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Catholic Church

Pope Francis arrives for leading a prayer for peace inside St. Peter's Basilica, at The Vatican, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. 

Roman Catholic Church remains inconclusive about reforms for women, LGBTQ after monthlong meeting wraps

Sacred Nation

More than 450 church leaders from around the world came to the Vatican in early October to debate this and other questions during the latest synod, a monthlong meeting to discuss the church’s future. Their conclusion: more research is needed.

Pope Benedict XVI greets the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, soon after his election, April 19, 2005.

Pope Benedict XVI was an icon of conservative Catholicism, theology professor says

Religion
Pope Francis meets the Canadian Indigenous people as he arrives at Edmonton's International airport, Canada

Pope set for historic apology for school abuses in Canada

Justice
Eneas Espinoza, who says he was sexually abused multiple times when he was a child, by several catholic priests in Chile

A growing number of clerical sexual abuse survivors are coming forward in Latin America

Sexual violence
Side view of a cross section of a human brain in glass

How the West came to dominate our brains

Science
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Rev. Giuseppe Corbari in a small town in Lombardy printed out pictures of his congrgants and placed them on the pews so he'd feel less alone. 

Amid lockdown, churches find creative ways to keep in touch with the masses

COVID-19

The pope, the Vatican — a tiny city-state surrounded by Rome — and the church in predominantly Catholic Italy have all been forced to modify centuries of tradition because of the outbreak of the coronavirus. 

Shadows of tourists are cast across a papal crest on the floor

Unsealed records of Pope Pius XII could shed light on Vatican’s turbulent postwar years

Conflict & Justice

Author David Kertzer tells host Marco Werman that historians hope to learn how much the Vatican knew about the persecution and mass murder of European Jews.

Pope Francis bows his head in prayer. Around him are other members of the clergy wearing red caps

‘Why don’t you don’t rise to the occasion?’ clergy sex abuse advocate asks of Vatican conference

The Vatican is in day two of a four-day long conference on sex abuse. One survivor and now advocate says there are some promising signs — but says the summit should be the beginning of many conversations about new regulations.

Pope Francis is shown wearing white while sitting behind a microphone.

Pope opens child sex abuse conference, promising ‘concrete’ remedies

Religion

Pope Francis promised that concrete actions against child sexual abuse by priests would result from a conference he opened on Thursday.

pope

‘The conservatives have declared war’: Inside the accusations upending the Catholic Church

Religion

“The conservatives have declared war and they are convinced they can reform the Church with a frontal attack,” a senior Vatican prelate said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because “the line is silence” now.

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