NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Kenyan church leaders are lining up in opposition to proposed new marriage bills, which they say will weaken marriage by allowing cohabitating couples to register as married. By Fredrick Nzwili.

(RNS) Islamic marriages typically include a basic marriage contract -- but when it comes time to divorce, some judges see the dowry as a simple contract, others as a prenuptial agreement, and others as a strictly religious matter in which they don’t want to get involved. By Omar Sacirbey.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (RNS) If there is any Catholic bishop who probably didn't need a bigger platform it would have to be William E. Lori, the hierarchy's high-profile point man in the battle for religious freedom. But now that he's been tapped as the next archbishop of Baltimore, Lori will be closer to the action in a fight that is defining the hierarchy and Lori's career. By David Gibson.

CANTERBURY, England (RNS) The British government has launched a 12-week consultation in England and Wales that is widely expected to lead to the legalization of same-sex marriage, despite strong opposition from Catholics and some Anglicans. By Trevor Grundy.

(RNS) Does Rick Santorum's surge also mark the resurrection of the Religious Right? After Santorum's big primary wins in Alabama and Mississippi, the born-again bigwigs who endorsed him last year may be having the last laugh. By David Gibson.

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.