Retiring Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony defended his decision in 1986 not to report a predatory priest to police, saying such decisions were handled “pastorally” at the time, in a deposition that was unsealed yesterday (Mahony had fought to keep the document from public view).
The White House finally filled the vacant Ambassador-at-Large position for international religious freedom, naming New York pastor Suzan Johnson Cook to the post; we’ll have more on that later today. Speaking of religious freedom, a Kentucky farmer is under fire for his roadside billboards that carry religious messages but may run afoul of Lady Bird Johnson‘s Federal Beautification Act.
A Vatican envoy is in Cuba, pressing for religious freedom reforms, and NPR looks at the Catholic Church’s growing influence on the island nation. Changing demographics in the U.S. Catholic Church are leading to the emergence of new theological voices, scholars say.
The Southern Baptists are meeting in Orlando, and they’re trying to broaden their appeal north of the Mason-Dixon Line and west of Texas. A Baptist pastor in South Dakota (maybe broadening their appeal is working after all) is trying to pick a fight with the IRS by openly endorsing a candidate for governor.
In the category of Analogies That Aren’t Helpful, California gubernatorial hopeful Jerry Brown is under fire for comparing GOP rival Meg Whitman‘s media saturation to Nazi propaganda. There’s a campaign flap in Utah over a flyer that featured two candidates with a photo of a Mormon temple, asking the question: “Which candidate really has Utah values?”
WaPo, fascinated by that giant Jesus statue that went up in flames in Ohio the other day, looks at the history of divinely inspired lightning strikes. Kudos on the lede: “It appears God has sacrificed his only son. Again.”
Norwegian judges will be allowed to wear religious garb — headscarves for Muslims, or native Sami (Lapp) costumes — in the courtroom, but could be recused from the case if lawyers object. A Muslim couple in Uganda has been sent to jail on charges of having sex inside a church.
A Berlin court said a same-sex marriage performed in Canada is only a civil partnership in Germany, while Iceland approved gay marriage in a 49-0 vote (they also have a lesbian prime minister).
Human Rights Watch wants Iraqi Kurds to end the practice of female circumcision. Somali militants are trying to keep people from watching the World Cup, worried that it might distract them from jihad. French police have cancelled a planned street party in a heavily Muslim neighborhood that was going to serve wine and pork sausages. Oops.
