Now that the economy is like totally fixed, it's back to the culture war! Yesterday, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who leads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he felt betrayed by President Obama's decision to require religious organizations to offer woman birth control without charging them through their insurance. Now the White House is prepared to announce some sort of "accommodation." more ›

A group of Fordham students who want better access to birth control are taking matters into their own hands, setting up an off-campus health clinic to combat the Catholic university's convoluted health care plan. more ›

Today, Pope Benedict gave his Easter message to the Catholic masses from the Vatican, and urged that the fighting in Libya end, "In the current conflict in Libya, may diplomacy and dialogue replace arms, and may those who suffer as a result of the conflict be given access to humanitarian aid," and held hope for peaceful resolutions in North Africa and the Middle East, "May all citizens, especially young people, work to promote the common good." more ›

Are you so tethered to your iPhone that you can't even confess your sins without it? Well, for $1.99 you won't have that problem anymore. The "church-approved" Confession app is "designed to be used in the confessional, this app is the perfect aid for every penitent." Choose from 7 different acts of contrition! Add sins not listed in standard examination of conscience! Custom interface for iPad! Unfortunately, you can't just skip the confessional booth altogether. more ›

At midnight, Archbishop Timothy Dolan held Midnight Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, drawing an audience of hundreds, including Mayor Bloomberg, Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo and Police Commission Ray Kelly. Archbishop Dolan said, “A blessed Christmas to everyone. We are all home for Christmas here at St. Patrick’s cathedral. This holds true for silent night," and "We desperately try to fill up what's missing, while the root of every anguish is that we ignore the only one who can really fill that void: God." more ›

At churches around the world, the beautiful tradition of midnight mass on Christmas Eve is being watered down by wusses who get too sleepy waiting up to 12 a.m. to celebrate their savior's birthday. Even in the Vatican, they're clocking in early with a 10 p.m. mass, just so Catholics can go beddy-bye after phoning in a quick Feliz Navidad to the Messiah they believe died for their sins. But not in New York City, baby! At St. Patrick's Cathedral, ballin' Archbishop Timothy Dolan still gets down with God after midnight. more ›

Mother Teresa may have died nearly 13 years ago, but her legacy lives on, even if the Empire State Building wouldn't shine its lights in blue and white for her last night. But hundreds of protesters still think the iconic building's owner, Anthony Malkin, was wrong to dismiss the request. The Catholic League's William Donohue, who raised a ruckus about this "slight" in June, said, "Why not Mother Teresa? If [she] doesn't make the cut, nobody [does]," and referring to the ESB's claim that religious figures aren't honored that way, "They've done it in the past for religious figures. They did it for the Salesian Sisters last year, they've done it for Pope John Paul II, they've done it for Cardinal O'Connor. That's a lie." more ›

Nearly four months after the 160-year-old Greenwich Village hospital closed its doors, talks to open an urgent care clinic at St. Vincent's have stalled over rent and...birth control. The NY Times spoke to officials "close to the negotiations" who said St. Vincent's officers "were asking for higher-than-market rent and for a huge financial penalty if the urgent-care center failed to move out immediately if a buyer were found for the hospital building" and were "trying to force the clinic to conform to Catholic doctrine by prohibiting it from prescribing birth-control drugs or providing counseling on birth-control methods." more ›

The US Health and Human Services Department has opened an investigation on Mount Sinai Hospital to see whether allegations that they forced nurse Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo to perform a late-term abortion are true. DeCarlo, a devout Catholic, filed a lawsuit claiming her boss knew her objections to performing the procedure, but threatened her with charges of "insubordination and patient abandonment" if she didn't help. She also claims the mother's life was not in danger. The investigation will determine whether the hospital violated DeCarlo's civil rights by forcing her to assist in the procedure. more ›

Bowing to pressure from Staten Island's xenophobic reactionaries, a local pastor has reversed his decision to sell a convent to an Islamic group that would use it as a community center and mosque. In the wake of an ugly community meeting last week, Rev. Keith Fennessy, the pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church, sent a letter yesterday to Archbishop Timothy Dolan explaining that upon reflection he had "concluded that the contemplated sale would not serve the needs of the parish." Fennessy had already signed a contract with the group, the Muslim American Society, to sell the vacant convent for $750,000. MAS didn't find out about Fennessy's reneging until a reporter called to ask them about it—after seeing a press release on the Archbishop's website. more ›

The Catholic League is planning a protest at the Empire State Building, because the city's tallest skyscraper won't pay tribute to the late Mother Teresa! The group asked that the building lights be blue and white (the colors of her congregation) on the 100th anniversary of her birthday, August 26, but the building refused. more ›

A Catholic nurse is suing Mount Sinai Medical Center for allegedly forcing her to assist in performing an abortion, despite having knowledge of her objections towards the procedure. Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo's boss allegedly threatened her with charges "insubordination and patient abandonment," if she did not comply. The suit filed at the Brooklyn Supreme Court charges the hospital with violating the state policy that employees may decline to participate in the procedure. Cenzon-DeCarlo had previously said of the day, "It felt like a horror film unfolding...I felt violated and betrayed." more ›

If you like your relics served up with an extra dose of creepy, have we got the exhibit for you! One-man traveling sideshow, Father Thomas Michelet, is bringing the bones of St. Mary Magdalene to the Big Apple. Oh the things her bones will see! Can't you just picture those two out on the town, snapping photos and seeing the sights? Hopefully there will be time for a Broadway show. more ›

Edward Cardinal Egan, who had been planning to wind down his leadership of the New York Archdiocese this week, was hospitalized yesterday with stomach pains—and then doctors recommended the 77-year-old receive a pacemaker. more ›

Cardinal Hayes High School, says the allegations are “absolutely, positively 100% false." Officials have confirmed that Keogan’s hard drive was storing pictures of nude men and that since there were no minors depicted, Keogan does not face any criminal charges, though of course his career is destroyed. more ›