Frontline’s new documentary, “Secrets of the Vatican,” uses leaked documents and interviews to expose turmoil, corruption and abuse in the final year of Pope Benedict’s papacy. It’s a legacy that Pope Francis is now trying to overcome.
In a move that surprised many church watchers, the spiritual leader of the more than 1 billion Catholics worldwide, Pope Benedict XVI announced on Monday that he would step down as pope on Feb. 28. A new leader is expected by the end of March.
Pope Benedict XVi is travelling to Mexico this weekend to say mass and meet the faithful. But he’s coming at a time of deep division among Mexican Catholics. Mexico City has passed liberal laws allowing for same-sex marriage and abortions — two practices banned by the Catholic Church and in much of the rest of Mexico.
Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk Indian born in New York in 1656, has been approved for sainthood by the Catholic church. With her canonization, she’ll become the first Native American saint. But given the Church’s history of violence and oppression against Native Americans, this isn’t necessarily news to celebrate.