WASHINGTON (RNS) As Pope Benedict XVI marks the seventh anniversary of his papacy with a crackdown on American nuns, many Catholics are wondering if the pontiff is finally becoming the papal enforcer that some feared – and others hoped – he was elected in 2005. By David Gibson.

WASHINGTON (RNS) What do famous thinkers such as William Blake, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Martin Luther King Jr. and Helen Keller have in common? They were all influenced by a little-known Swedish scientist, philosopher and theologian named Emanuel Swedenborg. By Annalisa Musarra.

(RNS) Why are some mainline Protestant activists so intent on singling out Israel for divestment and public condemnation while Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other countries have dismal records on human rights? I wish I knew. By A. James Rudin.

(RNS) A growing tide of young people are drifting away from the religions of their childhoods -- most of them into no other religion, according to a new study that shows one in four young adults are religiously unaffiliated. By Lauren Markoe.

WASHINGTON (RNS)  In the more than three decades since the national moratorium on the death penalty was lifted, there is no reliable research to determine whether capital punishment has served as a deterrent, according to a review by the National Research Council. By Kevin Johnson / USA Today.

WASHINGTON (RNS) Eighty percent of single evangelical 20-somethings have had sex, and almost a third of evangelicals’ unplanned pregnancies end in abortion. Now, evangelical leaders are starting to say talking about abstinence and opposing abortion aren't enough. By Adelle M. Banks.

WASHINGTON (RNS) The Vatican on Wednesday announced a crackdown on the organization representing most nuns and sisters in the U.S. following an investigation that said religious sisters weren't toeing the line on women's ordination, same-sex marriage and other issues. By David Gibson.

(RNS) While President Obama holds a slim lead overall against Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee has a 53-point lead over Obama among white evangelicals and a 20-point lead among white Catholics, according to a new poll. By Daniel Burke.

(RNS) The Southern Baptist Convention's top public policy official has apologized for controversial comments he made about the Trayvon Martin case, and the black New Orleans pastor who's widely expected to be named the Southern Baptists' first black president has accepted his apology. By Adelle M. Banks.

(RNS) Belief in God is slowly declining in most countries, but those who most believe can be found in developing countries and Catholic societies, according to a new survey. By Annalisa Musarra.

(RNS) Former TV child star Kirk Cameron knows he is now the darling of only a certain segment of America. "I'm kind of a Hollywood freak," he says. "I didn't really turn out the way most people turn out growing up in this industry." By Lauren Markoe.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A senior Vatican official on Tuesday (April 17) called for stronger protection for conscientious objection for both the Catholic Church and individual Catholics when they are faced with laws that conflict with their “moral norms.” By Alessandro Speciale.