Politics
NEWS SIDEBAR: Christians mobilizing to protest Israel anti-missionary legislation
By Elaine Fletcher — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service JERUSALEM _ Christian groups worldwide are mobilizing to protest a new initiative in Israel’s parliament to outlaw missionary activity in Israel, even though government officials say the legislation has virtually no chance of becoming law. The new controversy surfaced in late May when the Knesset (parliament), with the okay of […]
NEWS FEATURE: Sainthood campaign underway for Knights of Columbus founder
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service HARTFORD, Conn. _ A campaign to have the Rev. Michael J. McGivney, the son of Irish immigrants and founder of the Knights of Columbus, proclaimed a saint has been officially set in motion by the Archdiocese of Hartford. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus, the Roman Catholic fraternal organization, in […]
NEWS STORY: Israeli squabbling over `who is a Jew’ heats up again
By Elaine Fletcher — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service JERUSALEM _ Controversial legislation granting Israel’s Orthodox leadership exclusive say over determining”who is a Jew”has resurfaced again in Israel’s parliament and could be approved in the coming weeks, liberal Jewish leaders are warning. On Monday (Dec. 28) Orthodox members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, gained preliminary approval for a bill […]
NEWS FEATURE: In Catholic-Jewish relations, church teachings have real consequences
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service HARTFORD, Conn. _ As the scholars wound down their panel discussion at Trinity College in Hartford about the Vatican’s recent statement on the Holocaust, one man in the audience could scarcely sit still. He fidgeted, waved his arm to get the chairman’s attention, and, when that didn’t work, he jumped […]
NEWS SIDEBAR: Jerusalem girds for masses of millennial pilgrims
By Elaine Fletcher — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service JERUSALEM _ Extending from the ancient steps of the Temple Mount to the Kidron Valley, the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane, the new”Valley of the Kings”is Jerusalem’s showcase for its year 2000 celebrations. The massive network of gardens, pedestrian promenades and archeological excavations links key Christian sites […]
NEWS FEATURE: Lawyer takes church apology for anti-Semitism to synagogues
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service HARTFORD, Conn. _ Last July, the Episcopal Church adopted a formal apology to the Jewish people for the anti-Semitism perpetrated by Christians throughout the centuries. As Easter draws near _ a time that rekindles Jewish historical memories of pogroms committed in the name of Jesus _ an Episcopal lawyer from […]
NEWS STORY: What are the rules for breaking the rules
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service HARTFORD, Conn. _ What are the rules for breaking the rules? When it comes to sports, philosophers, theologians and ethicists appear to be as divided as the rest of the public. They do not even agree on what should be the fundamental principles guiding sports behavior, short of general condemnation […]
NEWS FEATURE: Scholars explore idols, icons and monotheism
By Elaine Fletcher — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service JERUSALEM _ Idol worship. It has long been the bane of the three great monotheistic religions _ something Muslims, Christians and Jews could all agree was evil. Yet recently some two dozen religious scholars and students gathered here in the spiritual center of world monotheism to re-examine the issue of […]
NEWS STORY: Cuba’s religious revival’s many forms boost non-Catholic faiths, too
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service HAVANA _ Cuba’s religious revival, which began in 1991 and which Pope John Paul II hopes to boost during his current visit to the island nation, has spurred growth in a number of faith movements across the Marxist country. The Cuban Roman Catholic Church and a host of Protestant denominations […]
NEWS STORY: Israeli court rejects widespread military exemptions for religious youths
By Elaine Fletcher — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service JERUSALEM _ In a historic decision, Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday (Dec. 9) ordered the government to stop granting blanket draft exemptions to tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students. In a unanimous decision, the court said legislation is needed to deal with the issue. Because of overwhelming political opposition […]
NEWS STORY: Not all Cubans are happy with pope’s visit
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service HAVANA _ Not every Cuban is thrilled Pope John Paul II has made his unprecedented trip to Cuba to bolster the fortunes of the Roman Catholic Church on the island. A small but influential cadre of hardliners _ true believers in Cuba’s Marxist-flavored revolution _ are angry and frustrated, fearing […]
NEWS STORY: Israel to help fund teenagers’ trips to Jewish state
By Elaine Fletcher — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service JERUSALEM _ In a reversal of past practice, Israel will funnel money to North American Jewish communities by co-financing a massive new program that will offer a summer in Israel to virtually every Jewish teenager who wants to visit the Jewish state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement […]
NEWS STORY: John Paul boosts hopes of sainthood for Cuban-born priest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service HAVANA _ Pope John Paul II has given Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits new hope that a much-beloved priest who died 150 years ago will reach sainthood. In visiting the grave Friday (Jan. 23) of the Rev. Felix Varela, the pope energized the candidacy of the Cuban-born […]
NEWS STORY: Israel’s chief rabbis reject compromise on Jewish conversions
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service JERUSALEM _ Israel’s chief rabbis Monday (Feb. 9) rejected a compromise plan to defuse the divisive controversy over religious conversions to Judaism, an issue pitting Orthodox against non-Orthodox Jews worldwide. The Chief Rabbinic Council _ the Orthodox state body that maintains hegemony over Jewish religious issues in Israel _ said […]
NEWS STORY: Pope ends history-making pilgrimage to Cuba
By Ira Rifkin — January 1, 1998
c. 1998 Religion News Service HAVANA _ Pope John Paul II, continuing his bold _ and sometimes blunt _ blending of spiritual and political themes, ended his history-making trip to communist Cuba on Sunday (Jan. 25), calling on the government to open”new paths”of freedom for the people and the Roman Catholic Church. The pontiff’s five-day […]
