Monthly Archives: February 2005
NEWS STORY: Pastors Steal Millions from Unsuspecting Congregations
By RNS Blog Editor — February 8, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (CHICAGO) When the Rev. Brian Lisowski was caught with an alleged prostitute last summer, parishioners at St. Bede the Venerable Catholic church began to suspect their pastor had been keeping secrets from them. They were right _ he had a million of them. When the Roman Catholic priest resigned in […]
NEWS STORY: Bridge Generation of Jews Has Its Sunset in Florida
By Jonathan Tilove — February 5, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service TAMARAC, Fla. _ It’s after the Yiddish Circle meeting, the cantor has sung “New York, New York,” and Jacob Goldstein is quietly recalling his years in a Soviet labor camp during the Second World War. “We had to work until it was 50 degrees below zero,” he says. Abe Zalcberg […]
COMMENTARY: It’s Time Liberals Give Evangelicals a Break
By RNS Blog Editor — February 5, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) This is a story of two old and close friends of mine. Both live in California _ one in San Francisco, the other in sunny, conservative Orange County. One’s an activist liberal, and probably an atheist. The other is an evangelical Christian. Perhaps you can guess where each lives. […]
NEWS FEATURE: Is it OK to Eat a Chocolate Buddha?
By RNS Blog Editor — February 5, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service PORTLAND, Ore. _ Blame it on the Easter bunny. Sarah Hart of Portland knows the dilemma well. Every Easter, as a child, she would weigh the possibilities: Should she gobble up the chocolate rabbit right away? Or nibble it slowly: First the ears, then a little off the paws? What […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — February 5, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Pope Continues to Recover, May Lead Sunday Prayer From Hospital VATICAN CITY (RNS) Tests confirm that Pope John Paul II is continuing to recover from a severe breathing crisis, and he may try to lead Catholics throughout the world in a Sunday prayer from the hospital, the Vatican said Friday […]
COMMENTARY: What Makes a Movie Jewish?
By James Rudin — February 4, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Everybody loves movies. Indeed, because filmmakers reach large audiences, they have become the world’s master storytellers as they entertain and inspire, enlighten and thrill. Today there are more than 60 Jewish film festivals in the United States and Canada that present an extraordinary collection of movies from many countries. […]
NEWS FEATURE: Show of Papal Portraits Reveals Faces of Pontiffs Over Five Centuries
By RNS Blog Editor — February 4, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service ROME _ An unusual exhibition of papal portraits gives a rare glimpse into the lives and times of the popes over a span of five centuries, starting with the bellicose but art-loving Julius II, who reigned in the 1500s. “Popes in Pose: From the Renaissance to John Paul II,” at […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — February 4, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Update: Ford Yanks Super Bowl Ad After Sex Abuse Victims Complain (RNS) The Ford Motor Company has yanked a Super Bowl television ad that was criticized by victims of clergy sexual abuse for featuring a priest, a young girl and the word “LUST.” The 30-second spot for the Lincoln Mark […]
NEWS STORY: Pope Recovering From Breathing Crisis, May Leave Hospital Next Week
By RNS Blog Editor — February 4, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ Pope John Paul II is gradually recovering from a severe breathing crisis caused by influenza and may be able to leave the hospital next week, the Vatican said Thursday (Feb. 3). Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, who has degrees in medicine and psychiatry, issued an optimistic medical bulletin […]
NEWS STORY: Bush Praises Faith Groups for Tsunami Aid, Pushes Conservative Agenda
By Kein Eckstrom — February 4, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ President Bush praised the role of faith in the country Thursday (Feb. 3), singling out faith-based groups for their response to the devastating tsunamis in South Asia. Bush, speaking at the 53rd annual National Prayer Breakfast, praised churches, mosques and synagogues for a “superb job” in delivering relief […]
COMMENTARY: Freedom Is a Spiritual Value
By Frances Kennedy — February 4, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Freedom is not just a political good but a spiritual value, something far more sacred than secular. Nor is it just a condition for a thriving democratic community. Freedom is a fundamental condition for the growth of human personality. Our various usages of freedom bounce as numbered ping-pong balls […]
NEWS STORY: Who Would Govern the Catholic Church if the Pope Could Not?
By RNS Blog Editor — February 4, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) John Paul II’s heartbeat and breathing have improved since the 84-year-old pontiff was hospitalized with the flu on Tuesday. Still, as doctors tended to the pope, the concerns over his overall health highlighted a tender spot in church rules of governance: the lack of a clear policy on who […]
NEWS STORY: Oregon Catholic Parishes Try to Protect Assets From Sex Abuse Claims
By RNS Blog Editor — February 3, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) The 450 families of St. Mary Our Lady of the Dunes Catholic Church in Florence, Ore., have no doubt that the parish belongs to them. The congregation dates to at least 1949, when the parish priest in Reedsport made monthly trips to Florence to celebrate Mass in people’s homes. […]
COMMENTARY: Iraq Election Shows Muslim-dominated States Can Get it Right, With Help
By RNS Blog Editor — February 3, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) The German welfare system may be generous, but it’s not run by idiots. Turn down a good job, and you get your benefits cut. But here’s the rub, literally: The Germans decriminalized prostitution, which means brothels are now legitimate businesses. According to the British newspaper the Telegraph, at least […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — February 3, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Sexual Abuse Victims Call Super Bowl Truck Ad `Sickening’ (RNS) The nation’s largest support group for victims of clergy sexual abuse is asking Ford to pull a Super Bowl television ad, calling it “sickening” and “insulting.” The 30-second ad shows a priest finding keys to a new Lincoln Mark LT […]
