VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican newspaper called the "Jesus wife" papyrus a "clumsy fake" that suits "contemporary ideology," not the historical Jesus. By Alessandro Speciale.

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) A Mormon blogger accused of apostasy for writing critical web essays about church history, temple worship and contemporary issues has been given a reprieve, for now. By Peggy Fletcher Stack.

(RNS) Mitt Romney has finally found a religious middle ground, evangelical leaders say, by sidelining Mormon theology and stressing the “Judeo-Christian values” that he shares with social conservatives. By Daniel Burke.

The guy behind that silly anti-Islam movie? Arrested. Nazis stealing ancient religious relics? Still happening. Religion scribe Bruce Nolan? He'll always be almighty to us.

LOS ANGELES (RNS) The Egyptian-American man reportedly behind the anti-Muslim video which has sparked weeks of riots was arrested and detained in Los Angeles. By David Finnigan.

(RNS) Jewish civil rights groups are concerned that a false report blaming Jews for the anti-Islam film roiling the Muslim world won't die. By Lauren Markoe. 

(RNS) Pope Benedict XVI has reportedly told the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) that they must accept the Second Vatican Council, a move that might seal the fate of years of negotiations to bring the group fully back into the Catholic fold. By Alessandro Speciale.

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) A number of Mormons are circulating a request via email that sympathetic Latter-day Saints join them in forgoing food and water on Sunday to help Mitt Romney at the Oct. 3 presidential debate. By Peggy Fletcher Stack.

BAY CITY, Mich. (RNS) A man who assaulted two men because he thought they were Muslims and was then ordered to write a report on the cultural contributions of Islam has a new assignment — to write a report on the history of Hinduism. By Cole Waterman.

Tweeting our sins. Mormons fast for Romney. Obama surges with Catholic voters. Madonna's irony. 

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The pope's former butler goes to trial on Saturday, an unprecedented test for the legal system of the world's smallest state -- and a chance to restore the Vatican's credibility. By Alessandro Speciale.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Cardinal Raymond Burke isn't shy about speaking his mind, but the former archbishop of St. Louis has quietly become an influential player in Rome since Pope Benedict XVI named him the Vatican's top legal authority. By David Gibson.

(RNS) President Obama’s support among Catholic voters has surged since June, according to a new poll, despite the Catholic bishops’ religious freedom campaign and the naming of Paul Ryan, a Catholic, as the GOP's vice-presidential nominee. By Daniel Burke. 

There's a rumor circulating the Internets about Harvard Theological Review rejecting Karen King's research paper on the "Gospel of Jesus' Wife." Not so, says Harvard Divinity School spokesman Jonathan Beasley.