Friday’s Religion News Roundup: Romney’s D.C. church, Indiana Jones 2.0 and farewell to almighty Bruce

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.

The Egyptian-American man behind that absurd anti-Muslim film that sparked riots across the world has been arrested on a parole violation.

Following the flap over those anti-Islam ads on NYC subways, transit officials adopted new rules that, the words of the NYT, “would imminently incite or provoke violence or other immediate breach of the peace.” 

Christian activists are descending on Philly this weekend to rail against “moral depravity” at the “America for Jesus 2012” rally.


WaPo's Michelle Boorstein has a great profile of the D.C. Mormon church that would be Mitt Romney's church if he becomes president — and one that is strangely populated by lots of Democrats.

More Romney: some sympathetic Mormons are fasting this weekend to help Romney at next week's presidential debate.

NPR examines the Catholic bishops' increasingly vocal opposition to gay marriage.

Remember the Illinois Catholic priest who was fired for playing with the prayers at Mass? His suspension was overturned by the Vatican on a technicality, altho the Vatican said his bishop was correct in kicking him out.

B16 told the breakaway SSPX movement that they must accept the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in total if they want to be readmitted to the church; our own Alessandro Speciale says that may be enough to kill the pope's years-long reconciliation attempts.

David Gibson has a must-read profile of conservative American Cardinal Raymond Burke, who is increasingly pulling strings from his lofty perch inside the Vatican.

The Vatican newspaper is throwing cold water on that whole Jesus' wife thing, calling it fraudulent.


Speaking of the Vatican, all eyes are on a small wood-paneled courtroom where the pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, faces trial on Saturday for stealing the pope's private papers.

Is it me, or does this sound like something out of Indiana Jones? Turns out a Buddha statue lifted from Tibet by the Nazis during the 1930s was carved out of a meteorite.

After a Cologne court ruled against circumcisions, German officials are drafting a law to protect the rite for religious minorities.

And it's a bittersweet so long — but not goodbye — to the uber-talented Bruce Nolan, the almighty religion scribe for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, who leaves the beat (and the paper) today. Of course, Bruce Nolan was also the name of the Jim Carey's character in “Bruce Almighty,” but the Almighty was a bigger fan of the real Bruce Nolan.

From his Facebook page:

Across the years, reporters, editors and photographers worked because they were curious and passionate. They cultivated cynicism but still retained the right to stay permanently offended at the dismal performances of the people they covered, people with public obligations. And they cherished the license to ask questions and bear witness.

We can't all be as talented as Bruce Nolan, but we can all receive the RNS Religion News Roundup for free in our inbox each day. You can sign up here:


 

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