Monthly Archives: December 2010
Abortion debate opens rift between bishops, hospitals
By Tracy Gordon — December 23, 2010
WASHINGTON (RNS) An umbrella group of Catholic hospitals is backing a Phoenix hospital that was stripped of its church affiliation, sowing the seeds for another sharp conflict between the hierarchy and Catholic health care providers. Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, said St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center “correctly applied” church guidelines […]
U.N. adopts `defamation of religions’ resolution with fewer votes
By Tracy Gordon — December 23, 2010
(RNS) The U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution Tuesday (Dec. 21) on “combating defamation of religions,” drawing criticism from human rights organizations and U.S. officials who say support for the measure continues to decline. The resolution sponsored by Islamic countries passed with 79 to 67, with 40 abstentions. Critics say it does more harm than […]
The Catholic Healthcare Association is backing a Phoenix hospital that was stripped of its church af
By Tracy Gordon — December 23, 2010
Scandals prompt exodus from Catholic church in Germany
By Tracy Gordon — December 23, 2010
BERLIN (RNS) Beset by a series of sex abuse and financial scandals, the Catholic Church in Germany is seeing membership plunge as 2010 comes to a close, according to a series of surveys conducted by German media outlets. The results released did not include an overall nationwide tally, but based on figures for individual dioceses, […]
The steady drip, drip, drip of WikiLeaks
By Francis X. Rocca — December 23, 2010
Britain’s Guardian newspaper has released four more WikiLeaks documents from the U.S. embassy to the Vatican, from 2001, 2002 and 2009, all somehow related to Catholic-Jewish tensions over the possible canonization as a saint of Pope Pius XII. One of the cables, from last October, reports that the Vatican backed out of an agreement to […]
Wednesday’s Religion News Roundup
By Daniel Burke — December 22, 2010
President Obama signed legislation this morning that will allow gays to serve openly in the military (pic at left). Gay rights advocates scored a victory on the international scene, too, as UN member states restored sexual orientation to a resolution opposing arbitrary executions. The Vatican sought to clarify the pope’s controversial comments about condoms, saying […]
Jews ready to roll out new `ethical kosher’ seals
By Tracy Gordon — December 22, 2010
NEW YORK (RNS) What does it really mean for your Hebrew National hot dog to “answer to a higher authority?” For years, it’s meant a kosher certification that ensured Jewish (and non-Jewish) consumers were buying a product that met strict religious standards for slaughter and preparation that went beyond government requirements. Now a controversial Jewish […]
10 minutes with … Robby McGee
By Tracy Gordon — December 22, 2010
(RNS) Every December, Christmas culture warriors square off in town squares and school auditoriums over nativity scenes, Christmas carols and whether it’s politically correct to say “Merry Christmas.” For Robby McGee, president of the Nashville-based evangelical group Reaching International, the strategic battleground is the shopping mall, where he believes too many retailers and restaurants eagerly […]
COMMENTARY: Lessons from 2010 for 2011
By Cathleen Falsani — December 22, 2010
(RNS) Among the many highlights of 2010 was a thread of spiritual pondering that wove its way through the year’s events — both personal and global. As is my tradition in this space, here are a few of the most intriguing spiritual insights I heard (and in some cases rediscovered) from the last 12 months. […]
Magisterium: Pope meant what he said
By Mark Silk — December 22, 2010
So now we have the official word from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Condoms are a lesser evil, when used by prostitutes infected with HIV. Ultra theologians who have claimed the the use of condoms in such circumstances only add crime to crime…are wrong. Pope Benedict meant what he said. Naturally, some […]
Poll finds family, not JesusâÂ?Â? birth, at heart of Christmas
By Tracy Gordon — December 22, 2010
(RNS) While nearly all Americans celebrate Christmas, most focus more on family than religious traditions, a new survey shows. Out of a list of 14 things people do at Christmas, the most common activity — at 89 percent — was giving gifts to family members, reports LifeWay Research. More than 75 percent also gather with […]
Creationism holds steady at four in 10 Americans, Gallup says
By Tracy Gordon — December 22, 2010
(RNS) Four in 10 Americans believe that God created humans in something like their present form within the last 10,000 years, according to a new Gallup Poll. While that percentage represents a slight dip from 2008, when 44 percent said they do not believe divinely made humans evolved over time, it has remained remarkably stable […]
Vatican says no change to teaching on condoms, prostitutes
By Tracy Gordon — December 22, 2010
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI’s recent comments about condoms do not mark a change in “Catholic moral teaching” or “pastoral practice” on AIDS prevention or contraception, the Vatican said Tuesday (Dec. 21). The statement by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, the Catholic Church’s highest doctrinal body, represents a rare official clarification of […]
So much for that Prince of Peace stuff …
By Kevin Eckstrom — December 22, 2010
The good folks out at Repent Amarillo (self-described “outside the box in terms of traditional American Christian practices”) have opened up a new front in the War on Christmas, this time executing Santa Claus with a firing squad. Among St. Nic’s alleged “heinous” transgressions: “You have sought to substitute yourself for the place for the […]
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup
By Daniel Burke — December 21, 2010
Conservative politicians in Europe are stepping up their anti-Muslim rhetoric and forging ties across borders, Reuters reports. A Tea Party founder who once belonged to the United Methodist Church now calls the denomination the “First Church of Karl Marx,” and says, “If you hate America, you have a great future in the Methodist Church.” A […]
