Kein Eckstrom
Kein Eckstrom is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Kein Eckstrom
Religious Progressives, Outpaced by Conservatives, See Hope in Judicial Fight
By Kein Eckstrom — May 25, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Six months after the November elections left them defeated and demoralized, progressive religious groups by most measures continue to be outpaced and drowned out by well-organized conservative groups. Yet progressive leaders say the fight over judicial nominations has shown they are making measured progress in moderating the influence […]
Anglicans, Catholics Find Common Ground on Virgin Mary
By Kein Eckstrom — May 17, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Roman Catholic and Anglican leaders on Monday (May 16) announced newfound agreement on the Virgin Mary, putting to rest disagreements on her role in salvation that had simmered for almost 500 years. The 81-page booklet, released in Seattle by the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), said the churches now […]
Pope Names San Francisco Archbishop as Guardian of Catholic Doctrine
By Kein Eckstrom — May 14, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday (May 13) named the archbishop of San Francisco, William Levada, to the pope’s old job as guardian of the Catholic faith, making Levada the highest-ranking American ever to serve at the Vatican. Levada, 68, was named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of […]
Reports Say Pope Is Close to Naming American to Top Vatican Post
By Kein Eckstrom — May 12, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Media reports indicate Pope Benedict XVI is moving closer to naming an American, Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco, to his old job as chief enforcer and guardian of Catholic faith and doctrine. As first reported by Religion News Service on May 3, Levada appears to be the top […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: Critics Call Editor’s Ouster an Ominous Sign for U.S. Church
By Kein Eckstrom — May 10, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Is the Rev. Tom Reese, the respected editor of a Jesuit magazine, the latest casualty in a simmering battle between the Vatican and the Catholic Church in the United States? From most accounts, Reese was ousted as editor of America magazine on Friday (May 6) because some U.S. bishops […]
San Francisco Archbishop a Contender for Pope’s Old Job
By Kein Eckstrom — May 4, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco met privately with Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday (May 3), fueling speculation that he is a leading candidate to become the Vatican’s chief watchdog of Catholic doctrine, a position formerly held by the pope himself. American associates of Levada said he appears to […]
NEWS STORY: New Pope Electrifies Conservative U.S. Catholics
By Kein Eckstrom — April 22, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ If conservative American Catholics had any reservations about who the next pope might be, those fears were largely put to rest when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday (April 19). Ratzinger, who policed Catholic doctrine for a quarter-century, is as orthodox as they come, […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: New Pope’s First Challenge May Be a Charm Offensive
By Kein Eckstrom — April 21, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Pope Benedict XVI is, depending on whom you talk to, the “Panzerkardinal,” “God’s Rottweiler” or an unassuming and misunderstood man of deep, quiet faith. Before his election as pope Tuesday (April 19), Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was known as a stern disciplinarian, a sort of ecclesial Dr. No who toiled […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: Ratzinger’s View of Non-Catholics Likely to Set Tone for Papacy
By Kein Eckstrom — April 20, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Five years ago, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger lobbed a theological hand grenade at Christians around the world in a document that said non-Catholic churches “suffer from defects” and are “not churches in the proper sense.” Broadening his critique, Ratzinger, the longtime prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of […]
NEWS STORY: Diane Knippers, an Evangelical Heavyweight, Dies at 53
By Kein Eckstrom — April 19, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Diane Knippers, an intellectual heavyweight who rallied opposition to the liberal drift of mainline churches and was named by Time magazine as one of the country’s 25 Most Influential Evangelicals, died Monday (April 18). She was 53. Knippers had battled colon cancer for more than a year and […]
NEWS STORY: Tailor’s Three Candidates for Pope: Small, Medium, Large
By Kein Eckstrom — April 15, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service ROME _ Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore slipped into Gammarelli’s tailor shop to check on an order, but wouldn’t say if he had his eyes on the white silk cassocks in the window display that have been prepared for the next pope. A few minutes later, Cardinal Edward Egan of […]
NEWS STORY: Cardinals to Stay at Comfortably Plain Hotel John Paul Built for Conclave
By Kein Eckstrom — April 14, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ It isn’t exactly the Ritz-Carlton or the luxurious Lord Byron Hotel, but the Domus Sancta Martha inside the Vatican’s walls sure beats the cot and chamber pot treatment of conclaves past. The conclave that begins Monday (April 18) to elect the next pope requires absolute seclusion for […]
NEWS STORY: What Does a Pope Do? A Job Description for Pontifex Maximus
By Kein Eckstrom — April 13, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ Wanted: Catholic baptized male, preferably age 65-75. Position: Supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Qualifications: Theologically orthodox, media-savvy, willing to travel, familiarity with Scripture and doctrine a must. Benefits: Free housing in the heart of Rome, ’round-the-clock security, 24-hour access to the Almighty, infallibility in faith […]
NEWS SIDEBAR: Snapshots of U.S. Cardinals Who Will Vote for the Next Pope
By Kein Eckstrom — April 5, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Following are snapshots of the 11 American cardinals who will have a vote in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope. Technically, each man is eligible to be elected, although most church observers doubt the church would ever elect an American pope. William Baum, former major penitentiary and […]
NEWS SIDEBAR: Snapshots of U.S. Cardinals Who Will Vote for the Next Pope
By Kein Eckstrom — April 3, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Following are snapshots of the 11 American cardinals who will have a vote in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope. Technically, each man is eligible to be elected, although most church observers doubt the church would ever elect an American pope. William Baum, former major penitentiary and […]
