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Papal path * Bible updates * 2014 Christmas stamp: Thursday's Roundup

What cities might Pope Francis visit on his 2015 U.S. tour? The New Yorker envisions an updated Bible. And the USPS has unveiled a new Christmas stamp.
Papal path * Bible updates * 2014 Christmas stamp: Thursday’s Roundup
The United States Postal Service 2014 Christmas Magi stamp.
Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Pope Francis demands just distribution of the world’s wealth, telling a U.N. conference that access to food is a basic human right.

Francis-Philadelphia-poll-art_111914-copy

Religion News Service graphic by Tiffany McCallen

By the way, the mayor of Detroit has written to the Vatican inviting the pope to add a stop there after his September 2015 visit to Philadelphia. But we think there are several cities where Francis might want to make a call — and highlight his vision for the church. Vote on the cities you’d like to add to his itinerary.


What’s the world’s most generous country? The United States comes in second to (wait for it…) Burma. “Indeed, the practice of charitable giving or dana is integral to religious observance amongst Theravada Buddhists, with it being one of the key paths to earning good merit,” a report says.

Christian, Jewish, Muslim clergy plead for interfaith tolerance at a news conference near synagogue attacked earlier this week.

In the long reads department: The Protestant Mainline Goes to Washington (Religion & Politics) or Kids are inheriting their parents’ trauma. Can science stop it? (The New Republic).

Need to know how to ship a church? Pastor Jerel Keene of Louisiana Church needed a permanent church building for his Southern Baptist congregation. He found one in a 200-year-old Anglican church whose dwindling number of parishioners had put it up for sale in rural Nova Scotia. The church was disassembled and shipped over 2,000 miles, and now it is being rebuilt by the Louisiana church.

At least ten magistrates in North Carolina have resigned or taken early retirement because of their opposition to performing same-sex marriages.

For some humor, The New Yorker offers some Bible system updates. 6.12 “God” feature removed entirely. Replaced with “The Cloud.”

More from RNS:

Brittany Maynard, right-to-die voice, advocates from the grave

5 reasons why we want to believe Jesus was married

Boston grieves rabbi killed in Jerusalem synagogue

The ‘Splainer: blood libel and the synagogue massacre

Faith leaders join consumer advocates to push for lower payday loan rates

Welton Gaddy retires from Interfaith Alliance but keeps his Louisiana pulpit

Archbishop Chaput: Pope’s 2015 Philly visit won’t focus on hot-button sex issues

Finally, a tweet that will make you look twice?

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