(RNS) The military's 29 Jewish chaplains have often preferred their particular tradition's prayer book to any other's. The new prayer book attempts to remedy that. The post This Memorial Day, a new prayer book for Jewish soldiers and sailors appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The three-day visit is packed with official appointments and a grueling physical schedule for the 77-year-old pontiff. The post Pope Francis eyes religious reconciliation on trip to Holy Land appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican's chief spokesman says there's no criminal investigation targeting former Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, but that doesn't mean an oversight panel isn't conducting its own examination. The post Former Vatican No. 2 Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone denies financial wrongdoing appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
(RNS) A group of Christians, Hindus, Jews and humanists has asked the House of Representatives to reject a prayer plaque proposed for the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The post House considers a prayer plaque at WWII monument; interfaith coalition says ‘no’ appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
Ahmed Al-Haj (AP, May 20, 2014) Sanaa, Yemen — Clashes between Shiite northern rebels, ultraconservative Sunni tribesmen and military troops left 27 killed in the country's restive northwest, security officials and tribesmen said Tuesday....
JERUSALEM (RNS) Located on Mount Zion, the Cenacle is where Jesus held the Last Supper. It sits directly above David’s Tomb, the place many Jews believe the biblical King David is buried. The post Site of Jesus’ Last Supper a point of contention for some Israeli Jews appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
(RNS) Dog-meets-God books have been a staple of Christian publishing for at least a decade. Now, cats, horses and maybe even birds are getting into the heavenly act. The post In publishing, all dogs go to heaven, but what about cats, horses and birds? appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
“I think the train has left the station. I just can’t see a huge step back.” – Willamette University law professor Gwynne Skinner, quoted by The Oregonian, after a federal judge struck down Oregon’s ban on same-sex marriage The post Quote of the Day: Willamette University law professor Gwynne Skinner appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
WASHINGTON (RNS) Although most Americans still say they wouldn't vote for a godless candidate, the tide is shifting. The post More Americans willing to vote for an atheist president appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
After being found guilty of eleven terrorism charges, many are asking why the man who devoted his life to violent jihad was not arrested sooner It was said that even the Queen questioned why Abu Hamza, the firebrand preacher of the Finsbury Park mosque who had been ridiculed in the tabloid press as 'Hooky the panto villain', had not been prosecuted in a British court. "The Queen was pretty upset...
Antisemitism watchdog issues statement welcoming rapper's apology for costume that prompted charges of stereotyping The Anti-Defamation League said on Tuesday that it accepted Macklemore at his word that a costume the superstar rapper wore on stage last week was not meant as a hateful Jewish caricature. Macklemore, who won four Grammys this year, appeared Friday at a Seattle event wearing a fake wig,...
The new Hindu nationalist president of India was banned on U.S. soil. Did Glenn Beck have a born-again experience? And the bigot roundup within the roundup. The post Modi ban * Born-again Beck? * Bleepin’ bigots : Tuesday’s Roundup appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
(RNS) How can a 60-year-old Supreme Court decision still be shaping religious life in America? It's because race still divides us. The post COMMENTARY: How Brown v. Board of Education still shapes our religious life appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
VATICAN CITY (RNS) While the Vatican's investigation into American nuns falls under the doctrinal office, Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz's congregation on religious orders is seen as more sympathetic to the sisters and has tried to serve as a peace broker in the standoff. The post Cardinal seeks a truce in fight between U.S. nuns and Vatican’s doctrinal office appeared first on Religion News Service...
Australia now finds itself in the midst of a perfect storm for the emergence of faith-based activism. The conditions are ripe for a prophetic movement of biblical proportions It has been some time since Christian activists have made it into the news. Those who sat on Tony Abbott and Bill Shortens office floors yesterday joined in a tradition that includes names such as Desmond Tutu, Martin Luther...
TEL AVIV, Israel (RNS) The church, under the aegis of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land, has been in this primarily migrant worker neighborhood for the past five years. It serves both migrant workers and asylum seekers. The post Tel Aviv Catholic church serves growing migrant community appeared first on Religion News Service . ...
Aileen Graef ("UPI," May 23, 2014) TOPEKA, Kan., May 23 (UPI) --Zacharias Phelps-Roper said in a Facebook post that his grandfather, Fred Phelps, was excommunicated from the Westboro Baptist Church before he died because he allegedly expressed his support for a group promoting LGBT equality. The post was written on the Equality House Facebook page and the administrator of the page confirmed...
("The Huffington Post," May 23, 2014) CAIRO -- Dozens of men close their eyes in prayer and throw their hands up in the air toward the night sky. Barefoot and focused, their bodies sway to the rhythmic chanting booming from a loudspeaker at the mass outdoor religious celebration. And around their necks, lanyards bear the portrait of former military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the man likely...
(Reuters, May 22, 2014) The Church of Norway will start collecting donations through text messages, hoping to prop up its finances as gifts and state support dwindle. "Fewer and fewer people are walking around with cash these days, and this is very noticeable when the collection basket is passed around in church," said Robert Wright, the head of administration for 45 Oslo churches....
Sharon Otterman ("The New York Times," May 23, 2014) Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan lives in a 19th-century Madison Avenue mansion that connects to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. A cook and two housekeepers serve him and three other priests. A driver chauffeurs him around, though in a Chrysler minivan. It is a comfortable, if not necessarily extravagant, lifestyle, one in keeping with that of past archbishops...