A Catholic bishop normally governs pretty much unchecked in his diocese — only the pope can dislodge a bishop. And each time Catholics celebrate Mass in Kansas City, Mo., they pray for Bishop Robert Finn, right after they pray for Pope Francis.
But some Catholics here, like Deacon David Biersmith, refuse to go along. MORE
At least a dozen protesters arrested in Venezuela remained in jail on Monday and masked assailants burned a bus amid scattered unrest over swelling lines for basic goods, activists said.
Police rounded up 16 people for protesting outside stores over the weekend, according to the opposition MUD coalition, which said four of them were released shortly after. MOR
Christmas is over. Now get out. That was the word this week as two of the nation’s giant retailers announced to employees and shoppers the closings of dozens of stores.
Macy’s is closing 14 of its 790 stores across the country. JCPenney is closing 39 of its stores and laying off 2,250 workers. MORE
As we charge into 2015 and new cold war relations heat up between Russia and the United States, a mysterious Russian radio station which has broadcast the same super-creepy signal for 24 hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, and 365-days-a-year FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS is getting a lot of new interest due to its’ unknown purpose, with some claiming it is Russia’s ‘nuclear trigger’ while others say it’s a continuous broadcast into outer space to communicate with extraterrestrials. MORE
A 3.3 magnitude earthquake shook eastern Connecticut at 6:36 a.m. on Monday and Weston Observatory at Boston College is showing more seismic activity just hours later, at 12:03 p.m .
The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed that there was a 3.3 magnitude quake around 6:30 a.m. and Plainfield police said they answered more than 200 calls this morning from people all over town who heard and felt the activity. MORE
Netanyahu praises bravery of kosher supermarket employee
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pays tribute to a Muslim employee for saving the lives of a Jewish family at the kosher supermarket siege, Yiming Woo reports. MORE
We are constantly reminded of how dangerous it is to be a police officer. A total of 50 police officers were reportedly killed last year in the “line of duty,” but the police themselves managed to kill 1,029 Americans during the same time period, most of whom were unarmed and innocent of wrongdoings. MORE
The documents filed in the Florida court reveal sordid details about Epstein and the orgies held in his various mansions. According to the Daily Mirror, Epstein may have compromising photographs and videos of Prince Andrew. Authorities found numerous images of sexual encounters recorded at on his properties, according to the Mirror. According to the court papers, Epstein recorded the orgies by using hidden cameras in guest bedrooms. MORE
In the Reagan era, conservative Republicans felt they had a powerful ally in Pope John Paul II, whose forceful anti-communism and anti-abortion stances played out in American politics.
Today’s conservatives are apprehensive about Pope Francis, who has changed the tone and culture, not the doctrines, of the Catholic Church in less than two years as pontiff. He stresses, with passion and authenticity, a commitment to addressing poverty and income inequality more than the social issues that have dominated much of the Catholic debate in America. MORE
Thousands of dead birds have been washing up on the Pacific Coast, and nobody is sure why.
From the northern coast of Washington to Northern California, beachgoers and biologists have been finding the carcasses of a small species of bird known as Cassin’s auklets. MORE
Tension between conservative and liberal Catholics in the United States over Pope Francis’ perceived tolerance for gays and lesbians and the divorced has entered a new arena of conflict: Climate change and the environment. MORE
A rare ‘ice halo’ was seen above New Mexico has as the arctic blast continued to make its way across the country, causing temperatures to plummet below freezing in dozens of cities. MORE
A Catholic priest in Dublin has receiving a standing ovation from members of his church after revealing he is gay during mass.
Father Martin Dolan, who has served the inner-city Church of St Nicholas of Myra for the past 15 years, made the unusual step of coming out in support of gay marriage and added: I’m gay myself”. MORE
“I think we’re trying to do something much more simple, and that is look at private religious practice,” said Korenberg, who is Jewish, was raised in a Catholic neighborhood in Natick, Mass., and sings in a Christian chorale. “I think that what we’re expecting to find here is that Mormons aren’t really going to be that different from Jews or Muslims.” MORE