Swiss prosecutors have filed criminal charges against a Zurich councillor and former Green Liberal Party leader after she posted images of herself firing approximately 20 shots at a Christian image depicting the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. According to the Swiss news outlet 20 Minuten, the Zurich public prosecutor’s office accuses Sanija Ameti of publicly disparaging religious beliefs and disturbing religious peace under Article 261 of the Swiss Penal Code.

A bill introduced in Congress last week would exempt popes with U.S. citizenship from federal tax obligations, and prevent their citizenship from being revoked during their tenure as supreme pontiff. The bill, the Holy Sovereignty Protection Act (H.R. 4501) was introduced July 18 by Republican Congressman Jeff Hurd of Colorado. It comes amid concern at the Holy See over possible legal complications stemming from the election of Leo XIV as the first American pope.

Two prominent theologians who critiqued what they saw as doctrinal ambiguity under the late Pope Francis have been fired from their longtime posts at the Archdiocese of Detroit’s major seminary by the local archbishop, the Register has confirmed. Archbishop Edward Weisenburger removed Ralph Martin and Eduardo Echeverria from their positions at Sacred Heart Major Seminary on July 23, both theologians told the Register separately.

An amusing Jewish-mother joke worthy of a Seinfeld episode goes like this: A mother telegraphs her daughter with an urgent message. “Bad news coming tomorrow, begin worrying today.” The account of Mary and Martha in the Gospel is lovely. The gentle repetition of Martha’s name is a charming example of a loving rebuke of Martha’s hyperactivity. "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things...

Prominent Catholic theologian Ralph Martin says Detroit’s new archbishop told him he fired him from the archdiocese’s seminary faculty over undefined “concerns about my theological perspectives.” Martin, 82, who had taught at Sacred Heart Major Seminary since 2002, said Archbishop Edward Weisenburger told him Wednesday he “was terminating my position at the seminary effective immediately.”

Happy Friday friends, and a happy feast of St. James the Greater to you all. If you’re like me, you may have wondered what is so great about him, relative to other James in the game. As Lucy might note, he never got his picture on bubblegum cards, after all. Well, I’m reliably informed, and thus so are you, that the designation was likely about his age or height, relative to James the Lesser...

The rainy weather did not prevent Blanca Servín from dressing her 7-year-old son like a bird. They joined a procession honoring St. Francis Solanus, the patron saint of a town in Paraguay about 20 miles from the capital city of Asunción. Like her child, dozens of Catholics in Emboscada wear elaborate feathered garments each July 24. Dressing up is a ritual aimed at fulfilling promises made to the Spanish friar...

Let’s tackle this question head-on, explaining the origins of the Biblical canon, its development throughout Salvation History from the time of Moses, and how the Catholic Church agreed upon an official list of inspired books in A.D. 382. Furthermore, we explain the history behind the Protestant Bible as well as the changes that were made following the Reformation. Dive deeper into your knowledge of the Bible in Stunned by Scripture.

Tragic news broke this month of an Italian Catholic priest who died by suicide. As a Catholic psychologist who works closely with seminarians and priests, I found the story especially troubling. The priest’s young age, just 35 years old, was jarring, and the grief expressed by his community made clear how deeply he was loved...

Pope Leo XIV recently declared the first miracle of his papacy – the recovery of an unresponsive newborn baby in Rhode Island around 18 years ago. The Vatican proclaimed that the survival of an ailing baby boy at the former Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket was due to his doctor's prayers, according to the Diocese of Providence.