A new book by the Catholic Church's self-proclaimed exorcism expert alleges that Pope Benedict XVI performed an exorcism on two possessed men in St. Peter's Square three years ago. The two men "banged their heads on the ground" waiting for Benedict to work his magic faith. "They were trembling, slobbering, working themselves into a frenzy," Father Gabriele Amorth writes. Hear that, Benedict? Boston needs you. more ›

84-year-old Maybelline eyeshadow spokesperson and current head of the Catholic Church Pope Benedict XVI is closing in on his 85th birthday, and Pope-watchers say that he is growing increasingly frail and weak. He's reduced his schedule of public speeches, has stopped meeting visiting bishops individually, and has taken to using a moving platform to make the 100 meter journey to the altar in St. Peter's Cathedral. more ›

Every year, decent, red-blooded Americans attempt to celebrate the humble holiday of the birth of their savior. And every year, more and more government bureaucrats paper over Baby Jesus because of some antiquated "separation of church and state" policy. At least the Rockefeller Christmas Tree-Corpse is still a Christmas tree. But the same can't be said of Rhode Island's "Holiday tree," which Governor Lincoln Chafee lit up last night. "He's trying to put our religion down, one man told the AP. "It's a Christmas tree. It always has been and it always will be, no matter what that buffoon says it is." more ›

Not everyone is happy that a large swath of New Yorkers are now given the same rights and privileges as everyone else. Now the Catholic church, which is usually totally cool about leaving people alone and letting them live their lives, is holding a grudge against Governor Cuomo and his colleagues for helping push the "ruinous legislation" along. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio who oversees a Brooklyn diocese released a statement following the passage of the bill asking "all Catholic schools to refuse any distinctions or honors bestowed upon them by the governor," and any state legislators who voted "Yes." 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 ›

On Good Friday a Vatican priest compared recent criticism of the Catholic church to anti-Semitism, drawing ire from Jewish groups and advocates for victims of sexual abuse. Just like the “collective violence” that the Jews have endured the church has come under attack, observed Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, supposedly quoting a letter from an unnamed Jewish friend. In front of an audience that included the pope, he continued: "'The use of stereotypes, the shifting of personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt remind me of the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.’" more ›

The NY Times has an entertaining profile of William Donohue, the head of the Catholic League: For Religious and Civil Rights. Locally, you may remember him from his support of putting nativity scenes back in public schools, condemning the Jerry Springer opera and getting Opie & Anthony fired, but he's a fixture on TV talk shows blasting movie adaptations of Dan Brown books—in Angels & Demons, "They even have a scene where rats eat a bunch of cardinals. Can you imagine any other religion where this would not be viewed as rank religious bias?"—and slamming Notre Dame's president for inviting President Obama to receive an honorary degree—"Here is a Catholic priest, bestowing an honor on someone who supports selective infanticide." The divorced father of two wants to end anti-Catholic bias, but he's not above embracing South Park's withering parody of Donohue by way of The Da Vinci Code, The Easter Bunny, and The Matrix—Donohue has a still from the episode and seemingly brags to the Times, "In the episode, they have me overthrow the pope because the pope is a wimp, and then I take over the church and give it some guts." more ›

In less than a week, it'll be all Pope Benedict, all the time. And right now, it practically seems that way already, with planners working overtime to make sure the Papal Visit goes off without a hitch. The NY Times has a great article about the logistics involved with the April 20 mass at Yankee Stadium: "How do 530 priests and deacons give communion to 57,000 people in 14 minutes?" There's even a related graphic outlining the difficulty of navigating various parts of Yankee Stadium. more ›

Next month, Pope Benedict XVI will be coming to the Big Apple for his first papal visit. And amongst the gifts he receives will be a skateboard designed by young New Yorker. more ›