Monthly Archives: March 2012
Cleveland bishop has 60 days to appeal church closures
CLEVELAND (RNS) The official Vatican decrees reversing the closings of 13 Catholic parishes finally reached the desk of Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon, giving him 60 days to decide on an appeal. By Michael O'Malley.
Vatican pulls support for seminarians’ soccer league
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican has withdrawn its support from a soccer tournament between Rome's seminaries, saying the tournament had lost its "educational" value. By Alessandro Speciale.
Thursday’s Religion News Roundup: Dubious bishops, Kosher Sex for Congress, GCB is so bad it’s good
Rabbi Shmuley "Kosher Sex" Boteach is running for Congress, the Communion-denying priest has a migraine and the pope has a new custom-made cologne.
Poll: Catholics don’t see contraception mandate as threat to religious freedom
Even though Catholic bishops are leading the charge that the new White House contraception mandate is a threat to religious liberty, Catholics reject -- by a 57 to 38 percent margin -- the idea that religious liberty is under siege, according to a new poll from the Public Religion Research Institute and Religion News Service.
‘Ten Commandments Judge’ Roy Moore poised to return to Ala. court
MOBILE, Ala. (RNS) With 98 percent of state precincts counted, Roy Moore held on to 51 percent of the vote in his bid to retake his former job as chief justice of the state's supreme court, nearly a decade after he lost the job for refusing to remove a massive Ten Commandments monument. By Debbie M. Lord and Brenda Kirby.
Santorum shows the Religious Right isn’t dead yet
(RNS) Does Rick Santorum's surge also mark the resurrection of the Religious Right? After Santorum's big primary wins in Alabama and Mississippi, the born-again bigwigs who endorsed him last year may be having the last laugh. By David Gibson.
Military atheists get ready to ‘rock beyond belief’
(RNS) After more than a year of planning, atheists in the military will stage a public event celebrating their lack of religious beliefs at North Carolina's Fort Bragg -- a recognition, they hope, of nonbelievers who are outnumbered in what they call an overly Christianized military. By Kimberly Winston.
Why is it so hard to do religion in prime time?
(RNS) ABC's saucy new drama, "GCB" has been panned by critics and called "anti-Christian" by Newt Gingrich. TLC cancelled its controversial reality show, "All-American Muslim," and anything short of "Touched By an Angel" seems to flop. Piet Levy explores why.
Jews ask pope to push for aid worker’s release in Cuba
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Jewish community is trying to enlist the pope to intercede on behalf of Alan Gross, the Maryland Jewish man who has been in a Cuban jail for more than two years, on his upcoming trip to the island nation. By Lauren Markoe.
WednesdayâÂ?Â?s Religion News Roundup: Bible Belts Romney, Roy Moore is back, Tony Blair on gay marriage
So does God need our help or not?
Oklahoma Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe says God doesn't need human help on climate change but does need human help on Israeli security: Politicized theology or theologized politics?
Pastor says hospitality staff can’t live by bread alone
SPOKANE, Wash. (RNS) Kevin Finch may be a minister, but he doesn't proselytize through Big Table, a nonprofit organization that serves the city's restaurant and hospitality industry. The only goal of the Big Table dinners, he says, is to befriend local food industry workers. "God is big enough to show up when he wants to show up," he said. By Tracy Simmons.
Doctor who championed ‘death with dignity’ dies at 83
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) Peter Goodwin, the first doctor in Oregon to campaign publicly for the terminally ill to obtain medical help in ending their lives, died Sunday shortly after exercising the right he fought to secure. He was 83. By Anne Saker.
TuesdayâÂ?Â?s Religion News Roundup: Mitt’s grits? Atheist overreach? Obama and Bishops? Amish in drag?
Atheists’ slavery billboard raises tempers in Pa.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (RNS) The billboard is down, but the issue's not gone. The billboard featuring an African slave with the biblical quote "Slaves, obey your masters" was intended as a critique of state lawmakers, but some say it was a racially charged insult. By Diana Fishlock.