US state of Ohio passes new law banning officials from closing places of worship
Columbus, OhioAP Houses of worship can’t be shut down by local or state officials, and elections can’t be moved from their prescribed dates, under a bill signed into law Wednesday by Governor Mike DeWine and pushed by fellow Republican lawmakers angered over orders meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus. DeWine expressly did not […]
In US state of Pennsylvania, slew of church abuse lawsuits hinges on state court decision
Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaAP Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses have been hit with about 150 lawsuits from people who say they were sexually abused as children by priests and hope a state court decision last year has shown a way around time limits for legal claims. Lawyers involved in the litigation say they were still getting notified about […]
As protesters decry US coronavirus lockdown, officials plead for caution
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USReuters The US debate over when to lift restrictions to curb the coronavirus outbreak intensified on Monday, with protesters describing mandatory lockdowns as “tyranny” and health workers and officials portraying them as a matter of life and death. Stay-at-home measures, which experts say are essential to slow the spread of the virus, have […]
SPIRITUALITY ON THE LAND: AMISH FARMERS HAVE A “COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP” WITH NATURE, ARE SCEPTICAL OF CLIMATE CHANGE
ELIZABETH E EVANS, in an article first published by Religion News Service, reports from the US state of Pennsylvania…
STRANGESIGHTS: COFFEE “NON-ESSENTIAL FOR HUMAN LIFE”; GRITS ROLLING; AND, “LASAGNA LIZARD” RECOGNISED….
DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
SEX ABUSE SCANDAL: US STATES LAUNCH INVESTIGATIONS IN WAKE OF PENNSYLVANIA REPORT INTO CATHOLIC CLERGY ABUSE OF CHILDREN
In this in-depth report, JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, looks at how US states have responded to a “bombshell” report from Pennsylvania which detailed the alleged sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by hundreds of Catholic priests by launching their own investigations…
IRELAND: POPE FRANCIS CLOSES VISIT WITH APPEAL TO DIVIDED CATHOLICS
CHRISTINE A SCHELLER, writing for Religion News Service, reports on the Pope’s historic visit to Ireland last weekend…
Critics say Pope’s comments are both “bold” and “too little, too late”
RNS In his response to a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing allegations of sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by Roman Catholic clergy, Pope Francis condemned the abuse as a crime and called the church to solidarity with its victims. “With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not […]
New abuse report in hand, US Catholics and attorneys general map next moves
RNS When Pennsylvania officials unveiled a report this week detailing accusations that Catholic priests had sexually abused more than 1,000 children since the 1940s and that church officials shielded the abusers, the public outcry was swift. Some compared the document to The Boston Globe’s 2002 “Spotlight” investigation, which unearthed comparably horrifying allegations in Massachusetts. But two days […]
Report alleges decades of child sex abuse by Pennsylvania priests, cover-up by bishops
RNS Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Josh Shapiro has released a more than 1,300 page grand jury report detailing allegations of widespread sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by Catholic priests in the state, naming hundreds of clerics accused of misconduct over 70 years and accusing church officials of a “systemic” cover-up. Shapiro unveiled the report at a […]