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Lay people

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Lay people

Lay group’s tale one of exorcisms, power struggles and abuse charges
- Global Church
- September 2, 2017
A lay Catholic association founded by an unlicensed exorcist in the small Sicilian town of Aci Bonaccorsi is under scrutiny after its leader was arrested for sexually abusing at least six underage girls. A Crux investigation led to the further discovery of ‘bizarre happenings’ in the local church of Lavina for more than 40 years, where the lay group was able to act largely without any ecclesiastical or governmental oversight.
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Canonist warns Church oversight of troubled lay groups has ‘no teeth’
- Global Church
- August 12, 2017
Through the years the Vatican has developed strong rules and regulations to fight sex abuse in the clergy, but two recent sex abuse scandals in Catholic lay associations show that in these cases the Church is still very slow to respond and that often local bishops fail to exercise the necessary monitoring.
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Ministers lend an ear to those dealing with hardships
- Associated Press, Church in the US
- May 31, 2017
Anne Donahue is one of an estimated 40 Stephen ministers at Sacred Heart, which is one of 130 congregations in the state that have adopted the Christian support program. For the last three years, Donahue and others have been paired up with people who long for another person to talk to. Many of these care receivers have lost a spouse or a child, have endured a divorce or are suffering from a debilitating illness. Stephen ministers meet, typically weekly, with the care receivers and listen to their concerns.
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New aide says Francis wants to hear laity, not just bishops and priests
- Vatican
- August 22, 2016
Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas initially thought it was a prank when he was told in May that Pope Francis was on the line, but it was really him, telling Farrell to head up a new Vatican department. In part, his marching orders are to make sure lay people hold prominent Vatican positions, and to help the pope hear directly from the laity.
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Married couple tells bishops they're there to help
- Church
- October 17, 2015
ROME — Many people following the Oct. 4-25 Synod of Bishops on the family are hoping the 270 prelates gathered in Rome will come out with solutions for various crises facing families today, such as high divorce rates, poverty, migration, and elderly who have been abandoned. At least one of
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Why can’t weddings be held in a closed church?
- Church
- September 28, 2015
Q. I am having a hard time understanding why a Catholic church closed by a bishop can no longer be used for Masses, weddings, and funerals. For more than 100 years, this particular church — built by my great-great-grandparents — was considered sacred ground. Now my grandson wants to get
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