Yahoo! News: Religion News

Cruz, Paul address religious leaders in Des Moines
Vatican offers indulgences for World Youth Day's social media participants - with a hitch
Stolen bell of Batoche to be unveiled, returned to Saskatchewan Catholic bishop
News Summary: Pope creates new finance commission
Pope and former pope meet ahead of Brazil trip
Pope OKs indulgences for the tweeting classes
Archbishop Tutu visits Mandela in hospital
Arrested prelate wanted to tell pope of suspect activity: document
Pope Francis heads to less Catholic, more restive Brazil
Pope brings in lay experts to help reform Vatican
Pope creates new commission of inquiry for finance
Pope sets up commission to reform Vatican
Dispatch from Cairo: The disturbing rise of anti-Christian violence

Cruz, Paul address religious leaders in Des Moines

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 04:43 PM PDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two Republican senators on Friday were courting a group that could wield powerful influence over the outcome of the state's 2016 GOP presidential caucuses: Iowa's evangelical pastors.

Vatican offers indulgences for World Youth Day's social media participants - with a hitch

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 10:52 AM PDT

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican is offering indulgences for Facebook fans, Twitter lovers and other "virtual" participants of the upcoming World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro — but there's a hitch.

Stolen bell of Batoche to be unveiled, returned to Saskatchewan Catholic bishop

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 09:58 AM PDT

BATOCHE, Sask. - People from across Canada are expected to visit a small Saskatchewan community this weekend to witness the return home of a significant piece of Metis history after 128 years.

News Summary: Pope creates new finance commission

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 09:48 AM PDT

NEW PANEL: Pope Francis on Friday created another commission of inquiry into the Vatican's troubled finances. REFORM MANDATE: The eight-member committee will recommend ways to cut waste, improve transparency ...

Pope and former pope meet ahead of Brazil trip

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 09:37 AM PDT

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis paid a visit to his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict on Friday ahead of his trip next week to Brazil, a visit originally scheduled to have been made by Benedict. Benedict was to have presided at World Youth Day, a gathering of young Catholics from around the globe, which takes place in Rio de Janeiro July 22-28. But he resigned on February 28, saying he no longer had the strength to run the 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church. He was the first pontiff in 600 years to step down instead of reigning for life. ...

Pope OKs indulgences for the tweeting classes

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 09:24 AM PDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican is offering indulgences for Facebook fans, Twitter lovers and other "virtual" participants of the upcoming World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro — but there's a hitch.

Archbishop Tutu visits Mandela in hospital

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 09:16 AM PDT

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Archbishop Desmond Tutu visits Nelson Mandela in hospital and says the ailing former president is "peaceful"after marking his 95th birthday.

Arrested prelate wanted to tell pope of suspect activity: document

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 08:31 AM PDT

By Massimiliano Di Giorgio and Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - An arrested Catholic prelate asked to meet Pope Francis to tell him of irregular activities in the Vatican's financial administration before he was detained on suspicion of money smuggling, according to a judicial document and a legal source. Monsignor Nunzio Scarano has also written a letter to the pope from his jail cell and given documents to magistrates, a source with direct knowledge of the case said. Scarano was for years a senior accountant at APSA, the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See. ...

Pope Francis heads to less Catholic, more restive Brazil

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 07:05 AM PDT

By Paulo Prada and Esteban Israel RIO DE JANEIRO/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Five months after becoming the first non-European pontiff in 13 centuries, Pope Francis makes his debut trip abroad next week by returning to Latin America for a gathering of young faithful in Brazil, the world's largest Roman Catholic country. Francis, an Argentine, confirmed shortly after he assumed the papacy that he would head to his home region for World Youth Day, a weeklong visit beginning on Monday. ...

Pope brings in lay experts to help reform Vatican

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 06:26 AM PDT

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has brought in international experts to help him overhaul the Holy See and move on from a series of scandals under his predecessor Benedict XVI. Urged on by the cardinals who elected him four months ago, Francis set up a commission on Friday to help him reform the Vatican's administration and finances. Made up of seven international lay experts and one cleric, the commission will report directly to the pope and advise him on economic affairs, improving transparency and enforcing accounting principles. ...

Pope creates new commission of inquiry for finance

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 05:40 AM PDT

Pope Francis on Friday created another commission of inquiry into the Vatican's troubled finances, naming an eight-member committee to recommend ways to cut waste, improve transparency and fix the Holy ...

Pope sets up commission to reform Vatican

Posted: 19 Jul 2013 04:15 AM PDT

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, moving to overcome major crises in the Holy See, on Friday set up a special commission to reform its economic and administrative departments, the Vatican said. The commission, which is made up of seven lay experts and one cleric, will report directly to the pope and advise him on economic affairs, how to improve transparency and ensure correct application of accounting principles, the Vatican said. Francis had already established a separate commission on how to reform the Vatican bank. ...