On October 26, Pope Francis talked about the dangers of digital pornography during a convention with seminarians in the Vatican. The Pope said that just like everyone else, nuns and priests watch pornographic content online.
Religious organizations in the US defended a loophole allowing clergy not to report child abuse cases. In 2020, the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City heavily opposed House Bill 90 (HB90) in Utah.
The Catholic church argued that the “bill would violate the confidentiality of the confessional seal.” In February, the Catholic church gathered 9,000 signed letters from its parishioners and sent them to Rep. Angela Romero, the bill’s author.
In mid-September, The European Court of Human Rights ordered Polish authorities to pay pop star Dorota Rabczewska damages in the amount of $9,300 for a ruling they overturned.
The case goes back to a 2009 television interview where “Doda” said that she was more convinced by dinosaurs than the bible, adding that “it’s hard to believe in something written by people who drank too much wine and smoked weed.”
On the evening of August 1, police arrived at the Divine Mercy parish in the Diocese of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. The goal was to shut down one of the radio stations operated by the Catholic church.
The parish's Facebook page broadcasted the police's violent attack on the parish, forcing their way through the door.
In February 2019, two major newspapers in Texas released the findings of a year-long study on sexual abuse within Southern Baptist churches. The report revealed that over the last 20 years, more than 700 cases have been filed. The church reacted by bringing in the investigative firm, Guidepost Solutions, which reported that church leaders had mishandled claims and mistreated abuse survivors. Now federal officials have launched their own investigation. On August 12, Southern Baptist Convention officials announced the U.S. Department of Justice investigation.
The top leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, apologizes for the abuses done by missionaries to the residential schools run by Catholic staff in Canada.
"I feel shame -- sorrow and shame," said Pope Francis on Friday, April 1st. The Catholic Church finally issued an official apology after years of muted response to calls from Canadian indigenous leaders.
The Catholic church in the UK has banned an acclaimed author of children’s books and books for young adults, Simon James Green. In a letter dated March 3, 2022, Simon Hughes, Director of Education and Diocesan Schools Commissioner, announced the cancellation of the book signing event.
This year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is back in New York City’s Staten Island after being canceled in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, this also means another year trying to get approval to join the parade.
A Catholic priest in Arizona resigned effective February 1 after discovering that the baptisms he had administered were invalid. In his letter addressed to his community, Rev. Andres Arango said he is saddened to learn that he has performed invalid baptisms. According to Arango, he had used an incorrect “formula” when administering baptisms.
