L.A. Times - Religious News

Salesians settle final L.A. Archdiocese priest abuse case for $19.5 million

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A jury had just been seated in the civil trial of the lawsuit. The order expresses contrition to the victims.

The Salesian Society agreed Wednesday to pay $19.5 million to 17 childhood molestation victims, ending the last unresolved case involving the Los Angeles Archdiocese's sexual abuse crisis.

Pastor John Hagee says he's sorry for anti-Catholic remarks

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Hagee, who supports John McCain for president, expresses 'deep regret for any comments Catholics found hurtful.' The Catholic League accepts his apology.

An evangelical pastor who backs John McCain tried to put his controversial remarks about the Catholic Church behind him, apologizing to the head of the Catholic League and expressing "deep regret for any comments Catholics found hurtful."

The Virgin Mary's place in the Kern County sun

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Twenty years after a woman said the Virgin Mary appeared to her, hundreds still attend Our Lady of the Rock gatherings in the Mojave. Despite disavowal by the church, followers say they draw comfort.

Even as the early morning chill lingered in this spot of desolate desert most frequented by dune buggies and dirt bikes, the sunlight was fierce, highlighting every shadow and making even the faintest color bright.

King-Harbor's recovery could take years

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Prospects for the Willowbrook hospital reopening are grim, officials say. L.A. County's bureaucracy is seen as one impediment.

The once-steadfast promise to reopen Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Medical Center by February 2009 has given way in recent weeks to the bleak prediction among some officials that it could be years before the linchpin in south Los Angeles County healthcare is resurrected.

Chanticleer tours California's mission era music

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The renowned 'orchestra of voices' is taking its dozen male singers on the road -- the state's historic Camino Real that links the mission sites.

MOST California schoolchildren learn the basic facts about the state's mission history in the fourth grade. Established from 1769 to 1823 by Franciscan monks from Spain to spread the Roman Catholic faith among the area's Native American population, the series of strategic-religious outposts spanned 650 miles of California coastline, from San Diego to Sonoma, providing Spain with a powerful presence on the Pacific frontier. Today, these monuments are among the state's oldest buildings and most popular tourist destinations.

Debate grows with Philippine population

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Critics say policies of the Roman Catholic Church are to blame for condemning many to poverty. Clerics say poverty is the culprit.

Ask Josephine Gonzalez how many children a family should have and the stick-figured 31-year-old mother answers without hesitation. "I only wanted three," she says, trying to soothe the naked baby boy who tugs at her ragged dress.

In the library with a leading Islamic liberal

Sun, 11 May 2008 07:49:56 -0700

Egyptian Gamal Banna backs women's right to lead prayers and thinks clerics should adapt to modern times.

May 6, 2008

Priests-in-training are getting older

Sun, 4 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The Catholic Church priesthood shortage is being alleviated by men embarking on second careers, who bring special wisdom -- and challenges.

For Robert Holz, the question always lingered.

Fund helps Holocaust survivors from Eastern Europe

Sat, 3 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Actress and director Zane Buzby's Survivor Mitzvah Project sends funds directly to poor Eastern Europeans.

The letters are simple, full of gratitude and overflowing with history.

L.A.'s Cathedral Chapel is a power in the Catholic Academic Decathlon

Sat, 3 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The state competition begins today in Chula Vista.

When the state Catholic Schools Junior High Academic Decathlon begins today in Chula Vista, a small mid-city school will be representing the Los Angeles Archdiocese for the third time, having beaten more than 100 other parochial schools to get there.