Monthly Archives: February 2010
Pope condemns `heinous crime’ of sexual abuse
By Tracy Gordon — February 17, 2010
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI concluded an unprecedented two-day crisis management session with Ireland’s Catholic bishops on Tuesday (Feb. 16), denouncing the sexual abuse of children as “not only a heinous crime but also a grave sin.” Benedict and senior Vatican cardinals met Monday and Tuesday with all 24 serving Irish bishops to discuss […]
Fat Tuesday’s roundup
By Daniel Burke — February 16, 2010
Happy Fat Tuesday, everybody. May you enjoy your last indulgences before the sullen season begins. The National Council of Churches released its annual yearbook of church-membership statistics. The big news seems to be that the Southern Baptist Convention reported a decline, though slight, for the second year in a row. The Catholic Church rebounded with […]
Eco-conscious go green when they go under
By Tracy Gordon — February 16, 2010
MAHWAH, N.J. (RNS) In a world that is increasingly renewable, recyclable and energy-efficient, many Americans already spend much of their lives in an eco-friendly environment. Now they can spend eternity there, too. That’s what the late Paul Magalhaes Sr. wanted, so when he was considering burial plans last October, he settled on a new “eco […]
COMMENTARY: When the best days seem behind us, not ahead
By Tom Ehrich — February 16, 2010
(RNS) My grandfather — Class of “Naughty-five” at Purdue University — was a civil engineer, builder and inventor imbued with an American “can-do” spirit. He worked on a great dam project in the Northwest, when a new nation tamed rivers, spanned canyons and enabled populations to expand. He served in the cavalry during World War […]
No More Scandal
By Mark Silk — February 16, 2010
So Benedict has met with the Irish bishops and lectured them on the badness of pedophilia. Here’s how the Vatican press release describes what the pope had to say: For his part, the Holy Father observed that the sexual abuse of children and young people is not only a heinous crime, but also a grave […]
Whadaya mean, wall of separation?
By Mark Silk — February 15, 2010
In his rather pedestrian article in yesterday’s New York Times Magazine on the Texas social studies textbook wars, Russell Shorto seek to give the devil his due: There is, however, one slightly awkward issue for hard-core secularists who would combat what they see as a Christian whitewashing of American history: the Christian activists have a […]
Baptist slams `camel method’
By Adelle M. Banks — February 13, 2010
Ergun Caner, a former Muslim who is president of Liberty Theological Seminary, has called a method used by fellow Southern Baptists to spread the gospel a form of “heresy.” Associated Baptist Press reports that Caner, who considers Islam a false religion, rejected the so-called “Camel Method” in a podcast interview on the SBCToday blog. “You […]
Episcopal head reflects on devastated Haiti diocese
By Tracy Gordon — February 13, 2010
(RNS) The most populous diocese in the Episcopal Church doesn’t sit along the Eastern seaboard; it’s not a notch on the Bible Belt; and it lies nearly 3,000 miles from California’s golden shores. Actually, it’s in Haiti, a fact that escapes even many Episcopalians. Asked how many members of her church know about the Diocese […]
As Olympics begin, a prayer for snow
By Tracy Gordon — February 13, 2010
TORONTO (RNS/ENI) As the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, open on Friday (Feb. 12) many are focused on praying for the athletes, for the community hosting the event, and, just as passionately, for snow. The British Columbia cities of Vancouver and Whistler are hosting the winter games, but the Vancouver area has been hit […]
Dutch atheist pastor won’t face discipline
By Tracy Gordon — February 13, 2010
UTRECHT, Netherlands (RNS/ENI) A self-proclaimed atheist can continue to serve as a local pastor of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, and will not be disciplined for his controversial position on how to describe God. A special assembly of Zierikzee, a regional church body tasked with investigating the theological statements of Pastor Klaas Hendrikse, said […]
Vatican to canonize first Australian saint
By Tracy Gordon — February 13, 2010
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI and Catholic cardinals will meet next Friday (Feb. 19) to approve the canonization of Australia’s first saint, the Vatican announced. Mary MacKillop (1842-1909) was co-founder of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart, an order of nuns dedicated to the religious instruction of children and care for […]
ClintonâÂ?Â?s orphanage story a history lesson
By Adelle M. Banks — February 13, 2010
At the recent National Prayer Breakfast, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spent a significant portion of her keynote speech on how Mother Teresa garnered her support for the creation of a D.C. home for orphans in the mid-1990s. But World magazine reports there’s more to the story: “the Mother Teresa Home for Infant Children […]
Worried pets will be left behind?
By Adelle M. Banks — February 12, 2010
If you believe in the Rapture and you’re a pet owner, Bart Centre may have the answer to your prayers. Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports that the retired real estate executive in New Hampshire has started the “Eternal Earth-Bound Pets” business that will pair left-behind pooches and felines with atheists who don’t think the Rapture will ever […]
Friday’s roundup
By Daniel Burke — February 12, 2010
Haitians crowded into churches in Port-au-Prince for a national day of mourning to mark the one-month anniversary of the devastating earthquake. The 10 American missionaries charged with kidnapping will probably spend the weekend in jail, despite the Haitian judge’s recommendation that they be freed pending their trial. Meanwhile, the NYT reports that El Salvador is […]
For some, AA’s `higher power’ is step in wrong direction
By Tracy Gordon — February 12, 2010
ST. LOUIS (RNS) By the end of January, plenty of New Year’s resolutions have been broken. For those who have ignored pledges to hit the gym every day, or stay away from “American Idol,” a broken resolution is little more than an annual defeat of the will. But for people trying to get their alcohol […]
