Tagged: Catholicism

Billions of Christians around the world are in the midst of Holy Week observances in the run-up to Easter.  Many of these rituals have been in place for centuries. 

But how does an ancient faith adapt to the age of the internet, social networks, and smartphones? 

So far, the answer is “slowly.” 

But a pair of New Hampshire entrepreneurs hope they can speed up the process. 

It’s fitting that the idea for a prayer-based social network came to Jamie Coughlin and his brother Adam while they were parked on a pew at Mass.

Catholic cardinals from around the world are meeting now, as the process of choosing a new leader gets underway at a time of tremendous upheaval for their church. We’ll find out what religious leaders and others in the Granite state are saying about this and what they think it means for the future.

Guests

Thursday marked the end of Pope Benedict's nearly eight year tenure as spiritual leader of the Catholic Church. In New Hampshire, 150 parishioners attended a noontime mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Manchester honoring the Pope.

Pope Benedict’s surprise announcement that he would leave his post at the end of the month is prompting plenty of reflection on his papacy and the state of the Church among Catholics, from clergy to laypersons to scholars.

Michele Dillon is such a scholar. She's a professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire and has written extensively about Catholicism, both in the US and in the rest of the world. She talks with All Things Considered host Brady Carlson about the pope's tenure and what may come next for the Catholic Church.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has joined the chorus criticizing President Obama over a controversial policy that would require most employers, including Catholic hospitals and universities, to include birth control in their employees' health insurance.

Catholic opinion leaders have denounced the policy as an assault on their religious freedom.