Jezebel: Catholicism

Catholic Bishops Want Every Business Including Taco Bell to Be Free to Deny Birth Control Coverage

Erin Gloria Ryan — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST

Hey, look who it is poking its funny hats into the birth control debate! It's the Catholic Church again, and they're here tell the government that God wants every business owner to have the right to deny their female employees coverage for birth control. Even Taco Bell. Especially Taco Bell. More »

Catholic Colleges Refuse to Pay for Whore Pills

Erin Gloria Ryan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:15:00 EST

Religious colleges are displeased with the Obama administration's decision to require birth control coverage for their employees and students under the Affordable Care Act. Actually "displeased" probably isn't a good word. "Hopping mad" is more accurate. A group of hopping mad bishops is filing suit against the administration to prevent the provision from going into effect, and some colleges compelled by state law to provide slut lozenges to their befouled female students are just ignoring the law entirely. More »

Sensible Religious School Fired Woman For Being Artificially Inseminated

Erin Gloria Ryan — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:15:00 EST

A single woman who was fired by her Catholic school employer after announcing she was pregnant via artificial insemination says she doesn't regret her decision to pursue motherhood, even though she still hasn't found a new job. She does, however, plan on continuing to sue their holy roller asses. More »

Fordham Students Protest Hidden Anti-Birth-Control Policy [Updated]

Anna North — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:20:00 EST

Students at Fordham University complain that the Catholic school won't prescribe birth control at its campus clinics — and that this policy isn't made clear to incoming students. Now they're hosting an off-campus clinic as an alternative. More »

Super Classy Pro-Life Group Pickets Pro-Choice Politician's Church

Erin Gloria Ryan — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:55:00 EDT

Virginia State Senator Mamie Locke is a practicing Catholic and in favor of preserving a woman's right to choose. Her challenger, Republican Tom Harmon, is opposed to abortion in all cases, even when a woman's health is threatened. Guess which one was met by protesters as they left church on Sunday? Just guess! More »

Why Would Anyone Become a Nun?

Erin Gloria Ryan — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:50:00 EDT

In Great Britain, more young women are getting thee to the nunnery — and not the way Shakespeare meant it. In recent years, the motherland has seen an upswing in new, younger entrants into religious orders. The Anglican Church has been ordaining women into the priesthood since 1971, and Anglican priests are allowed to marry. Why would a woman opt to forsake the possibility of a family or traditional service in the name of religious service when an alternative is available? More »

School Told It Can't Offer School Credit For Abortion Protest, Not That They're Listening

Erin Gloria Ryan — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:55:00 EDT

The Catholic school that had planned to give students academic credit for participating in an anti-abortion prayer vigil has been told that the move isn't kosher by the Catholic educational powers that be, thanks to the public outrage the plan spurred. Protesting: sometimes, it works! More »

Catholic Universities Vow To Smite Provision Requiring Them To Give Students Birth Control

Erin Gloria Ryan — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:55:00 EDT

Catholic universities have got their rosaries in a bunch over a provision in the Affordable Care Act that would require them to do something that makes the baby Jesus cry- outfit their students and employees with insurance plans that would cover hormonal birth control. More »

Catholic College Disinvites Speaker On Civility For Coincidentally Being Pro-Choice

Irin Carmon — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:15:00 EDT

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Ellen Goodman was invited to speak at St. Francis University — until the college was criticized by the Cardinal Newman Society for having a pro-choice speaker on campus. Then the provost wrote her, "After careful consideration, the university feels that the body of your work has reflected statements that are not in close enough alignment with some Catholic teachings and with the values and mission of the university as required for an event of this stature." More »

Would You Use Beads To Schedule Your Sex Life?

Irin Carmon — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:45:00 EDT

A study to be published in the Journal of Family Planning & Reproductive Health Care says that the standard days method of natural family planning, using "beads" to tell you when you're fertile, is more than 95 percent effective in avoiding pregnancy. The claim is that it's more effective than a condom. More »

Catholic Condom Ads Banned In Spain

Anna North — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:45:00 EDT

Starting tomorrow, young people will flock to Madrid for World Youth Day, where they'll see concerts, speeches by bishops, and appearances by the Pope. But they won't be seeing ads supporting condom use — because Spanish transit authorities banned them. More »

Bill Donohue Is A Cynical Bigot, Part One Million

Irin Carmon — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EDT

All the debate over gay marriage was missing was someone calling it the "upper class white man's burden. Enter Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, always ready to commit maximum offense on television. More »

Lady Gaga Reveals The Only Controversial Thing About "Judas" Video

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:40:00 EDT

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In the video for Lady Gaga's "Judas," Jesus has cornrows. The disciples are a leather-clad motorcycle gang. Gaga wears a bikini top featuring nipple-hiding crosses, and folks are anointed with holy water and beer. But as Gaga tells E!: More »

Seventeen Monks Accused Of Child Abuse

Anna North — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:40:00 EDT

A Minneapolis abbey issued a statement earlier this month saying that over a period of forty years, seventeen of its monks had likely abused children at its affiliated prep school. And a local TV station was able to track several of the accused monks down, with disturbing results. More »

Catholics Angry With Lady Gaga's Blashphemous New Single

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:57:00 EDT

Well, one Catholic, anyway: Catholic League President Bill Donohue is not a fan of Lady Gaga's new track, "Judas." In fact, he's pretty upset: More »

Lady Gaga Releases Biblical Dance Track In Time For Easter

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:10:00 EDT

"Jesus is my virtue, and Judas is the demon I cling to," Gaga sings in her new track, "Judas." The Madonna enthusiast is in her "Like A Prayer" phase, guys! Although: There are moments when it kind of sounds like she's saying "Jew, ah, ah." So maybe you can play the tune at Seder while looking for the Afikoman. In any case, as you may know, Judas was the dude who betrayed Jesus for cash. And Gaga gets all New Testament on us, hollering: More »

Bible Bids Bye-Bye To "Booty"

Irin Carmon — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:35:00 EST

Children's giggles have forced Catholic bishops to cleanse their translation of the bible of the word "booty." It will be replaced with "the spoils of war." More »

Married Dad Becomes Catholic Priest

Anna North — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:36:00 EST

The Catholic Church has just ordained a married man, through an obscure law that lets non-Catholic clergy become priests. He will get to stay married and parent his two kids. What's next, ordaining women and gay people? Ha! Actually, the Church is also starting a special program for Anglicans who are so disgusted by female and gay priests that they want to convert. More »

Marriage Is Not a Right, Says Pope

Lauri Apple — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:00:36 EST

Pope Benedict XVI doesn't think people can claim any "right to a nuptial ceremony." Also, he thinks better premarital counseling could help avoid a "vicious circle" of invalid marriages. Unsure on the first part, but minimizing risk sounds good. Thoughts? More »

Maryland May Recognize Gay Marriage

Irin Carmon — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:10:12 EST

A gay marriage bill is being introduced in Maryland's state legislature. Said the House co-sponsor, "In 1967, my uncle passed the legislation lifting the ban on interracial marriages in Maryland. Today I carry on that legacy." It could actually pass. More »

Pope Sticks up for Embryos

Lauri Apple — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 17:30:28 EST

Pope Benedict XVI doesn't think people respect embryos enough, and said so during a recent vespers service. He also lamented how many kids are subjected to poverty, abandonment, and other ills. Surely more unwanted kids will fix this problem! More »

Pope Says Condoms Okay For Women Too

Anna North — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 09:36:00 EST

The Pope recently (kind of) okayed the use of condoms for male prostitutes to guard against HIV transmission — now he's clarified that his stance applies to women too. More »

Catholic Leaders Upset That Rome Is Just The "Eat" In Eat Pray Love

Dodai Stewart — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EDT

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John Muldering of the Catholic News Service doesn't seem to realize that only exotic brown people can say wise things. Duh. More »

Anne Rice Explains Why She Left The Church

Sadie Stein — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:03:00 EDT

In interviews, Anne Rice has expanded on what led her to "quit" the Catholic Church after her very public return to religion. More »

Fallout Following Anne Rice's Decision To Quit Jesus Fanclub

Sadie Stein — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:27:00 EDT

Since Anne Rice announced her decision to "quit" Christianity, there's been an outpouring of reaction, from supportive to condemnatory: More »

The Holy Spirit

Anna Holmes — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 17:10:00 EDT

[Rome, June 9. Image via AP]

Nun Excommunicated For Suggesting Abortion

Anna North — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:00:00 EDT

A Phoenix nun has been "automatically excommunicated" for recommending an abortion to save the life of a woman, raising the question of how much the Church hierarchy really cares about women's lives. More »

The Apostle

Anna Holmes — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:10:00 EST

[Washington, D.C., February 17. Image via Getty]

Dad May Be Jailed For Taking Daughter To Church

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST

After Joseph Reyes baptized his 3-year-old daughter against his Jewish ex-wife's wishes, a court forbid him from exposing her to Catholicism-but he still took her to church. Reyes explained on GMA, "Catholicism falls right under the umbrella of Judaism." More »

One Nation, Under Gods

Anna Holmes — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:15:00 EST

[Kota Tinggi, Malaysia; January 14. Image via Getty]

The Ties That Bind

Anna Holmes — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:10:00 EDT

[Bruno-Turany, Czech Republic; September 27. Image via Getty]

"Prayer Book For Spouses" Not As Racy As You Might Expect

Kate Harding — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EDT

"Avoiding sex is something religion — especially Catholicism — excels at," writes the always awesome Frances Kissling. And for heathens who just can't give up marital nookie, there's a new prayer book to take all the fun out of it. More »

Losing Her Religion

Anna Holmes — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:10:00 EDT

[New York, August 9. Image via Getty]

Mother, May I?

Anna Holmes — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:10:00 EDT

[Vatican City; July 8. Image via Getty]

Creatures Of Habit

Anna Holmes — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:10:00 EDT

[Vatican City, July 1. Image via Getty]

Original Sin: "Feminist Nun" Promoted For Sainthood

Sadie Stein — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:20:00 EDT

After centuries of dismissal as a heretic, a radical 17th Century nun is finally getting recognition. More »

The Shifting Identity Of American Catholics

Hortense Smith — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:15:00 EDT

Often enough, when we post something about the Pope, or Catholicism in general, the comments tend to split down the center, with Catholic commenters and non-Catholic commenters challenging each other on what the religion means. More »

Oh! Now I Remember It. God Bless Me.

Anna Holmes — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:10:00 EDT

[Nazareth, Israel; May 14. Image via Getty]

Weapons Of Mass Construction On West Bank

Anna Holmes — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:10:00 EDT

[Bethlehem, May 13. Image via Getty]

Mel Gibson's Divorce Is In Conflict With His Catholicism

Megan Carpentier — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:40:00 EDT

Frances Kissling with Salon has an idea what lesson über-Catholic Mel Gibson's divorce should teach (other than don't grow this goatee). She thinks Mel is why the Pope ought to allow divorce. More »