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Cardinal George Pell. Photo courtesy Reuters.
Need to know: Thursday, June 29, 2017
Cardinal George Pell takes a leave of absence after sex assault charges
Cardinal George Pell, one of the most senior officials in the Vatican, took a leave of absence Thursday and pledged to defend his name after being charged with multiple historical sex crimes in Australia.
The ’Splainer: What is the Blaine Amendment and did SCOTUS kill it?
This week’s Supreme Court decision on state funds for a religious school’s playground may undermine more than a century of church-state separation legislation in 37 states, experts suggest.
Man arrested for smashing Ten Commandments monument at Arkansas Capitol
Michael Tate Reed of Van Buren, Ark., who previously toppled a Ten Commandments monument in Oklahoma, was arrested Wednesday on charges of doing the same after a similar tribute was installed near the Arkansas Capitol.
Exhibit showcases the earliest stirrings of American religious diversity
A new Smithsonian National Museum of American History exhibits goes beyond “Puritans and Pilgrims” to display artifacts used to evangelize Native Americans, a Torah scroll from the first synagogue in North America, and a Muslim text written by a slave.
Paid parental leave, dress code changes coming for Mormon church employees
The Utah-based church — the largest employer in the Beehive State — is providing short-term disability benefits and has loosened its dress code to include colored shirts for men and dress pants for women.
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South African court bars schools from promoting any one religion
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) The Organization for Religious Education and Democracy had argued that it was in the interest of South Africa's democracy that public schools not be allowed to favor a specific religion.
Pope Francis defrocks Italian priest convicted of child sex abuse
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Mauro Inzoli was found guilty last year by an Italian court of eight counts of sexual abuse of children aged 12 to 16.
Last-ditch effort aims to fill State Department job combating anti-Semitism
Closure of the Office to Combat and Monitor Anti-Semitism is slated for Saturday, but Jewish and other human rights groups are lobbying the administration on social media and through petitions.
More views from RNS
Pastors and political choice
Readers who paint with broad brushes, skipping the subtleties, may come away from reading the survey tempted to paraphrase Emmett Grogan’s dictum that “anything anybody can say about America[n religion] is true.” But, if they look closer up, they will find what astute politicians and marketers know: one cannot treat religion as a whole, but only in parts, as the Supreme Court regularly does.
Why they should change the names of Hollywood streets
What do we do about places named for Confederate generals? Change the names.
Nabra Hassanen’s death offers lessons on how Muslim communities can respond
(RNS) An anthropologist working on community-based resilience looks at the response to the death of Nabra Hassanen and considers how it can delve deeper into a reservoir of built-up resources, traditions and relationships.
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