Monthly Archives: March 2009
Hobby Lobby founder says God has blessed business
By Tracy Gordon — March 28, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) The founder and chief executive of an arts and crafts store that makes religion central to its mission says sales are up in the midst of a sour economy, and the company remains on pace to open up to 30 new stores this year. David Green, founder of the Okalahoma-based Hobby Lobby […]
German-born nun to head Mother Teresa’s order
By Tracy Gordon — March 27, 2009
CHENNAI, India (RNS) A German-born nun has been elected the new head of the Missionaries of Charity, the missionary order founded by the late Mother Teresa in Calcutta in 1950. Sister Mary Prema, who is a senior nun of the order, succeeds Sister Nirmala Joshi, who was elected Superior General following Mother Teresa’s 1997 death. […]
Williams says God won’t rescue world from `stupidity’
By Tracy Gordon — March 27, 2009
LONDON (RNS) Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, in one of his sharpest attacks yet on threats to the environment, has warned that God will not save mankind from his own environmental “stupidity.” The spiritual leader of the world’s 77 million-member Anglican Communion said in a lecture at England’s York Minster on Wednesday (March 25) that […]
Archbishop apologizes for criticizing U.S. bishops
By Tracy Gordon — March 27, 2009
WASHINGTON — The American archbishop who heads the Vatican’s supreme court has apologized for the “confusion and hurt” caused by his criticism of fellow bishops who do not deny Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights. Archbishop Raymond Burke, formerly of St. Louis, was interviewed earlier this month by an anti-abortion activist in Rome, […]
More March madness
By Daniel Burke — March 27, 2009
Sen. Robert Casey, Democrat of Pa., has backed out of giving the commencement address at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. The college, where former President George W. Bush gave the address (and stirred a lot of his own controversy) two years ago, is headed by Jim Towey, Bush’s former director of the Faith-based Initiative. […]
(Student) Body and Soul (mother)
By Daniel Burke — March 27, 2009
The AP has a story on the continuing flap over President Obama giving the commencement address at Notre Dame. There are many people who think this story is overblown. Some bright academician should study how the fires of the culture wars are fanned by the media. Anyway, I thought this was interesting. The AP reports […]
Sitting in the Pew(s)
By Daniel Burke — March 27, 2009
Kevin mentioned that we would post the transcript from Archbishop Chaput’s meeting with religion reporters at a Pew forum on March 17.Here it is. There are several interesting exchanges, particularly between the archbishop and Catholic columnist E.J. Dionne.
Denominations trim presence on Capitol Hill
By Tracy Gordon — March 27, 2009
WASHINGTON — Imagine finally making it to the big game, then having to take half your team off the field. That’s how it feels for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby that recently laid off more than a dozen staffers, said legislative director Ruth Flower. The cuts come just as the new […]
Burked Off
By Mark Silk — March 27, 2009
Last June, when Pope Benedict yanked Archbishop Raymond Burke out of St. Louis and put him in charge of the Vatican’s canon law office, there was some speculation that it was to make him a noncombatant in the wafer wars of the impending general election campaign. As the most consequential of the “no-communion-for-pro-choice-politicians” prelates, Burke […]
Group rallies outside Vatican embassy for women’s ordination
By Tracy Gordon — March 27, 2009
WASHINGTON (RNS) Despite decades of fighting for women’s ordination in the Roman Catholic Church, a Catholic women’s advocacy group still hopes the Vatican will reverse its opposition to the inclusion of female clergy members. “People have been fired who work at Catholic institutions because they even bring up the issue (of women’s ordination),” said Aisha […]
Tajikistan criticised over restrictive religion law
By Kevin Eckstrom — March 27, 2009
DUSHANBE, March 26 (Reuters) – Tajikistan, a Muslim nation bordering Afghanistan, introduced a new religion law on Thursday which the United States has criticised as highly restrictive.
Catholic bishops say no to Reiki treatment
By Tracy Gordon — March 26, 2009
WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. Catholic Bishops said Thursday (March 26) that Catholic chaplains, health care facilities and retreat centers should not promote or support Reiki therapy, a Japanese alternative healing practice. Reiki “finds no support either in the findings of natural science or in Christian belief,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Doctrine […]
Survey: Personal invites are most effective for churches
By Tracy Gordon — March 26, 2009
(RNS) An invitation from a family member or friend is the most effective way to get people to attend church, a new survey shows, casting doubt on several time-tested methods used by churches to attract new members. The other approaches — from broadcast commercials to information packets left on doorknobs — are far less effective, […]
Obama taps special envoy for trafficking
By Tracy Gordon — March 26, 2009
WASHINGTON (RNS) President Obama announced on Tuesday (March 24) his nomination of Luis C. de Baca as ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat human trafficking. “I’m grateful that this fine public servant has agreed to join my administration, and I am confident that with Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton he will be an indispensable part of […]
A second Delray Beach priest is sentenced to prison for church theft
By Kevin Eckstrom — March 26, 2009
The Rev. Francis Guinan told a jury he could spend his Delray Beach church’s money however he wanted, on trips to Las Vegas, expensive dinners and golf outings. He insisted it was normal to lie in church bank records, create secret slush funds and walk away from the offertory with wads of cash.
