Monthly Archives: May 2011
My prayer for Huck
By Mark Silk — May 14, 2011
It turns out that, in deciding whether he’s going to tell Fox viewers tonight that he’s actually running for president in 1012, Mike Huckabee is not only praying on it, but also asking us to do the same. Which is pretty cool, when you think of it–and not just because the Huck-a-Pray form will give […]
Holocaust conviction began in Cleveland
By Tracy Gordon — May 14, 2011
CLEVELAND (RNS) The case that led to John Demjanjuk’s conviction in Germany on Thursday (May 12) was laid out 10 years ago in a Cleveland courtroom, where lawyers sparred over his wartime past. At the time, prosecutors said he was a Nazi guard at an extermination camp. Defense attorneys said he was a prisoner of […]
Dalai Lama brings peace message to New Jersey
By Tracy Gordon — May 14, 2011
NEWARK, N.J. (RNS) The Dalai Lama has a message for Newark: Peace does not come easily, but the strategy for attaining it is simple. Flanked by blue orchids, Buddhist monks and a security detail from the U.S. State Department, the Tibetan spiritual leader made his opening appeal for peace Thursday (May 12) as the city […]
Vatican says Latin Mass shouldn’t divide Catholics
By Tracy Gordon — May 13, 2011
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican on Friday (May 13) broadened access to the old Latin Mass with a new rule that gives the Vatican the power to overrule bishops who fail to make the rite available in their dioceses. The Vatican also said that Catholics who request celebrations of the old Latin Mass must not […]
Abuse pits church honesty against lawyers’ caution
By Tracy Gordon — May 13, 2011
VIENNA, Va. (RNS) When officials at Vienna Presbyterian Church decided to acknowledge the church’s failures in handling reports of sexual abuse by a youth ministries director, they thought it might upset some in the congregation. What surprised them was the admonishment from the church’s insurance company. On March 23, a lawyer hired by GuideOne Insurance […]
Friday’s Religion News Roundup
By Kevin Eckstrom — May 13, 2011
Harold Camping has been warning that the Rapture will occur next Saturday, May 21, and now we have an exact time: 6 p.m. Since Jimmy Buffet said it’s 5:00 somewhere, that means you’ve got an hour for cocktails before all the excitement begins. They’re taking drink orders over at Religion Dispatches, and the Mayan 2012 […]
Graham’s doctor says condition has stabilized
By Tracy Gordon — May 13, 2011
(RNS) Billy Graham’s doctor confirmed Thursday (May 12) that the 92-year-old evangelist has pneumonia, but said he is doing well. Graham was taken Wednesday to Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., where he was started on antibiotics. Dr. Shaw C. Henderson, a pulmonologist, said Graham is being encouraged to restart normal activities, including physical therapy. Graham […]
Obama rallies Hispanic Christians on immigration
By Tracy Gordon — May 13, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) President Obama assured Hispanic Christians on Thursday (May 12) that he hears their pleas for immigration reform, calling it a “moral imperative” that requires action from the pews and the White House. “What I can do is sign a law,” he told more than 600 people gathered here for the National Hispanic Prayer […]
Bill would strengthen role of religious freedom envoy
By Tracy Gordon — May 12, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) New legislation proposed by a leading congressional watchdog would push the State Department to make international religious freedom a greater priority. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., introduced a bill on Wednesday (May 11) that would boost the profile of the ambassador-at-large for religious freedom, require religious training for foreign service officers, and reauthorize an […]
Russian, Greek Orthodox leery of ID cards
By Tracy Gordon — May 12, 2011
MOSCOW (RNS/ENInews) Russian and Greek Orthodox leaders are objecting to plans in both countries to introduce electronic identity cards intended to streamline bureaucracy. Church officials are demanding close study of the cards, and asking that authorities make them optional. The personal and financial information embedded in the cards could be manipulated to discriminate against believers, […]
Immigration pits Mormons against hierarchy
By Tracy Gordon — May 12, 2011
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) For decades, Mormon conservatives have believed their politics matched the positions of their church: opposing abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment and same-sex marriage, for example. But now comes an issue that puts the two seemingly at odds: immigration. The Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has called for compassion […]
Thursday’s Religion News Roundup
By Kevin Eckstrom — May 12, 2011
Americans may not agree on whether Osama bin Laden should have been buried at the bottom of the deep blue sea, but two-thirds concur about his final destination: hell. A new poll conducted by PRRI and RNS reports that 82 percent of Americans believe OBL distorted the teachings of Islam, and 65 percent say he […]
Pastor says false Navy SEAL tale was `ego-builder’
By Tracy Gordon — May 11, 2011
HARRISBURG, Pa. (RNS) The Navy awards the gold Trident medal to those who have earned the right to be called a SEAL — the same elite fighting squad that shot and killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. The same gold Trident can be bought at a military surplus store, and that’s where the Rev. Jim […]
Navy suspends policy to allow gay weddings
By Tracy Gordon — May 11, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. Navy reversed course Tuesday (May 10) on plans to allow chaplains to officiate at same-sex marriage ceremonies once the military’s ban on openly gay members is repealed. Rear Adm. Mark Tidd, the Navy chief of chaplains, said in a brief announcement to chaplains his previous memo about the repeal of the […]
Abuse victims oppose pick for House chaplain
By Tracy Gordon — May 11, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) The nation’s leading advocacy group for victims of clergy sexual abuse is opposing an Oregon Jesuit’s bid to serve as House chaplain, saying he failed to follow up on alleged abuse 25 years ago. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said the Rev. Patrick Conroy should have contacted the police […]
