Monthly Archives: April 2005
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — April 27, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Jewish Groups Urge Protestant Churches to Reject Israel Sanctions (RNS) A group of seven Jewish organizations is urging five mainline Protestant denominations and the National Council of Churches to reject economic and political sanctions against Israel. The joint letter is in response to last year’s decision by the Presbyterian Church […]
NEWS STORY: Will New Pope Sacrifice Growth for Clarity?
By Jeff Diamant — April 27, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ It’s too early to tell in what direction Pope Benedict XVI may lead the church, but one of his long-standing beliefs may actually curtail the growth of Catholicism. Benedict has long aligned philosophically with orthodox Catholics who say they want the church to stress ideological clarity, even […]
NEWS STORY: Grass-roots Innovation May Help New Pope Reclaim Europe’s Churches
By Elizabeth Bryant — April 27, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service POITIERS, France _ Marie-Cecile Augeai does not consider herself a church hopper, but after years of moving around France, the 47-year-old Roman Catholic is an expert of sorts on local parish life. Since settling in Poitiers last year, Augeai believes she has found her spiritual home _ at Saint-Jean de […]
NEWS STORY: In Installation Mass, New Pope Looks to Future, Appeals to Youth
By RNS Blog Editor — April 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ At a massive Sunday (April 24) Mass marking the formal start of his papal reign, Pope Benedict XVI received a symbolic fisherman’s ring and proclaimed that the Roman Catholic Church is alive and young and will show the world the “way toward the future.” Describing himself as […]
NEWS FEATURE/PROFILE: Pope Benedict XVI: Humility and the Man
By Mark Mueller — April 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Seen through the gauzy lens of history, Joseph Ratzinger’s arrival in the world borders on the mystical. He was born the day before Easter, the second son of deeply religious parents named Joseph and Mary. Within four hours of his first breath, he had been baptized. Seventy-eight years later, […]
NEWS STORY: New Pope Meets the Press, Thanks Journalists for Papal Coverage
By RNS Blog Editor — April 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ On the eve of his installation Mass, Pope Benedict XVI thanked journalists, photographers and television crews in four languages Saturday (April 23) “for all you have done” for society and the Roman Catholic Church. The 18-minute audience with the Vatican press corps came one day after the […]
BOOK REVIEW: Book Reveals John Paul as Basic Guy
By RNS Blog Editor — April 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (Raymond A. Schroth, a Jesuit priest who teaches at Saint Peter’s College in Jersey City, N.J., wrote this review for The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J.) (UNDATED) Since his funeral on April 8, three interpretations have emerged of Pope John Paul II and his career. In the first he is John […]
NEWS STORY: Christian Artists to Join Muslim Artists in Morocco
By Adelle M. Banks — April 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Contemporary Christian artists and Moroccan musicians are making plans to share the stage at a three-day festival in Marrakech in May, with the goal of building bridges between evangelicals and Muslims. “The Friendship Fest,” scheduled for May 6-8, is the result of meetings last year between evangelical Christian and […]
NEWS STORY: New Pope Signals that Interfaith Dialogue Will be a Top Priority
By RNS Blog Editor — April 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ At a meeting that underlined the high priority he intends to give to dialogue with other faiths, Pope Benedict XVI on Monday (April 25) invited non-Catholics to join an effort to build world peace through “understanding, respect and love.” Addressing representatives of more than 30 other religions […]
COMMENTARY: Pope Benedict XVI: The Right Man at the Right Time for the Right Job
By RNS Blog Editor — April 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) “Some people think that the church should not be the salt of the Earth but that it should be sugar.” These words, recently pronounced by Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia, may describe well the disappointment of some people at the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as successor of […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — April 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Methodists Name Panel to Probe Abuse Allegations at Congo Hostel (RNS) A three-member panel has been appointed by the United Methodist Church to probe decades-old allegations of child abuse at a hostel for missionary children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, church officials said. Retired Mississippi Bishop Marshall Meadors […]
NEWS STORY: `Justice Sunday’ Raises the Ire of Both the Left and Right
By Adelle M. Banks — April 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ The Rev. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, president of Chicago Theological Seminary, tuned in to the much-publicized “Justice Sunday” national broadcast on Sunday (April 24) night and found herself “shocked” by the efforts of evangelical leaders to rally support for President Bush’s judicial nominees. “I think this is a major […]
NEWS STORY: Pope Thanks Cardinals, Vows `Simplicity and Willingness’
By RNS Blog Editor — April 23, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ Putting formality aside, Pope Benedict XVI gave warm thanks on Friday (April 22) to the cardinals who elected him pope, and vowed to conduct his papacy “with simplicity and willingness.” As Benedict prepares to be formally installed as the 265th pope on Sunday, Jewish leaders welcomed an […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: Like Benedict XV, Pope Benedict XVI Must Address Catholic Infighting
By RNS Blog Editor — April 23, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ “Nomen et Omen,” the Romans of an earlier day used to say. In other words, one’s name signals one’s destiny. American Catholics who were hoping for a unifier and reformer as the next pontiff may be able to find some solace in this old Latin proverb. By […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — April 23, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Conservatives Vow Not to `Follow’ Episcopal Church (RNS) Conservative Episcopalians have drafted nine-point “covenants” for bishops, priests and parishioners to promise “I will not follow” if the Episcopal Church strays from the wider Anglican Communion. The three “Windsor Action Covenants” were drafted by the Atlanta-based American Anglican Council and approved […]
