Monthly Archives: May 2006
Finding Time and Space for Prayer Can Be a Challenge for Muslims
By Jeff Diamant — May 20, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. _ Whether at work, at home or in a mosque, Imtiaz Ahmed tries to block out the world around him five times a day and concentrate on God, bowing, kneeling and prostrating in prayer as all observant Muslims do. Ahmed, whose job in information technology takes him […]
Vatican Restricts Ministry of Founder of Legionaries
By RNS Blog Editor — May 20, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican is asking Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of a powerful movement of Roman Catholic priests, to refrain from public ministry as a result of accusations of sexual abuse made against him. The decision marks the end of a drawn-out investigation into Maciel that appeared, at […]
COMMENTARY: Me, Dan Brown and Mrs. Jesus Christ
By James Martin — May 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Even my mother wanted to know. “Was Jesus was really married to Mary Magdalene?” she asked after reading “The Da Vinci Code,” and “Did Mary and her kids really move to France?” Since the book’s publication in 2003, those questions have been asked of me by people of every […]
COMMENTARY: Finally, a Heroic Mother-in-Law
By James Rudin — May 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Mothers-in-law have a bad reputation. They are frequently the butt of comedians’ jokes, and are portrayed as constantly suspicious of the spouses their children have unwisely chosen. A mother-in-law worries her son’s shrewish wife will not adequately feed or take care of the “beloved young prince.” Or a mother-in-law […]
Pastors Wonder If Flocks Can Answer `Da Vinci’s’ Gospel: With optional trims to 775 word
By Greg Horton — May 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) The success of “The Da Vinci Code” has led pastors and church leaders to ask concerned questions in the weeks leading up to the release of the movie version of Dan Brown’s novel. It’s the answers that are making them nervous. A lack of substantive education on church history, […]
A New Pope, A New Poland, An Old Foe: Communism
By RNS Blog Editor — May 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ When Pope Benedict XVI travels to Poland next week (May 25-28), millions of Polish faithful will be watching his every move, measuring how intensely the German pontiff pays homage to their national hero, the late Pope John Paul II. A continent away, however, Benedict will have another, […]
A Church With Inflatable Domes _ Seven, Actually _ Rises in Alabama
By Greg Garrison — May 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ This city may not have the downtown sports dome that has been proposed for years, but domes keep rising at Faith Chapel Christian Center. After building a $15 million, 3,000-seat sanctuary under a dome in 2000, Faith Chapel inflated the roof this week (May 16) on another […]
Inside the Real Opus Dei
By Jeff Diamant — May 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. _ Damon Owens knew little about Opus Dei four years ago when a colleague invited him to a Catholic spiritual retreat. The weekend transformed his life. Owens, a mechanical engineer, said he was fascinated by Opus Dei’s focus on integrating one’s job and spiritual life, and by […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — May 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Ndungane, Ally of U.S. Church in Africa, to Retire in 2008 CAPE TOWN, South Africa (RNS) Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, 65, announced he will retire in 2008 from his position as leader of the 4 million- member Anglican Church in Southern Africa. “It is an extremely demanding position with many wide-ranging […]
Wuerl to Succeed McCarrick
By RNS Blog Editor — May 18, 2006
McCarrick Retires; Pope Names Wuerl Archbishop of Washington Washington D.C.’s Cardinal Theodore McCarrick retires and Bishop Donald Wuerl is named as his successor, in this week’s full-text RNS article, by National Correspondent Dan Burke (linked above). Quote: Almost immediately, however, Wuerl was asked to wade into thorny thickets such as immigration, abortion and “The Da […]
Megachurches Start to Look Beyond Their Walls
By Adelle M. Banks — May 18, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service PLANO, Texas _ Holding a paint roller in one hand and steadying a ladder for another volunteer with the other, Heather Merchant joined 15 fellow members of a local megachurch in helping a widow turn her house back into more of a home. Merchant and others in her “life group” […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — May 18, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Swiss Religious Leaders Launch Europe’s First Interfaith Council PARIS (RNS) Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders in Switzerland have inaugurated the country’s first interfaith council _ and possibly the first in Western Europe _ aimed at promoting dialogue, peace and understanding among the country’s three main religions. “The most important thing […]
Birth of Twins Costs Woman Her Job
By Piet Levy — May 18, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) After trying to get pregnant for a number of years, Kelly Romenesko finally got lucky. Last year, she gave birth to twin daughters, Alexandria and Allison. But the twins _ conceived using in vitro fertilization _ cost Romenesko her job. Romenesko was a part-time French teacher at St. Joseph […]
In India, Gender Is a Life-and-Death Issue
By Ryan Katz — May 18, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service NEW DELHI, India _ In a tight alleyway in East Delhi, Radhika Devi, a bashful mother of two girls, and Manjula Thomas, a health worker who cares for pregnant women, rush to an ultrasound clinic. Devi is five months pregnant and desperately wants to know the sex of her unborn […]
RNS Weekly Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — May 17, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Survey Finds Catholics Not Leaving Church Over Scandals WASHINGTON (RNS) A report by a Catholic research group shows that Catholics do not appear to be leaving the church in large numbers in response to accusations of sexual abuse among clergy. The working paper by the Center for Applied Research on […]
