Monthly Archives: February 2010
Bias at the Religious Freedom Commission
By Mark Silk — February 24, 2010
Here you’ve got the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom struggling to get out from under persistent (and, yes, reasonable) charges that it is more interested in making the Muslim world safe for Christian missionaries than in evenhandedly tracking religious freedom issues around the globe. And who does it appoint as its new executive director? […]
SSRC’s Religion Blogosphere
By Mark Silk — February 24, 2010
Yr humble proprietor is happy to let you know that this blog has been included among “nearly 100 of the most influential blogs that contribute to an online discussion about religion in the public sphere and the academy” in a new report by the Social Science Research Council. OK, you’re asking, how many non-influential such […]
Germany’s top Lutheran bishop admits to drunk driving
By Tracy Gordon — February 24, 2010
BERLIN (RNS) The head of Germany’s Lutheran church faces a monetary fine and a temporary loss of her driver’s license after being caught driving with a blood alcohol content three times above the legal limit. Bishop Margot Kaessmann, 51, was arrested Saturday (Feb. 20) in the central German city of Hanover after she ran through […]
Clergy seek IRS probe of D.C. mansion
By Tracy Gordon — February 24, 2010
WASHINGTON (RNS) A group of 13 Ohio clergy is asking the Internal Revenue Service to investigate a Washington mansion used by conservative members of Congress that claims a tax exemption as a church. The C Street Center, a red brick townhouse on Capitol Hill, came to public attention last summer after the disclosure of its […]
Germany’s top Catholic bishop apologizes for abuse
By Tracy Gordon — February 24, 2010
BERLIN (RNS) The head of Germany’s Catholic Bishops Conference apologized Monday (Feb. 22) for sexual abuse of children at church-run schools that happened decades ago but only recently caught public attention. “I am deeply shaken by the abuse cases that have come to light. We reacted as soon as they were made public,’ said Archbishop […]
City seeks tax on shuttered Catholic churches
By Tracy Gordon — February 24, 2010
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (RNS) The doors of St. Peter Catholic Church are chained and padlocked. The sign out front reads “for sale.” St. Peter and four other churches were recently closed by the Diocese of Syracuse to save money. Now the tax man wants his share. City Assessor John Gamage put St. Peter and two other […]
Black churches team up to tackle problems facing black men
By Tracy Gordon — February 24, 2010
WASHINGTON (RNS) The leaders of three black Methodist denominations are joining together — for the first time in 45 years — to address unemployment, crime and other problems that disproportionately affect black men. “When people talk about us being in an economic downturn, that’s nice talk for the general community, but for the African-American community, […]
COMMENTARY: Same problem, different responses
By Tom Ehrich — February 24, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio (RNS) A church conference here was a stark contrast to rage-filled political conventions taking place elsewhere. Facing the same economic frustrations and cultural worries, as well as a grinding internal “recession” in church membership, Episcopal leaders from southern Ohio gathered with enthusiasm about tomorrow, trust in their leaders, and a palpable desire to […]
Tuesday’s roundup
By Daniel Burke — February 23, 2010
President Obama released his own health care plan on Monday; it takes the Senate bill as its starting point. The Catholic Medical Association says Washington should tear up existing plans and start again from the beginning. A conservative Catholic group says Obama’s bill should be opposed because it doesn’t bar public funding of abortions. No […]
Old law, young age
By Francis X. Rocca — February 23, 2010
Blogger Andrew Sullivan is having fun today with his discovery that the age of consent in Vatican City is only twelve years old. But as his very post makes clear, the law in question was carried over from a 19th-century Italian criminal code, which reflects the norms and mores of a still pre-industrial society. Given […]
Buffalo finds success in new life for old churches
By Tracy Gordon — February 23, 2010
BUFFALO, N.Y. (RNS) Amid the closings of Catholic churches across the Northeast and Midwest, local officials — vexed by visions of vacant buildings in struggling neighborhoods — might want to take a look at what’s happening in Buffalo. Despite a weak real estate market, the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has found surprising success in selling […]
Meae culpae in Germany
By Mark Silk — February 23, 2010
Top Lutheran apologizes for drunk driving.Top Catholic apologizes for sexual abuse of children at church schools.Top Lutheran faces criminal investigation and possible loss of job. Update: And top Lutheran resigns.
Lying to Gallup, part 2
By Mark Silk — February 23, 2010
Very close readers of this blog will notice a little dispute I’ve been having with SIU sociology professor Darren Sherkat (Go, Salukis!) over how to think about the tendency of Americans to fib about their church attendence. I made the argument that there may be less regional variation than Gallup indicates, because people in states […]
Muslim women launch long-ditch effort to remove prayer partitions
By Tracy Gordon — February 23, 2010
(RNS) The walls that segregate Muslim men from women inside many American mosques took a long time to go up, and it could be a long time before they come down. Just ask Fatima Thompson, 44, who on Saturday (Feb. 20) led a group of 10 women and two men in a “stand-in” at the […]
Israel adds West Bank shrines to protected sites list
By Tracy Gordon — February 23, 2010
JERUSALEM (RNS) A decision to include two West Bank shrines in a list of Jewish heritage sites slated for preservation has been praised by religious and right-wing Jews and scorned by Palestinians and their supporters. Speaking at a Sunday (Feb. 21) cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would add Rachel’s Tomb and The […]
