State of the World with Ian Bremmer
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Pope Francis leads an ecumenical prayer vigil in Saint Peter’s square at the Vatican

The times they are a-changin’ – is the Catholic Church?

On Wednesday, Pope Francis is convening a massive meeting of Church officials and ordinary Catholic faithful — including women for the first time ever — to discuss and vote on how the Church can find common ground on a number of divisive issues, from LGBTQ+ recognition to divorce to the role of women. It’s the first phase of a two-year process, which will culminate in another summit in Rome next year.

Why this is a big deal: Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination, with over 1.3 billion adherents, and it claims direct roots to Jesus Christ through his disciple Peter, considered the first Pope. The Church’s size and global nature mean its adherents hold a vast array of political and cultural beliefs, many of which are at loggerheads in the secular world. But the Church’s mission to serve all is embedded in the name: The Greek Katholikos literally means “universal.”

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Israeli protesters demonstrate against the right-wing government outside the Knesset in Jerusalem.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH via Reuters Connect

Hard Numbers: “Anarchy” in Israel, Michigan State University shooting, the plight of Black mothers and babies, alleged abuses in Portuguese Catholic Church, the new promised land for Scotch

90,000: As Israel’s Knesset began a contentious debate over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms on Monday, a whopping 90,000 people hit the streets of Jerusalem to protest against the measures, with another 100,000 joining demonstrations nationwide. Netanyahu accused his opponents of “pushing the country to anarchy.” Here’s more from GZERO on the back story.

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China backs new Vatican Hacking, cyber firm Recorded Future says

September 15, 2020 10:58 PM

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) - Hackers alleged to be backed by China have renewed efforts to penetrate a Vatican e-mail server even after the attacks became public, in a push to spy on sensitive negotiations between the two states, a new cyber security report says.

Appeal for donations to publish Cardinal Pell's prison diary

June 21, 2020 11:01 AM

SYDNEY (AFP) - A 1,000-page journal written by Australian Cardinal George Pell during his time behind bars is set to be released by a US-based Catholic publisher that is appealing for donations to help fund the project.
Why sex abuse was so prevalent in the Catholic Church
Why sex abuse was so prevalent in the Catholic Church

Why sex abuse was so prevalent in the Catholic Church

Father James Martin breaks down the conditions and ideologies that created an environment of secrecy around the scandals in the Catholic Church.

Clerical Errors
Clerical Errors

Clerical Errors

The Catholic Church is facing tremendous internal upheaval and Pope Francis is at the center of it.

Bestselling author Fr. James Martin, a Jesuit priest who recently had a private audience with the Pontiff, and who has courted plenty of controversy of his own, discusses the moment of potential schism the Church is facing with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.

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Sri Lanka's Catholic Church calls for calm after religious clashes

May 06, 2019 1:57 PM

COLOMBO (AFP) - The head of Sri Lanka's Catholic Church appealed for calm on Monday (May 6) after sporadic violence between Christian and Muslims north of Colombo prompted police to impose a curfew.

Catholic church in Sri Lanka cancels Sunday services

May 03, 2019 5:00 AM

COLOMBO • Sri Lanka's Catholic church has scrapped plans to resume Sunday services following a "specific threat" against two religious locations after the deadly Easter attacks.

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