#35 – Pontifex Omnibus by Jason Bach, Gresham, Ore. (Ink and watercolor) – “Based on the portrait of Pope Innocent X by Diego Velazquez. Velazquez drew Innocent X looking very imperial and imperious on his papal throne. Francis, by contrast, sits not a throne but on a Roman public bus. By this I hoped to emphasize his humility and simplicity.”
Several leaders began offering new stances on the situation in Syria over the weekend. Rick Warren and Tony Perkins have come out against U.S. military intervention in Syria while Jim Wallis says there may be just cause for a strike. Cornel West said it would be grounds for impeachment if Obama bombed Syria without Congressional approval. And Robert George examines WWJBED: What would ethicist Jean Bethke Elshtain Do if she were still alive?
Globally, Pope Francis led a prayer vigil on Saturday, saying intervention would be futile. Metropolitan Philip, the North American leader of the Syria-based Antiochian Orthodox Diocese, sent a letter to the president of concern over U.S. support of the rebel forces.
In Syria, reports suggest rebels have taken over a Christian village as the region’s Christians hold their breath.
Some Christian bookstore owners say books focused on end times theology by authors like  John Hagee and Joel Rosenberg are selling well due to tensions in Egypt and Syria.
On a more light-hearted note, cue the white smoke! We have the results for the Pope Francis Art Contest after 45 entries as 24,000+ votes.
Pope Francis seems to be calling just about everyone. Mostly recently, he called a pregnant woman whose husband encouraged her to have an abortion, saying he would baptize her child if she couldn’t find a priest.
The Catholic Church appears to be getting more aggressive on immigration reform as priests are urged to address the issue in church.
The fight over gay rights vs. religious rights has moved to floral shops, bakeries and photo studios.
The president of Pat Robertson’s Regent University has stepped down unexpectedly, though details have yet to come forward. A new documentary suggests that Robertson has raised millions off of a nonexistent aid project.
As print publications struggle, Christianity Today’s literary magazine Books & Culture could shut down if it doesn’t meet its fundraising goal, which ends today. Amish papers are doing well, though.
In other religious publication news, here’s a feature on how one nun turned a monastery garage into the global Catholic news network EWTN.
With “Crossfire” returning to CNN tonight, commentator S.E. Cupp explains what its like to be both an atheist and a conservative (conservatheist?).
Here’s a frightening investigation into families who give their children up for adoption to people they meet online.
For one Boston Marathon victims’ family, the Boston Globe profiles a priest providing a consoling presence.
Sectarian clashes between Hindus and Muslims in northern India kill at least 28 people.
Police say a man who was about to rape a fifth woman stopped after she began praying with him. He later died in a high-speed chase.
The Mormon church has signed a new agreement with Ancestry.com in a project to make 1 billion new genealogical records available to the public.
Informative tweets to start the week:
Holy infographics: the bible visualised #datanerds @guardian http://t.co/4pnVY4WIt6
— BRIAN PELLOT (@brianpellot) September 6, 2013
https://twitter.com/elizabethjdias/status/377027623312166912
From demographics to restrictions to polling, explore a trove of data on global religion topics at our beta site: http://t.co/1DGYvt7OZw
— Pew Research Religion (@PewReligion) September 9, 2013
And new to the Twitters: New York Times religion columnist Samuel Freedman.