‘Noah’ Soars * Kneeling Pope * Mormon Women: Monday’s Roundup

"Noah" raked in an estimated $44 million (but another faith-related film surprised us even more). Pope Francis went to confession. Plus, thousands of Mormon women gathered in Salt Lake City.

Russell Crowe (foreground) is Noah in

Happy last day of March. Here’s what you need to know from the weekend.

Russell Crowe (foreground) is Noah in "Noah", from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises. Photo by Niko Tavernise, courtesy of Grace Hill Media

Russell Crowe (foreground) is Noah in “Noah”, from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises. Photo by Niko Tavernise, courtesy of Grace Hill Media

1. “Noah” rose to the top of box office over the weekend, bringing in an estimated $44 million. But the bigger surprise — again — was “God’s Not Dead,” finishing fifth at the box office with about $9 million for the second week in a row. Meanwhile, the rapture movie based on the “Left Behind” books starring Nicholas Cage is set to release on Oct. 3. Are biblical films here to stay? Deadline crunches the numbers.


2. Pope Francis broke protocol by confessing his sins to a priest at a Vatican basilica (video). Rocco Palmo wrote, “no Pope has ever been seen as a penitent.”

3. Mormon women from three organizations gather in Salt Lake City for what leaders called an historic meeting. More than 20,000 LDS girls and women gathered while millions more watched in Mormon meetinghouses across the globe, bringing together for the first time LDS females from 8 years old to 80 and older.

4. American mediators held urgent talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials Sunday in hopes of salvaging faltering Mideast peace talks. Secretary of State John Kerry will head to the region.

5. The ousted president of the Vatican bank was cleared in a money-laundering investigation, and accused the bank’s board of causing “grave damage” to the Holy See by firing him in 2012. A Vatican bank fraud was foiled after suspects were stopped with 1.2 billion euros in forged bonds.

6. Enrollment at Utah higher ed schools has gone down, and officials say a lower minimum age for Mormon missionaries has helped drive the trend, especially among younger women.

7. Studies have shown that churchgoers give more of their discretionary income to charitable causes, but atheists, humanists and others are planning a July conference in Chicago to promote giving.

8. One Anglican bishop in Uganda draws in many congregants who are gay in a country where other Christian preachers have led Uganda to pass laws on homosexuality that include life in prison in some cases. Meanwhile, a religion reporter for the BBC reports the following in a tweet:


9. A prominent European rabbi defended Danish zoo’s recent slaying of animals, criticizing Denmark’s new regulation last month that made it illegal to slaughter animals without stunning, posing a problem for Jewish and Muslim ritual slaughter.

10. Rick and Kay Warren held a conference at Saddleback Church in California on Friday addressing mental health. Their son Matthew died by suicide a year ago in April. Churches must do more to address mental illness, the couple argue.

Bonus: Brian Pellot rounds up all the religious freedom news from the month of March.

Finally, a prayer for our week:

 

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