conditions

(ANALYSIS) The international legal team for Jimmy Lai, and his son Sebastien Lai, has submitted a new Urgent Appeal to the United Nations experts in relation to the serious and immediate risk to Jimmy Lai’s life posed by his ongoing detention.

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Clergy Protest ICE and National Guard Presence Near DC Churches

(ANALYSIS) In Washington, D.C., recent events have pushed some Christian leaders to become vocal against the Trump administration. As clergy argue that federal law enforcement agencies increasingly encroach upon church property and community spaces, the result has been a growing movement of men and women who argue that enough is enough.

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Carlo Acutis Canonized: A New Saint And ‘Influencer’ For The Modern Church

(ANALYSIS) History was made on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square. Pope Leo XIV declared Carlo Acutis — the 15-year-old tech prodigy known as “God’s Influencer” — the first Millennial saint. Before 80,000 pilgrims, many of them young families and digital natives, this wasn’t just a canonization. It was a prophetic moment for the Catholic Church as it grapples with its place in the 21st century.

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Faith, Family And The Law: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Opens Up In New Memoir

The Catholic justice said what motivated her to write a book is to shed a light on the Supreme Court’s inner workings and give a behind-the-scenes look at what the justices do. She added that while the Supreme Court may not always “get it right” in every case, she does “think Americans should trust that the court is trying to get it right.”

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Crossroads Podcast: School Shootings And The Death Of Honest Questions

After each and every school shooting, the usual suspects in public life produce their familiar soundbites that draw cheers from the faithful in their various choirs in blue America and red America.

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‘Beg The Lord For Protection’: Church Shooting That Killed 2 Children Reopens Wounds

(ANALYSIS) In what authorities called an “absolutely incomprehensible” act of violence, a gunman opened fire on a Catholic church during morning Mass on Wednesday — killing two children and injuring 17 others. The implications of this tragedy ripple far beyond Minneapolis. It is the latest — and among the most chilling — examples of how places once considered safe sanctuaries have become targets.

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Pope Leo XIV Clears Up Confusion When It Comes To The Amazon

(ANALYSIS) In a moment of both theological significance and pastoral clarity, Pope Leo XIV made his most consequential intervention yet on the church’s role in the Amazon. In a recent message, the pope struck a firm tone to 90 South American bishops meeting in Bogota, Colombia — affirming the Catholic Church’s mission and offering a course correction from the recent past.

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From ‘New Jerusalem’ To Lost Shtetl: Inside The Twin Souls Of A Polish Town

The Vistula, Poland’s longest river, snakes 650 miles north from the Tatras Mountains past Krakow and Warsaw to the Gulf of Gdańsk, where it empties into the Baltic Sea. Upstream from the capital, the river flows past Góra Kalwaria, a place the country’s Catholics revere as Nowa Jerozolima (or “New Jerusalem”).

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Pope Leo XIV’s First 100 Days: A Listening Papacy In The Making

(ANALYSIS) The first 100 days of a U.S. president’s term are a widely recognized milestone, often scrutinized for signs of momentum, direction or policy implementation. But the same metric, when applied to a newly elected pope, serves a very different purpose. A pope, however, enters office without the expectations of an electoral mandate — yet still under the global spotlight.

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On Religion: How The Trump Era Transformed Colbert’s Satire Into Sermon

(ANALYSIS) While Stephen Colbert retains a faithful congregation, some fans who loved his sly blend of satire and progressive Catholicism mourn his decision to preach to only half of America, said media scholar Terry Lindvall, author of "God Mocks: A History of Religious Satire from the Hebrew Prophets to Stephen Colbert,” published in 2015.

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From Roman Holiday To Religious Feast, A History Of An Italian Summer Tradition

The roots of Ferragosto date back over 2,000 years to ancient Rome. The name itself is derived from the Latin phrase Feriae Augusti, meaning “Festivals of Augustus” — a holiday instituted in 18 BCE by Emperor Augustus. It later became a Christian holiday and is celebrated throughout Italy to this day.

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When Shepherds Are Hunted: The Killing of Priests in Kenya’s Kerio Valley

The murders this past May in Kenya of two Catholic priests reflecst a global context in which clergy, who have always lived among the poor and on the peripheries, are now being hunted. In many areas around the world where the state has receded, faith often becomes the last visible institution — and the first to be attacked. From the Americas to Africa, religious workers have become marked men and women.

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On Religion: Vatican Gathers Global Creators To Rethink Online Evangelism

(ANALYSIS) With a nod to digital life, Merriam-Webster has expanded its “influencer” definition to include a “person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media.” Pope Leo XIV didn't use that term in his latest remarks on faith in the internet age, even while addressing the recent Vatican Jubilee for Digital Missionaries and Influencers.

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