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The Archdiocese of Chicago ignored repeated warnings that the Rev. Robert Mayer was abusing children, moving him between parishes where he molested children for years, a new lawsuit alleges. Four men, now aged 38 to 43, filed suit in Cook County against the archdiocese and Mayer on Tuesday seeking unspecified damages. Mayer, 67, left the priesthood after his 1992 conviction for abusing a 13-year-old girl. The lawsuit depicts a priest whose entire career was steeped in sex. During his seminary days in the 1960s, it alleges, Mayer earned the nickname "Satan" and wrote his master's thesis on masturbation. As a...

VATICAN CITY, JAN 14, 2005 (VIS) - A Decree from the Apostolic Penitentiary, dated December 25, 2004 and published today, states that during an audience granted on December 17, 2004 to Cardinal James Francis Stafford and Fr. John Francis Girotti, OFM.Conv., respectively penitentiary major and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, "the Holy Father wished to enrich with indulgences several determined acts of worship and devotion to the Most Holy Sacrament, which are indicated below. ... The Decree will be in force during the Eucharistic Year, starting with the day of its publication in the L'Osservatore Romano. Notwithstanding any disposition to...

(AGI) - Como, Italy, Dec. 4 - "Substituting the word Jesus with 'virtue' in Christmas carols is a serious mistake, an offence to the entire Christian community," said the mayor of Como, Stefano Bruni (FI), ending his speech at the ceremony assigning Como civic honours. His reference is to the elementary school teacher Antonio Fogazzaro of Como-Rebbio, who decided to abolish Christmas carols referring to Christianity, and substituting the word "Jesus" with "virtue" in the rehearsals of the Christmas play that will take place on December 18. According to Bruni, "this decision is false social integration. Each one must reciprocally...

When children who attend the McHenry County [Illinois] school gathered in the gym last week to brighten friends and parents with holiday cheer, they sang of lighting candles for Hanukkah, gave their rendition of a Jamaican folk song and even did their lists for Santa. But their songs never mentioned Christ or the Christmas story--an omission that drew swift criticism from Christian groups pushing public schools to remember the meaning of Christmas. "The reason for the season is Christmas," said Dave Smith, senior policy analyst for the Illinois Family Institute, a Christian organization. "At least some equal time would have...

MESA, Ariz. -- Many Arizona public elementary schools' winter concerts don't have children singing about angels, Bethlehem or the little Lord Jesus this year. Instead, it's "Frosty the Snowman," "Sleigh Bells" and "Jolly Ol' St. Nicholas." Teachers say the refocusing of music sung at schools is part of a growing effort to be sensitive to an increasingly diverse student population. Some programs that include Christian music such as "Silent Night" or "Away in a Manger" this holiday season also will typically include songs from other religions in an effort to keep every concert balanced. The legal counsel with the Center...

<p>Father James Haley is angry. A case of righteous anger, it seems.</p> <p>The whistleblower priest of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, featured in a Nov. 15 story in The Washington Times (see story below and at LINK), has been silenced by Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde.</p>

- Independent Catholics and Catholic Organisations State Opposition to Buttiglione’s Proposed Appointment as Commissioner for Freedom, Security and Justice More than 140 prominent independent Catholic leaders and organisations submitted a letter last week to European Parliament president Josep Borrell Fontelles in protest against the appointment of Rocco Buttiglione as Commissioner for Freedom, Security and Justice. "As European Catholics we disagree with Rocco Buttiglione’s positions on the family, on homosexuals, on women, as well as on his promotion of camps for asylum seekers at the borders of the EU. Dr. Buttiglione blames the low birth rate in Europe on women with...

According to documents obtained by Culture & Cosmos, officials of the Dioceses of San Bernardino and La Crosse have instructed pastors and parish administrators not to allow the distribution of  "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics," published by Catholic Answers. With two weeks remaining before election day, the dioceses' actions are another episode in the political drama surrounding the question of the Catholic vote. In a Aug. 20 letter from Diocese of La Crosse attorney James G. Birnbaum to pastors and administrators, Birnbaum said the "Voter's Guide" ought not to be distributed on parish grounds or during parish activities. The "Voter's...

(...) A Catholic politician, while personally opposing abortion on the moral level, could, in good conscience, vote for some laws, under very limited circumstances such as Roe vs. Wade, since he could discern that to be the best the country can live with. The politician should then feel obligated, I think, to make clear that while he supports the law, he is opposed on the moral level to people following that law. To me this makes good sense and should be part of the intense discussion these days. Also it is clear that nothing is clear in the political arena....

<p>Perhaps the San Francisco judge who banned the ban on partial-birth abortions last week was right. After, all what is the difference between a baby, more than halfway born, having his brains sucked out, and a baby, entirely within the womb, having his skull crushed and his body torn apart? Certainly, it makes no difference to the child, who becomes certainly dead. By a brutal procedure that would be condemned under anyone's conception of human rights. Not the most ardent death-penalty advocates are for head crushing or brain sucking as an acceptable form of capital punishment, even for the most ghoulish of crimes.</p>

Last Friday Rev. Gerald Robinson, a Catholic priest of Toledo, OH was put in a county jail on $200k bond charged with a murder of a 72-year-old nun 24 years ago. He has been an exemplary priest for 40 years. There are a lot of lies and nonsense reported about this case in the national and local media. The only piece of "evidence" against Fr. Robinson is a letter opener knife seized from Fr. Robinson's desk in his hospital office after the murder in 1980. The knife had no traces of blood, but a "new technology" is going to be...

LONDON - Thou shalt not have a cow. So says the gospel according to The Simpsons. America's famous dysfunctional cartoon family will be the subject of a series of evening classes by the Rev. Robin Spittle on the Christian message in the popular show. "They are a churchgoing family and they make moral decisions, some of which I agree with, some of which I don't, but either way they are a great way to open up a discussion," said Spittle. Churchgoers at All Saints Church in Kesgrave, northeast of London, have been invited to attend four classes from the end...

What is the National Catholic Reporter’s Real Agenda? 3/30/2004 9:06:00 PM By Fred Martinez - www.newsmax.cvom On February 20, the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) dissented from definitive Catholic teaching by endorsing homosexual marriage. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered…[and] under no circumstances can they be approved." The "Catholic" lay operated national newsweekly said, "The ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts allowing same-sex civil marriage is a beneficial step along the path of human understanding and human rights." As a Special Commentary Columnist for NewsMax during the height of the Catholic scandal...

<p>Nearly a month after its release, "The Passion of the Christ" has made hundreds of millions of dollars for producer-director Mel Gibson but remains a focus of concern among scholars over its portrayal of Jews.</p> <p>Next week, at least seven seminars examining the film's historical accuracy, interpretation of the Gospels, portrayal of Jews and its place in "Jesus film" iconography will be offered by district schools and religious groups.</p>

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mel Gibson's film on the last hours of Jesus has not only stirred controversy, it's apparently led to a spending spree. "The Passion of the Christ" has spurred U.S. consumer demand for Christian-themed merchandise such as jewelry, apparel, books, music and even video games, according to Redbook, a private research group. "The 'Passion' soundtrack was our No. 7 best-selling CD last week," said Emily Swan, a spokeswoman for Borders Group Inc., "which is pretty good considering Norah Jones and some other new CDs were out." Swan said the books and music retailer posted a "significant increase"...

March 12, 2004 Passion Viewers Passionate About the Movie Three in four Americans have seen or expect to see it by David W. Moore GALLUP NEWS SERVICE PRINCETON, NJ -- If the latest Gallup Poll is any indication, Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ, is likely to be among the highest grossing films of all time, perhaps even competing with Titanic for the title. As of last weekend, the movie had grossed more than $200 million, with -- according to the poll -- 11% of all Americans saying they had already seen it. Another 34% of Americans say...

<p>VATICAN CITY, March 9 -- Pope John Paul II Tuesday named a female law professor at Harvard University and a bioethics expert to head the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the highest Vatican advisory post held by a woman.</p> <p>The appointment of Mary Ann Glendon, who belongs to the U.S. Presidential Council on Bioethics, apparently fulfills a drive by the pontiff to raise the profile of women in church affairs. On March 4, the Vatican issued a statement at the United Nations asserting that women were "especially gifted" in rising above self-interest.</p>

The National Catholic Reporter has come out with an editorial in favor of the Massachusetts court ruling calling for legal recognition of same-sex "marriage." The Reporter sees this decision as a "beneficial step along the path of human understanding and human rights." If you look beyond the editorial, to the back pages that carry the classified ads, you'll see that American bishops routinely advertise in the Reporter when they plan to hire people for diocesan posts. So the bishops are staffing their chanceries with people who read-- and, presumably, as a rule agree with-- the Reporter's editorials. Suddenly it all...

My early morning encounters with the scriptures over coffee provide the "bump" I need to get me going, to frame the day ahead. Then comes the morning paper. A conversation begins between the Word and the headlines. It is often rough and tentative, but I always trust the relevance of the daily Word to the reality of our complex world. I trust the engagement that ensues, even if I don't always my own ever-evolving grasp of the complicated issues. It's the best I can do. The Good News meets Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004. Let me share some of this conversation...

In all the controversy and debate surrounding Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," few are discussing how the film handles gender. In the movie, which opened a week ago, a woman plays Satan, an unusual approach for serious cinematic depictions of the Gospels. "The Passion" presents Mary Magdalene as a reformed prostitute, a view many theologians dispute. And it places the Virgin Mary at the center of Christ's last hours, suffering along with him as only a mother can. Altogether, though, some viewers consider it perhaps the first film to celebrate the active role women played in Jesus' suffering...