Religion and Faith

Catholic sexual abuse crisis deepens as authorities lag in response
History, legal issue and doctrine all contribute to the continuing failure of Catholic authorities to recognize and respond more effectively to sexual abuse scandals.
Aspen Ideas Festival: Dan Buettner on happiness
Where in the world are the happiest and healthiest people? And why? Dan Buettner explores this at the 2018 Aspen Ideas Festival.
Earlier this month, Pope Francis declared the death penalty wrong in all cases. Calling capital punishment "contrary to the Gospel" is a change in the Catholic church's teaching. But will it mean a change in the politics of American Catholics?
Abuse victims to vote on Archdiocese bankruptcy plan
Some 450 victims of clergy sexual abuse will likely vote this month on a reorganization plan for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, according to a timeline laid out Thursday in a federal bankruptcy court hearing.
Pope changes death penalty teaching, now 'inadmissible'
The new teaching, contained in Catechism No. 2267, says the previous policy is outdated, that there are other ways to protect the common good, and that the church should instead commit itself to working to end capital punishment.
Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson was convicted in May of failing to report to police the repeated abuse of two altar boys by a pedophile priest in the Hunter Valley region north of Sydney during the 1970s.
Pope accepts resignation of McCarrick after sex abuse claims
Breaking with past practice, Francis decided to act swiftly in the case of the emeritus archbishop of Washington, D.C., even before the accusations can be investigated by church officials.
Brainerd grapples with how to save its iconic water tower
Earlier this month a chunk of concrete fell off the 141 foot structure, known as "Paul Bunyan's flashlight." No one was hurt, but now, city officials are scrambling to figure out what to do next.