The law says consent cannot truly be given in those circumstances due to the power imbalance, and it also applies to a professor and a student, or a boss and an employee, or a therapist and a client.
I could have decided to live in a grey area and lead a double life, as perhaps other priests do. But at a certain point, I realized that it wasn't right. I don't agree with celibacy or the doctrine that supports it.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, 76, is one of the leading voices of the progressive sector of the U.S. Catholic Church at a time when the conservative arm, emboldened by the Donald Trump administration, is rapidly gaining ground in a heavily politicized country. Except he doesn't see himself in that way, nor the church. I always try to be faithful to what the doctrine of the Church is on social issues, and that is my guide.
Fr Paul Murphy was stabbed seven times with a hunting knife while attempting to drive into Renmore Barracks in Galway on the morning of August 15 2024. Fr Murphy, who required surgery for his injuries and lost some feeling in his arms, said he forgave his attacker before hugging him in the courtroom following the trial. His attacker, who was 16 at the time and cannot be identified, was arrested at the scene after being restrained by soldiers.
The first publicly recognized Black priest in the United States, Augustus Tolton, may not be a household name. Yet I believe his story - from being born enslaved to becoming a college valedictorian - deserves to be a staple of Black History Month. "Good Father Gus" is now a candidate for sainthood. My forthcoming book, " The Wounded Church," examines ways that the Catholic Church has excluded people during different chapters of its history, from women to African American people.
The Chicago-born new archbishop of 2.8 million Catholics in New York was greeted with fanfare and applause both inside and outside the renowned house of worship in Midtown often called by Hicks' predecessor, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, as America's parish church. Midtown was swarmed with members of clergy as nuns and other people of faith passed by yellow cabs and commuters rushing to work to attend the history-making commemoration.
There are some things that defy explanation. When the loathsome House Speaker Mike Johnson recently took it upon himself to explain the Bible to Pope Leo XIV, the Bishop of Rome, the spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics, and a person who has truly earned his Jesus stripes, it just confirmed what a sanctimonious idiot Johnson is. This bizarre Bible babble from one of the most unholy people on Earth went beyond being absurd because the very idea that the narcissistic Johnson really thought he knew more about the Bible than the humble Leo is ... well, inexplicable.
Matthew Marrero witnessed the emotional detainment inside of 26 Federal Plaza on Nov. 24. The pair had been attending what they thought would be a joyous Green Card appointment that would cement their life together; instead, it turned into a nightmare when the Marreros were separated by ICE, and Allan was transferred from facility to facility. After months of fighting for his husband's freedom, Matthew Marrero flew to the Magnolia State on Jan. 27 for Allan's bond hearing.