Monday’s Religion News Roundup

Pope Benedict XVI sent shock waves through the media by saying in a soon-to-be published book that condoms are morally licit in extremely limited circumstances. The Vatican quickly added that B16 said nothing “revolutionary” in his book-length interview with a German journalist and that pontiff expressed his personal opinion, not church doctrine. Still, some Catholics […]

Pope Benedict XVI sent shock waves through the media by saying in a soon-to-be published book that condoms are morally licit in extremely limited circumstances. The Vatican quickly added that B16 said nothing “revolutionary” in his book-length interview with a German journalist and that pontiff expressed his personal opinion, not church doctrine.

Still, some Catholics are taking the remarks as a sign that the Roman Catholic Church is softening its stance on condom use. On his way to Africa a year ago, you may remember, B16 blamed condoms for exacerbating the continent’s AIDS crisis. In the book, titled “Light of the World,” which will be released this week, B16 also reveals some of his personal life (watching the boobtube) and regrets (not checking out a Holocaust-denying bishop before welcoming him back to the church).


Coincidentally, a Spanish tradition has merchants selling caricatures of B16 at his most, um, cheeky (pic at left).

B16 also praised Pope Pius XII in the book, which upset (again) Jewish groups who say the WWII pontiff failed to act during the Holocaust. All of this overshadowed, at least in the media, the elevation of 24 bishops on Saturday – including two Americans – to the college of cardinals.

Gunmen shot and killed two Christian brothers Monday in Iraq in the latest in a spate of attacks targeting the religious minority, The AP reports. A Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam is innocent, a government minister said Monday, and will hopefully be freed soon. Saudi textbooks containing anti-Semitic and homophobic material are being used in British classrooms, a BBC documentary said Monday.

The Mormon church finally released its rulebook for all to see.

South Carolina religious leaders say they are too cash-strapped to heed Gov.-elect Nikki Haley’s call for faith-based organizations to fill the gaps in social services and educational programs. Some subscribers to a gospel magazine weren’t too happy when they saw Bishop Eddie Long on the cover. The embattled bishop is the board chair of magazine, Gospel Today. Yet another religious leader has been busted in an apparent Ponzi scheme.

Sarah Palin revives talk of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and finds fault in JFK’s famous religion speech, saying he “seemed to want to run away” from his faith in her latest book. Former first lady Barbara Bush said Palin looks very happy in Alaska and hopes “she’ll stay there.”

Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists sang “This Land Is Your Land” along with Woody Guthrie’s daughter at an interfaith Thanksgiving service in New York. Elvis Presley’s stepbrother is preaching the gospel equipped with the Holy Spirit and memories of the King.

The New Jersey pastor who believes Facebook leads to infidelity offered to step down after admitting that he had a three-way sexual relationship with his wife and a male church assistant 10 years ago. Florida Christians want Gov.-elect Rick Scott to unload stock that he owns with an online magazine and social networking site that has ties with Playboy. For many students, college is a time to develop spiritually, a new long-term study suggests.


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