Presidential church choice sends political, spiritual messages
By Daniel Burke

RNS-PRESIDENTS-CHURCH

WASHINGTON -- George Washington did it to set an example for his young country. Bill Clinton did it most conspicuously when he got in trouble. Dwight Eisenhower stopped doing it until he reached the White House, and then blasted his pastor for blabbing about it.
Like schoolboys on summer Sundays, presidents' records of church attendance have been spotty, historians say. Some, like John Quincy Adams, who went twice on Sunday, were regular churchgoers. Others, like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, preferred to hold occasional services in the White House.
But most made an effort to get to the chapel on time -- at least to keep up appearances.
As President-elect Barack Obama prepares to make his home in Washington, there has been no shortage of pastors and parishes angling to get the soon-to-be first family into their pews.
As Billy Graham told Eisenhower in 1952, Americans expect a bit of piety from their president. "Frankly, I don't think the American people would be happy with a president who didn't belong to any church or even attend one," the famed evangelist recalls telling Ike in his autobiography " Just As I Am."

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India razes slums, throws poor onto streets
Bulldozers in New Delhi, India, razed hundreds of makeshift homes earlier this month as the Indian government improves the city for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. CNN's Sara Sidner examines the effect it is having on slum-dwelling families who now have nowhere to go. full story

Pope outrages Jews over Holocaust denier
Jewish officials in Israel and abroad are outraged that Pope Benedict XVI has decided to lift the excommunication of a British bishop who denies that Jews were killed in Nazi gas chambers. The pope's decree brings back into the Catholic Church's fold Bishop Richard Williamson and three others who belong to the Society of Saint Pius X. full story

I attached the latest image that the Catholic television network (www.ewtn.com) has splashed across their home page. Is it just me or does it look like St. Aquinas has a sun burst emblazened on his chest?

January 30, 2009

NEWS STORY

Catholic Democrats question pope’s silence on Holocaust
By Kevin Eckstrom

WASHINGTON—Nearly 50 Catholic members of the U.S. House asked Pope Benedict for “clarification” on Friday (Jan. 30) about why he readmitted a schismatic bishop who has publicly doubted that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.

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Merkel tells pope: Act on Holocaust-denying bishop
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has demanded Pope Benedict XVI, above, firmly reject denial of the Holocaust. Merkel made her comments after the Vatican rehabilitated Bishop Richard Williamson, who has denied the Nazis intentionally murdered 6 million Jews and believes that "there were no gas chambers." full story

Vatican: Bishop must recant Holocaust denial
The Vatican has ordered a controversial bishop who denies the Holocaust to "distance himself" from his views "in an absolutely unequivocal and public manner," a top Catholic official said Wednesday. full story

The culture war of the early sixteenth century was fought over the breaking apart of Christianity, its loss of central authority, and the consequent fragmentation of European civilization. Our war rages about the collapse of traditional virtues across all of the West and the rise of moral indifference and cheerful nihilism. Many parallels between the two eras could be drawn, but a crucial similarity lies in the central role played by law in each. Though More was a profoundly religious man, it should not be forgotten that he was also a preeminent lawyer and judge. The law, quite as much as Catholicism, is crucial to an understanding of the man and the martyr. Law and its institutions were, of course, major forces of cohesion in More’s age, and are perhaps the primary symbols in ours of stability and continuity as well as justice. When moral consensus fades, as it did in More’s time and does in ours, we turn to law; when law falters, as it must when morality is no longer widely shared, society and culture teeter on the brink of chaos.

Ex-Mormon fires back with `Hot Mormon Muffins’ calendar
By Daniel Burke

(UNDATED) The former Mormon who was excommunicated for publishing a calendar of half-naked Mormon missionaries said Friday (March 6) he will sue a church-owned university for denying him a degree—and plans to publish two risque new calendars.

Chad Hardy, a former missionary and sixth-generation member of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints, said he will announce details of the lawsuit against Brigham Young University next week.

“It’s completely on principle,” Hardy said. “I don’t need (the diploma), I deserve it. This is a campaign against intolerance.” full story

The survey also found that "born-again" or "evangelical" Christianity is on the rise, while the percentage who belong to "mainline" congregations such as the Episcopal or Lutheran churches has fallen....The rise in evangelical Christianity is contributing to the rejection of religion altogether by some Americans, said Mark Silk of Trinity College.

Pope: We should have Googled Holocaust bishop

(CNN) -- The Pope has admitted making mistakes over the lifting of the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop, saying the church will make much greater use of the Internet in the future to help avoid such controversies. full story

March 13, 2009

NEWS STORY

Catholics report rise in abuse cases
By Kevin Eckstrom

WASHINGTON—U.S. Catholic leaders processed more than 800 allegations of clergy sexual abuse in 2008, a 16 percent increase from 2007. The majority of the allegations involved abuse that occurred decades ago.

A report issued Friday (March 13) by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops showed 803 allegations were filed by 706 victims last year against 518 clergy. The church also spent more than $436 million in legal settlements, attorney fees and counseling costs.

Just 13 of the 803 cases involved alleged abuse of a minor that occurred during 2008. Nearly all of the cases involved accusations of molestation that occurred decades ago. The church said 83 percent of the accused clergy were dead, defrocked or missing.full story.

In Africa, pope reaffirms ban on condoms
Pope Benedict XVI has refused to soften the Vatican's ban on condom use as he arrived in Africa for his first visit to the continent as pope. Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit harder by AIDS and HIV than any other region of the world, according to the United Nations and World Health Organization. full story

March 19, 2009

NEWS DIGEST

Pope tells Muslims that `genuine religion’ rejects violence
By Francis X. Rocca

RNS-DIGEST-MARCH19

Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of African Muslim leaders that "genuine religion" is "purified and structured by reason" and "rejects all forms of violence and totalitarianism."