Richard Allen

Richard Allen is an author at Religion News Service.

All Stories by Richard Allen

The 11th Commandment: Thou Shalt Laugh

By Richard Allen — May 31, 2006

c. 2006 Religion News Service LOS ANGELES ÆÂ? Comedian Gilbert Esquivel is the son of migrant farm workers, so he knows hardship. “You’ve heard of Army brats ÆÂ? we were Salvation Army brats,” he joked at a recent show. Esquivel is a stout Mexican with wavy black hair. He tells the audience he looks like […]

Churches Embrace `New Urbanism’ as Antidote to Isolation

By Richard Allen — August 17, 2005

c. 2005 Religion News Service PASADENA, Calif. _ Eric Jacobsen speaks passionately about things like sidewalks and storefronts. But he’s not an architect or developer. He’s a Presbyterian pastor. As Jacobsen sees it, city planning has an important influence on religious experience. He is an advocate for New Urbanism, the architecture movement that calls for […]

Lesbian Minister Helps Defend Pro-Gay Decisions of Episcopal Church

By Richard Allen — June 23, 2005

c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A lesbian member of an American delegation giving a spiritual defense of homosexuality in the Anglican Communion says she sees the church reaching a crucial milestone on gay issues. “We’ve come to the point where we can stand up and say, `Let me tell you about my life and […]

Are the Mentally Ill Morally Good?

By Richard Allen — June 21, 2005

c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Mental illness is disturbingly common. No one is immune. Children, adolescents and young adults are its most likely victims. Recent findings about the high prevalence of mental illness may require us to revise the way we think about moral responsibility. Generally speaking, people with mental illness are not a […]

COMMENTARY: Pharmacists’ `Conscience Clauses’ Are Rx for Trouble

By Richard Allen — May 10, 2005

c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Pharmacists have pangs of conscience like everyone else. Maybe they feel guilty dishing out pricey uppers, downers and painkillers people don’t really need. Or maybe they feel guilty dispensing birth control. So here comes another skirmish in the culture wars: a battle over whether pharmacists and pharmacies may refuse […]

NEWS ANALYSIS: Cardinals Make a Daring Choice in Pope Benedict XVI

By Richard Allen — April 21, 2005

Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ In electing the 265th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, the College of Cardinals made a daring choice of a man who, despite his 78 years of age, seems destined to lead a strong, consequential pontificate: Joseph Ratzinger, the intellectual architect of John Paul II’s papacy as the prefect […]

NEWS ANALYSIS: Pre-Conclave Meetings Focused on Major Issues Facing Next Pope

By Richard Allen — April 19, 2005

Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ Though certainly imperfect, and at times a bit exhausting, the 13 “General Congregation” meetings of Roman Catholic cardinals preceding the papal conclave were an exercise in genuine collegiality, cardinals said. “The next pope, whoever it is, will have heard the mind of the church” as a result of this […]

NEWS ANALYSIS: If He Weren’t an American, Cardinal George of Chicago Could be Pope

By Richard Allen — April 12, 2005

Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ When it comes to the election of a pope, there are very few things that can be predicted with much confidence. Indeed, the trash heaps of history are littered with the reputations of pundits and so-called “experts” who have tried to divine the next pope. In analyzing the selection […]

NEWS ANALYSIS: Next Pope Likely to Continue Some Aspects of John Paul II

By Richard Allen — April 6, 2005

Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ Conclaves that elect new popes almost always produce surprises and change at the top of the Catholic Church, in part because cardinals generally strive to address the unfinished business and correct the perceived weaknesses of the pontificate just ended. That means the kind of man who’s elected in this […]

NEWS STORY: A Look at the Electors May Shed Light on the Pope’s Successor

By Richard Allen — April 5, 2005

c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A look at the 117 cardinals who are under age 80 and thus eligible to elect the next pope may shed light on who might become the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The Italians Of those 117 cardinal-electors, Italians represent the largest single national bloc, with 20 […]

NEWS ANALYSIS: Candidates for Next Pope to Be Judged by Specific Criteria