Catholicism News and Reporting Coverage | WRAL

National school security consultant addresses safety

People from all over the world are mourning the Minnesota shooting at a Catholic church that left two people dead and wounded 17 people.

'Senseless': Raleigh bishop shares statement about deadly Minneapolis shooting

Bishop Luis Zarama of the Diocese of Raleigh has released a statement offering prayers for the victims of a tragic shooting at a Minnesota church that left two children dead and 17 people wounded.

Some in Triangle take comfort at mass after Minneapolis tragedy

Those of the Catholic faith found healing through coming to Raleigh's Sacred Heart Cathloic Church on Wednesday in the wake of the mass shooting at a church in Minneapolis.

Priest at Clayton church charged with soliciting a prostitute

Johnston County deputies arrested a priest from Saint Ann Catholic Church in Clayton, Clemente Olvera Guerrero, and charged him with soliciting prostitution.

Catholic priest in Johnston County arrested for soliciting prostitution

Johnston County deputies arrested a priest from Saint Ann Catholic Church in Clayton, Clemente Olvera Guerrero, and charged him with soliciting prostitution.

Do you want to see the pope? Villanova connection gets Pinehurst woman a seat at inaugural Mass

A Pinehurst mother and her son rented an Airbnb that was a 12-minute walk from the Vatican and attended Pope Leo's first Sunday Mass.

Interview: Pinehurst woman travels to Vatican to attend pope's first mass

Maureen Malone, from Pinehurst, and her son rented an Airbnb that was a 12-minute walk from the Vatican and attended Pope Leo's first Sunday Mass.

Raleigh celebrates election of Pope Leo XIV

Carly Haynes spoke with Catholics celebrating the first American pope in the Catholic Church's nearly 2,000-year history.

'Remarkable moment in history': Triangle Catholics celebrate election Pope Leo XIV, first American pope

Inside the spiritual center at Cardinal Gibbons High School, around 40 students gathered as white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, erupting when they learned the leader of the Catholic Church would be an American.

WRAL staff

Cardinal Gibbons students absorb excitement of new pope announcement

For most Cardinal Gibbons High School students, Thursday was the first real memory they have of a new pope. It's a day they'll cherish for a long time.

Who is the new pope? A look at Leo XIV

As an American, Prevost was an unexpected choice. There has long been a taboo against a U.S. pope, given the geopolitical power already wielded by the United States in the secular sphere. But Prevost, a Chicago native, is also a Peruvian citizen and lived for years in Peru, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop.

AP/WRAL

Leo XIV becomes first American pope in 2,000-year history of Catholic Church

An American has been elected pope for the first time in history. Robert Francis Prevost will take the name Leo XIV.

The secret process of electing a new pope

ROME -- The first papal conclave in 12 years begins Wednesday at the Vatican after a morning Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. At 4:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. Eastern), the cardinals will walk in a short procession to the Sistine Chapel from the nearby Pauline Chapel to begin the vote.

Emma Bubola and Patricia Mazzei, New York Times

Who will be the next pope? Here are some possible contenders.

Guesses about whom the next Roman Catholic pope will be often prove inaccurate. Before the selection of Pope Francis in 2013, many bookmakers had not even counted him among the front-runners.

The New York Times, New York Times

New Catholic high school coming to Triangle in 2028, Cardinal Gibbons says

According to Cardinal Gibbons High School and the Diocese of Raleigh, a new Catholic high school will open to students starting in the fall of 2028 in Cary.

Young people anxiously await new pope announcement

Young Catholics who are mourning the death of Pope Francis say they are looking forward to the announcement of the next pope.

WRAL reporter recalls 'gasp' moment during Pope Francis's historic visit to Cuba

10 years after Pope Francis's landmark visit to Cuba, a former WRAL News journalist, Leyla Santiago, reflects on the moment she and a photojournalist captured an encounter with Pope Francis out of the pope mobile.

What's next after Pope Francis' dies: How the Catholic Church picks a new pope

The death of Pope Francis has triggered a period of mourning in the Vatican and signals the start of a millennia-old process of picking a new pontiff.

Papal transition will follow carefully orchestrated tradition

Once the period of mourning is done, the centuries-old tradition to elect a new pope, known as conclave, gets underway

Raleigh family witnessed Pope Francis' final Palm Sunday appearance at the Vatican

When Pope Francis surprised the world with an appearance for Palm Sunday, a Raleigh family was lucky enough to be in the crowd.

Full interview with Bishop Luis Zarama on how the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh is growing

The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2024. In advance, the diocese is planning a special event on Oct. 21, 2023, at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Raleigh bishop sees growth and diversity: 'It's just such a blessing'

Nearly 500,000 people and counting, the Diocese of Raleigh says the number of registered Catholics has increased more than 5% since 2019.

Debra Morgan, WRAL anchor/reporter

Catholics see growth and diversity, bishop says

The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2024. In advance, the diocese is planning a special event on Oct. 21, 2023, at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Pope says a strong U.S. faction offers a backward, narrow view of the church

ROME -- Pope Francis has expressed in unusually sharp terms his dismay at "a very strong, organized, reactionary attitude" opposing him within the U.S. Catholic Church, one that fixates on social issues like abortion and sexuality to the exclusion of caring for the poor and the environment.

Jason Horowitz and Ruth Graham, New York Times

2022: Bishop Zarama, Diocese of Raleigh

Luis Rafael Zarama Pasqualetto is the bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh, which encompasses all Catholic parishes in the eastern half of North Carolina.