Posts in Religion
'Spotlight' On Clergy Sex Abuse 20 years Later Shows Why Journalism Matters

(OPINION) Jan. 6 means different things to people. This year, the date became a polarizing remembrance of the U.S. Capitol insurrection, riots or whatever else one calls it. For Clemente, this Jan. 6 marked a special anniversary — the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking Boston Globe “Spotlight” team’s investigation into predator priests.

Read More
What Will Be The Top Religion Stories Of 2022? Here Are A Few Leading Possibilities

What stories will be religion reporters be chasing in 2022? This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights a few leading candidates. Plus, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
How A Journalist (And Her Exceptional Book) Propelled Pope John Paul I’s Path To Sainthood

(REVIEW) Popes are famous for many different things. In the case of John Paul I, he’s best known for being pope for just 33 days. Thanks to an Italian journalist, her access to never-before-seen Vatican documents and 2017 book (now available in English), the former pope could very well be on his way to being made a saint.

Read More
5 Catholic News Stories To Watch For In 2022

(ANALYSIS) As 2021 comes to a close, everyone is looking toward 2022. The news cycle over the last two years has been dominated by COVID-19, and that doesn’t seem to be subsiding given the rash of recent omicron infections. The Catholic world, meanwhile, had in 2021 one of its busiest years. Expect 2022 to be just as busy.

Read More
5 Christmas Messages That Inspire Hope During The Pandemic

It was another tough year for many people around the planet. The pandemic, just as it seemed to be subsiding this fall, rages on thanks to the omicron variant. Aside from COVID-19, issues such as climate change and the plight of migrants continues to plague nations, and international conflicts continue to rattle millions around the globe.

Read More
Desmond Tutu, Anti-Apartheid Cleric, Dies At 90: How Religious And World Leaders Remembered Him

Desmond Tutu, who fought tirelessly for the end apartheid in his native South Africa and won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts, died Sunday at the age of 90. Religious and political leaders in his homeland and across the world sent stirring tributes in the hours following his death.

Read More
World Cup Triggers Religious Conflicts In Qatar Over Alcohol And LGBTQ Rights

The 2022 World Cup, which will be held in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar, will test the majority-Muslim country in several ways — primarily when it comes to religious mores around public intoxication and homosexuality, both of which are illegal there.

Read More
'We lost everything, but we didn't lose everything': Where was God in Mayfield tornado?

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights how people of faith are relying on God after last week’s devastating tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky. Plus, catch up — as always — on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
5 Best Places In The World To Attend Midnight Mass On Christmas

(TRAVEL) Among all the hustle, bustle and stress that comes with Christmas, we should also all be reminded that it is a time of prayer. While prayer can take up many forms, Catholics are returning to in-person Mass now that COVID-19 lockdowns have largely been done away with.

Read More
How The Press Continues To Perpetuate The Santa Myth

(OPINION) We are currently in “the most wonderful time of the year,” as the popular Christmas song by Andy Williams goes. For many Christians, however, the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day are marked by Advent, a time of prayer in preparation for the birth of Jesus. In Eastern churches, this season is called Nativity Lent.

Read More
Americans Favor Religious Exemptions For COVID-19 Vaccines — To A Point

This week’s Weekend Plug-in looks at public opinion on religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccinations. Plus, catch up — as always — on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
Just how big is the abortion case the Supreme Court heard this week? This big

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the U.S. Supreme Court hearing arguments in the (potentially) most significant abortion case in decades. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
Book on Catholic teen Carlo Acutis makes for a great gift this season

(REVIEW) “Carlo Acutis: God’s Computer Genius” makes for a perfect present for your child or preteen this Christmas. Catholic children are no strangers to books featuring saints, but Acutis is special because he speaks to the current generation. That is why his life is worth re-examination and why this is a book worth stuffing into a Christmas stocking.

Read More
Notre Dame's 'Woke' Restoration Plan Draws The Ire Of Traditionalists

(ANALYSIS) The famed Notre Dame Cathedral was again catapulted into the news cycle after The Telegraph reported a scoop under the headline “Notre Dame interior faces ‘woke’ Disney revamp.” What followed was an amazing lack of mainstream news coverage.

Read More
Why Bibles Are Disappearing From Hotel Nightstands

(TRAVEL) Bibles used to be ubiquitous in hotel rooms. But a 2017 survey by STR revealed that 79% of hotels had religious materials in their rooms, down from 95% of hotels in 2006. Indeed, as America becomes more secular and Wi-Fi more common, the need for a physical Bible inside your nightstand drawer has grown more obsolete.

Read More
From The Minichurch To Pastor Burnout, Four Key COVID-19 Religion Trends To Watch

This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights four key religion trends to watch as the pandemic rages on. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More
Touch, Prayer And The Role Of Clergy At Executions: SCOTUS Weighs Religious Freedom

(ANALYSIS) This week’s Weekend Plug-in highlights the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court hearing on a death row inmate’s spiritual rights at his execution. Plus, as always, catch up on all the week’s best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.

Read More