Denomination

[UPDATE: Monday, May 6, 2013 4:50 p.m.

Joseph Zwilling, director of Communications for the Archdiocese of New York, released this statement to The Christian Post in response to the gay rights supporters' protest:

"Yesterday, prior to the 10:15 a.m. Mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, a small group of individuals approached the Cathedral with blackened hands, as a form of protest in response to Cardinal Dolan's blog post, 'All Are Welcome.' Although organizers have attempted to call yesterday's events by another name, it is clear that they were trying to make a statement, had hoped to get media attention to spread their message, and were using the setting of the Mass in Saint Patrick's Cathedral as their forum. more >>

The Roman Catholic Church has excommunicated the popular Brazilian priest Father Roberto Francisco Daniel for teaching that same-sex marriage is OK.

Reuters reported that the church decided to impose on Daniel the rare punishment because he has "injured the Church with grave statements counter to the dogma of Catholic faith and morality."

Excommunication, or expulsion from the church, bars a believer from participating in the liturgy in a ministerial capacity, but encourages the guilty party to work toward restoring their relationship with the church. more >>

Pope Francis continues implementing changes in the Vatican and his latest decision was to redirect money from traditional bonuses to 4,500 city state employees and use it for charity purposes.

"I don't think there will be any bonus," said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, as reported by The Telegraph.

"Extra expenses are something that might be normal in a situation of abundance, but that is not the world we find ourselves in now. It didn't seem possible or appropriate to burden the Vatican's budget with a considerable, unforeseen extra expense." more >>

The United Methodist Church says its connection to the movie "Home Run" that premieres this weekend runs deep, both in its support of Christ-centered 12-step and recovery group ministries and the film producers' use of member churches for locations.

"A growing number of United Methodist churches offer a well-known recovery ministry featured in the movie – Celebrate Recovery, a real-life addiction recovery program that grew out of California's Saddleback Church," stated the UMC public information office.

"In the case of 'Home Run,' United Methodists even played an important part in the movie's production," UMC officials said. "Several scenes in the movie were filmed at New Haven and West Tulsa United Methodist churches in Oklahoma." more >>

The Vatican has declared the 1999 sudden recovery of a Colorado Springs boy a miracle. The declaration places a German nun, who is considered responsible for the healing, on the path to sainthood.

Luke Burgie, now 18 years old, was only four when he suddenly developed a severe gastrointestinal condition in 1998, which doctors couldn't explain or offer any remedies for. For the next six months, he suffered violent episodes of diarrhea eight to 10 times a day; he stopped growing and started wasting away.

"He was the sickest child or person I'd ever been around," Jan Burgie, his mother, said. more >>

The American Family Association, a conservative nonprofit, has responded to the U.S. Army labeling evangelical Christianity and Catholicism as "extremist," by saying that the issue all comes down to views on homosexuality.

"This categorization is incorrect and unfounded. We do not hate any person or group of people; we love homosexuals enough to tell them the truth about the consequences of homosexual behavior," Tim Wildmon, president of AFA, said in a statement.

The family group blames the civil rights organization Southern Poverty Law Center for spreading misinformation to the U.S. army, which resulted in evangelicals and Catholics being listed among notorious factions like the Ku Klux Klan and al-Qaida in a recent presentation on religious extremism. more >>