Thursday’s round-up

So, at the risk of seeming like the only news worth mentioning is gay news … The Vatican is distancing itself from comments by a Mexican cardinal that gays won’t go to heaven; the mayor of Vallejo, Calif., seems to agree. Two days after D.C. moved to allow gay marriage, the New York state senate […]

So, at the risk of seeming like the only news worth mentioning is gay news …

The Vatican is distancing itself from comments by a Mexican cardinal that gays won’t go to heaven; the mayor of Vallejo, Calif., seems to agree. Two days after D.C. moved to allow gay marriage, the New York state senate voted down same-sex marriage, 38 to 24. And a new bill in Congress would give gay members of the military immunity from Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell when testifying on Capitol Hill.

Conservatives are busy at work rewriting the Bible to give it a more rightward slant, while Christians in Boise, Idaho, are paying drivers’ parking tickets in a tangible sign of unexpected grace. The Salvation Army says it won’t require Social Security numbers for parents who sign up for its Angle Tree gift-giveaway, and a Toledo kettle-watcher is back on the job after a self-described Christmas hater stole her pot of donations.


The White House has expanded the number of stem cell lines available for research. NPR profiles a shelter for battered Muslim women in Baltimore, and Dan Gilgoff looks at how Sarah Palin is (or isn’t) a leader of the Christian Right. The NYT digs through th e recently unsealed abuse files related to retired Cardinal Edward Egan, and descendants of Boston’s late Cardinal William O’Connell don’t want his body moved.

The Washington Times promises that despite newsroom cutbacks, it will continue to prioritize religion coverage for its “faith-based readership.” And in the category of “Oh, Sally, you shouldn’t have. Really.”, WaPo’s Sally Quinn links Jewish menstrual cycles with dinner-party seating. We’ll leave it at that.

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