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Catholicism
Ash Wednesday Fasting Rules: Can You Eat Meat on Ash Wednesday?
By Tom Lorenzo - AOL NewsAs we reach the start of the season of Lent, many are wondering what, if any, rules they need to follow on Ash Wednesday and beyond. The first question that typically comes up is, "Am I allowed to eat meat on Ash Wednesday?" Naturally, the simple answer is "yes." You're allowed to eat meat on Ash Wednesday, but that's assuming that you're not following any religious guidelines. According to the Catholic church, the requirements as stated by Pope Paul VI in his "Apostolic Constitution on Penance," written in 1966, the rule is as follows: More on Ash Wednesday Meat and ...
Lent 2011: Twitter Giving Up Twitter and Cupcakes
By Steven Hoffer - AOL NewsCookies, McDonald's breakfast and non-weekend beers: These are just a sampling of the many indulgences that Twitter users will be abstaining from tomorrow through Easter when Ash Wednesday brings in the season of Lent. Since Catholics are encouraged to make a sacrifice for Lent, emulating the 40 days of prayer and fasting observed by Jesus before he began public ministry, the micro-blogging world is sharing a few ideas of its own. What might you give up for the next 40 days? Surge Desk scanned Twitter for suggestions. Some tweeters are contemplating the ...
Ash Wednesday 2011 Pictures [PHOTOS]
By not in system - AOL NewsAsh Wednesday is a Christian holiday that marks the first day of Lent. The day gets its name from the practice of placing ashes, traditionally from the burned palm crosses of the previous year's Palm Sunday, onto the forehead of worshipers as a sign of repentance. http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=988745&pid=988744&uts=1299676328 http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf ...
Confession iPhone App a High-Tech Shortcut to Absolution?
By Mary Phillips-Sandy - AOL NewsBroken one of the Ten Commandments lately? Tell your iPhone. A new Confession app is available for download in the iTunes App Store. Features include "ability to add sins not listed in standard examination of conscience," step-by-step guides to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and seven acts of contrition. The app, which was developed by Little i Apps in partnership with Catholic priests, has been officially sanctioned by the church. Note, however, that it's designed to help users prepare for confession, not to replace in-person trips to the confessional. The Catholic League wants to make ...
Sister Marie Simon-Pierre: 5 Facts About Pope John Paul II's 'Miracle' Nun
By Steven Hoffer - AOL NewsAfter four years of suffering from Parkinson's disease, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre was cured during the night of June 2, 2005. Five and half years and a thorough investigation later, Pope Benedict XVI has "signed off" on that remarkable and seemingly instantaneous recovery as the miracle required for Pope John Paul II's beatification. After praying to John Paul II two months after the pope passed away, the nun said she awoke one morning, to the shock of her doctor, feeling reborn and capable of performing previously difficult tasks, such as walking and writing. Surge Desk offers five facts ...
FBI: Hate Crimes and Anti-Religious Offenses Declined in 2009
By David Gibson - Politics DailyThe FBI says the number of reported hate crimes dropped significantly in 2009 from the previous year, to their lowest point in more than 15 years, despite the deepening recession and growing social tensions. Anti-religious crimes also declined, although attacks against Jewish targets continued to far outstrip incidents aimed at Muslims and Islamic sites. Whether that downward trend -- and the proportionally low number of anti-Muslim incidents -- continued into 2010 will only come to light in next year's report. Given the supercharged political atmosphere that marked this election year, and ...
'Vatican Bank' Under Investigation Again
By Paul Wachter - AOL News
(Sept. 21) -- The president of the Institute for Religious Works (IOR) -- commonly called the Vatican Bank -- and another senior official are being investigated for money laundering, The Guardian reports. Italian police have ordered the freeze of 23 million euros ($30 million) from the account under dispute. Just what is the Vatican bank in the first place, and why has it been so prone to scandal over the years? Surge Desk takes a look: Founding and charge Founded in 1942 by Pope Pius XII to manage the Vatican's coffers, the IOR operates outside the central administrative structure of the ...
Pope Benedict Beatifies Controversial Cardinal, Whitewashing History
By Paul Wachter - AOL News(Sept. 20) -- "Benedict was once a scholar and now claims to be infallible in matters of faith or morals. But on the clearest facts of history he is a dissembler and disguiser." So writes historian and Catholic Gary Willis in a withering blog post for The New York Review of Books. Wills is writing to defend the memory of the 19th-century British theologian John Henry Newman, whom Pope Benedict XVI beatified on his recent visit to England. Wills accuses the pope of portraying Newman as a "model of submission to church authority," when in fact he was a longtime critic of growing papal power. ...
Argentina, Uganda and the Future of Conservative Christianity
By Paul Wachter - AOL News(July 15) -- Argentina, a predominately Catholic nation, became on Thursday the first Latin American country to grant homosexuals the full legal rights enjoyed by other citizens. The bill was opposed by Catholic and evangelical authorities. One of its opponents, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, said that "children need to have the right to be raised and educated by a father and a mother." Increasingly, Catholic Latin America is granting legal rights to gays and lesbians that the church opposes. "Same-sex civil unions have been legalized in Uruguay and some states in Mexico and Brazil," The New ...
Like Father, Like Son: Mel Gibson's Racist Rant Draws Comparisons to His Dad
By Paul Wachter - AOL NewsMel Gibson's ex-girlfriend and mother of his child recorded the actor threatening her in in a racist rant, according to RadarOnline.com. "You look like a f***ing pig in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n***ers, it will be your fault," the actor reportedly told Oksana Grigorieva. The two have been battling in court in recent weeks. The gossip site has yet to release the tape, however. But it wouldn't be the first time Gibson has been outed as a racist. After being arrested in 2006 on suspicion of drunk driving, he launched into an anti-Semitic tirade. "F**king Jews ... The Jews are ...
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