CONCORD, N.H. (RNS) When Gene Robinson became the first openly gay Episcopal bishop in 2003, his election triggered shock waves and fears of schism worldwide. Now, as this lighting-rod figure prepares to retire Jan. 5, he’s leaving New Hampshire for a city that knows polarization all too well: Washington, D.C. By G. Jeffrey MacDonald.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) With hundreds of movies and novels devoted to their crimes and intrigues, the Borgias are probably the most controversial family in the history of the papacy. But a new book, drawing on documents from the Vatican Secret Archive, tries to cast the Renaissance dynasty in a new light and dispel the "black legend" surrounding it. By Alessandro Speciale

LONDON (RNS) In a surprise move that shocked both sides of a years-long debate, the Church of England on Tuesday (Nov. 20) rejected an expected move to allow women bishops, preserving the church's status as one of the last bastions of male privilege in the United Kingdom. By Trevor Grundy.

(RNS) A long-running struggle between church authorities and the Rev. Roy Bourgeois over the Catholic priest’s support for ordaining women has ended with Bourgeois’ dismissal from the priesthood and his religious order, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. By David Gibson.

(RNS) Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said the Diocese of South Carolina can't unilaterally secede, as she urged conservatives to stay in the denomination despite sharp disagreements over theology and homosexuality. By Daniel Burke. 

(RNS) The Church of God in Christ has re-elected Presiding Bishop Charles Blake to serve a second four-year term as head of the nation's largest Pentecostal denomination. By Kevin Eckstrom.

BALTIMORE (RNS) A divided Catholic hierarchy on Tuesday (Nov. 13) failed to agree on a statement about the economy after a debate that revealed sharp differences over the kind of social justice issues that were once a hallmark of the bishops’ public profile. By David Gibson.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Vatican computer expert was found guilty of helping the pope's former butler in leaking confidential papal documents to the press. Claudio Sciarpelletti won't be spending time in jail but he risks losing his Vatican job. By Alessandro Speciale.

(RNS) A meeting on Sunday (Nov. 11) between three American bishops and the nuns' group they are tasked with overhauling was "open and cordial,'' according to a joint statement. By Daniel Burke.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Despite recent setbacks in the U.S. and Europe, the Catholic Church is not losing its fight against gay marriage. On the contrary, according to the Vatican newspaper, its resistance is alerting many to the dangers of threatening the "foundation" of human society. By Alessandro Speciale.

CANTERBURY, England (RNS) Bishop Justin Welby, a former oil executive who's emerged as a critic of corporate excess, was named Friday (Nov. 9) as the 105th archbishop of Canterbury, primate of the Church of England and leader of the worldwide 77 million-member Anglican Communion. By Trevor Grundy.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The U.S. ambassador to the Vatican paid his farewell visit to Pope Benedict XVI ahead of his return home, after a three-year in which he steered clear of controversies between the Obama administration and the Catholic hierarchy. By Alessandro Speciale

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (RNS) The Diocese of South Carolina has seceded from the national Episcopal Church, but little else is clear. Will all the congregations go along with the split? What about individual worshipers? And what do they call themselves now? By Amanda Greene

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Five centuries after its inauguration, the Sistine Chapel is visited by around 5 million visitors a year. Some worry this number is unsustainable without damaging Michelangelo's frescoes, but the Vatican wants to keep the iconic chapel open to all. By Alessandro Speciale