marriage
Pope Benedict XVI denounces cultural shift toward gay marriage in U.S.
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday (March 9) denounced the "powerful political and cultural currents" that are working to "alter the legal definition of marriage" in the United States. By Alessandro Speciale.
Rick Santorum’s secret army: home-schoolers
(RNS) Rick Santorum's rise as a serious contender for the GOP presidential nomination is thrilling Christian home-schoolers -- a potent and organized political force, particularly in primaries. By Daniel Burke.
After losing school job, gay teacher loses church job
FLORISSANT, Mo. (RNS) A Catholic school music teacher who was recently fired after church officials learned that he planned to marry his male partner of 20 years has been fired from a second position as a music director at a suburban Catholic church. By Elizabethe Holland.
Minn. church finds the high price of supporting gays
(RNS) When the pastor of Grace Community United Church of Christ in St. Paul, Minn., decided to support his denomination's embrace of gay marriage, he lost three-quarters of his church, and learned just how the price can be in supporting progressive causes. By Annalisa Musarra.
Catholic school teacher fired for gay wedding plans
Catholic voter guide differs from two Catholic candidates
Mormons, GOP didn’t always get along so well
WASHINGTON (RNS) As Mitt Romney presses his White House bid, many Americans don't realize that his Mormon faith played an important role as foil in the early days of the GOP, and how its first candidates won by whipping up anti-Mormon sentiments. By Thomas Burr.
Splinter churches realign mainline Protestantism
(RNS) The question now is whether these breakaway Anglican, Lutheran and Presbyterian groups signal a seismic shift in American Protestantism, or just a few fissures in the theological terrain. By Daniel Burke.
Till death (or illness or dementia) us do part?
(RNS) When the person you married goes through a dramatic change -- a car accident, brain injury or dementia -- what's a spouse to do? As Valentine's Day approaches, clergy, ethicists and brain injury experts agree: There are no easy answers. By Adelle M. Banks.
Appeals court strikes down California ban on same-sex marriage
LOS ANGELES (RNS) The appeals court's decision upheld a 2010 ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker, saying that "although the Constitution permits communities to enact most laws they believe to be desirable, it requires that there be at least a legitimate reason for the passage of a law that treats different classes of people differently." By David Finnigan.
