Pope Face Off * Women Bishops * Monitored Muslims : Thursday’s Roundup

It'll be Pope Francis v. Benedict XVI on Sunday. The archbishop of Canterbury plans to push through women bishops legislation. And a report suggests the NSA monitored prominent American Muslims.

Archbishop Justin Welby with Archbishop Eliud Wabukala during Welby's recent visit to Nairobi. RNS photo by Fredrick Nzwili

#TBT (i.e. Throw Back Thursday): Remember last week when the Supreme Court decided on Hobby Lobby? ICYMI, here were five takeaways. Meanwhile, here’s what’s happening this week:

Archbishop Justin Welby with Archbishop Eliud Wabukala during Welby's recent visit to Nairobi. RNS photo by Fredrick Nzwili

Archbishop Justin Welby with Archbishop Eliud Wabukala during Welby’s recent visit to Nairobi. Welby is planning to push through legislation on women bishops. RNS photo by Fredrick Nzwili

Argentina v. Germany, or Pope Francis v. Benedict XVI. It’s happening, folks, Sunday at 3 p.m. EST.


The Church of England is preparing to push women bishops legislation. The archbishop of Canterbury plans to force legislation through if the General Synod does not accept female bishops.

The NSA and FBI monitored e-mails of prominent Muslims. A report suggests they targeted five Muslim Americans under procedures meant to target foreign terrorists and spies.

A city in New Hampshire hopes to greet a Christian women sentenced to death for her faith. Mariam Yehya Ibrahim (whose name is spelled different ways) made global headlines after a court in Sudan sentenced her to death because of her faith.

Activists are trolling Hobby Lobby, rearranging in-store displays to spell “pro-choice.” They also went to the store armed with a bag of condoms to distribute them to female employees. Also, two U.S. senators introduced legislation Wednesday to undo the landmark Hobby Lobby ruling.

Some are finding alternatives to circumcision. New rituals create ways to symbolically acknowledge Jews’ covenant with God without actually circumcising infants.

A futuristic church with 12-lane bowling alley and an observation tower opens its doors in Alabama. Apparently it looks a little bit like a futuristic alien colony, with its seven giant domes.


Woman receives death threats for controversial photo. A military wife from West Virginia posted a picture on social media last week in front of an American flag with a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other.

How one woman went from Amish, to cake decorator, to champion semi driver. Seriously, check out this story about a 49-year-old woman from Indiana who took a definite U-turn in life.

New at RNS:

Pope Francis met with American televangelists. The first-ever ‘papal high-five’ followed.

Gay rights groups pulled their support of ENDA. They cite an exemption for religious groups.

One of the Mormon Church’s scriptures may not be a literal translation. A new essays says the church’s Book of Abraham is inspired scripture but perhaps not a word-for-word translation by founder Joseph Smith.

Pope Francis’ promised reforms of the Vatican bureaucracy are starting to take shape. New leaders have been appointed to oversee the Vatican bank and there are plans to overhaul the Catholic Church’s approach to global communications.

The Leonine Forum in DC seeks to shape the future Catholic elite in America. Many of the group’s members are in their 20s, eager for a more intellectual grounding in their faith’s teachings.

George Clooney is refuting a story that said his future mother-in-law is against his impending marriage for religious reasons. His fiancee international human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin is part of the Druze religion. The Daily Mail has apologized and taken the story down.


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