Monthly Archives: September 2004
NEWS STORY: Thousands of Fearful Christians Flee Iraq
By RNS Blog Editor — September 22, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service AMMAN, Jordan _ Iraqi Christians flocked to the Latin Catholic church in the Hashmi district of the Jordanian capital, a drab working-class area, where they celebrated Mass in the ancient Chaldean language. On a recent Sunday, some 200 worshippers packed the sanctuary, which is adorned with a simple wooden cross […]
COMMENTARY: The Melting Pot of South Texas
By Tom Ehrich — September 22, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service (Tom Ehrich is a writer and computer consultant, managing large-scale database implementations. An Episcopal priest, he lives in Durham, N.C. Visit his Web site at http://www.onajourney.org.) LEAVING TEXAS _ Somewhere east of Houston, wedged into a tiny regional jet, I think about Texas, the expansive and somewhat mythical Lone Star […]
NEWS STORY: France Battles Anti-Semitism With School Documentary
By RNS Blog Editor — September 21, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service PARIS _ In an effort to stem a rising tide of anti-Semitism, France’s government is distributing excerpts of a haunting documentary on the Holocaust to high school classes, hoping the gripping accounts will breed a new spirit of tolerance in public schools. DVDs extracting the documentary “Shoah,” or Holocaust, will […]
NEWS STORY: Massachusetts Catholics Use Sit-ins to Protest Parish Closings
By RNS Blog Editor — September 21, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service SUDBURY, Mass. _ In the eyes of the Archdiocese of Boston, St. Anselm Parish no longer exists. But for the dozens of members who sleep, sing and keep watch in the sanctuary, the church is very much alive, and fighting to stay that way. Equipped with tissues, air mattresses and […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — September 21, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service Tucson Diocese Declares Bankruptcy (RNS) The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, Ariz., filed for bankruptcy protection Monday (Sept. 20), making it the second diocese in U.S. history to take such a step. Like the Portland, Ore., archdiocese, which declared bankruptcy in July, the Arizona diocese sought legal protection after dealing […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — September 18, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service Funeral Planned for Anti-Apartheid Activist (RNS) An official funeral with full state recognition is planned Saturday (Sept. 18) for the white anti-apartheid activist Beyers Naude, whom former South African President Nelson Mandela called “a true son of Africa.” That the 89-year-old Naude, who died Sept. 7, would ever receive such […]
Drive Under Way to Restore Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
By RNS Blog Editor — September 18, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ Carolyn McKinstry guided a visitor through the basement of the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and pointed out some glaring cracks in the walls. “The building is a symbol and has its own voice,” McKinstry said. Right now, the voice seems to be asking for help. Church […]
COMMENTARY: New Book Blames Pope for Sex Abuse Scandal
By Frances Kennedy — September 17, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service (Eugene Cullen Kennedy, a longtime observer of the Roman Catholic Church, is professor emeritus of psychology at Loyola University in Chicago and author of “Cardinal Bernardin’s Stations of the Cross,” published by St. Martin’s Press.) (UNDATED) In the just published “Vows of Silence” (The Free Press), two of America’s most […]
NEWS FEATURE: In New Museum of the American Indian, Spirituality Is the Subtext
By Adelle M. Banks — September 17, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Just as earth tones form an underlying decorative element in the new National Museum of the American Indian, spirituality is an undercurrent within the 254,000-square-foot edifice built on the National Mall. The top level of the imposing building of light brown limestone features a permanent exhibition that highlights […]
COMMENTARY: The Recurring Relevancy of the Jewish Holy Days
By James Rudin — September 17, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service (Rabbi Rudin, the American Jewish Committee’s Senior Interreligious Adviser, is Distinguished Visiting Professor at Saint Leo University.) (UNDATED) “What have the ancient religious holidays got to do with me? It’s all kid stuff.” Every rabbi, minister or priest has heard this question or a close variation of it hundreds of […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — September 17, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service Christian Leaders Urge Caution on `Passion’ DVD Release (RNS) A group of nearly 100 Christian theologians urged caution and expressed concern about “misrepresentations” of Jews in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” as the blockbuster film was released on DVD. A statement signed by 97 theologians, pastors and other […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: Episcopalians, Anglicans Launch Diplomatic Push Before Commission Report
By Kein Eckstrom — September 17, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service FAIRFAX, Va. _ Speculation that the Episcopal Church could be suspended from the Anglican Communion for allowing an openly gay bishop has set off a flurry of cross-Atlantic diplomacy as both sides brace for a report set to be released next month. According to London newspapers, a panel headed by […]
NEWS DIGEST: Religion in Canada
By Ron Csillag — September 16, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service Studies Show Contrasting Portraits of Canada’s Religiosity OTTAWA (RNS) Two new studies show vastly divergent views of Canadians’ religious faith. A September survey published by the Centre for Research and Information on Canada shows that the nation is among the world’s most secular countries, with only 29 percent of Canadians […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — September 16, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service Southern Baptist Leader Adrian Rogers to Leave Church Post (RNS) Adrian Rogers, a prominent Southern Baptist leader and longtime local pastor, has announced plans to retire from his position at a church in the Memphis, Tenn., area. Rogers, 73, was president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1979, the year […]
NEWS STORY: Powell Adds Saudi Arabia to Religious Freedom Watchlist
By Kein Eckstrom — September 16, 2004
c. 2004 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ The U.S. State Department on Wednesday (Sept. 15) for the first time included Saudi Arabia on a list of eight “countries of particular concern” for not allowing religious freedom, a potential stumbling block for relations between the United States and its Persian Gulf ally. The department’s sixth annual […]
