New guidelines outlining outreach to Native American Catholics was completed as details emerge of decades of widespread abuses inflicted on Native children at Catholic boarding schools.
Religion and Values
Federal court denies Bangor church’s request for injunction in tuition lawsuit
Crosspoint Church, which runs Bangor Christian Schools, is challenging the stipulation in Maine’s Human Rights Act that prohibits schools receiving state funding from discriminating based on gender identity, sexual orientation and religion.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become first saint of millennial generation
Touted as the ‘patron saint of the internet,’ Acutis used his natural tech talent to create a website to catalog miracles and took care of websites for some local Catholic organizations.
Maine Catholics celebrate installment of 13th bishop of Portland
James T. Ruggieri was ordained Tuesday as the 13th bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.
United Methodists begin to reverse longstanding anti-LGBTQ policies
Still to come are votes on the core of the bans on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage in church law and policy.
Philly Muslims are reeling after Eid al-Fitr shooting, as police investigate what sparked the gunfight
On what was supposed a festive day for Philadelphia Muslims as they gathered in the Parkside neighborhood to dine after the monthlong Ramadan fast, a barrage of at least 30 gunshots halted the celebration.
Man settles sexual abuse lawsuit against Maine’s Catholic church as dozens more await ruling
The man had alleged he was abused in 1948, when he was an eighth-grader in Rumford, by the Rev. Lucien Joseph Mandeville. The terms of the settlement have not been released.
Vatican blasts gender-affirming surgery, surrogacy and gender theory as violations of human dignity
From a pope who has made outreach to the LGBTQ+ community a hallmark of his papacy, the document was received as a setback, albeit a predictable one, by trans Catholics.
Thomas Gumbleton, Catholic bishop who opposed war and promoted social justice, dies at 94
For decades, he was an international voice against war and racism and an advocate for labor and social justice.
Pope overcomes health concerns to preside over Easter Mass, appeal for peace in Gaza and Ukraine
Francis appeared in good form as he presided over Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square and then delivered a heartfelt prayer for peace in his annual roundup of global crises.