Ministers sue * Ebola ban * 9/11 rebuilding: Monday’s news roundup

Ministers say they could face fines and jail for not conducting same-sex marriages. Experts say travel bans for Ebola would cut off the worst-hit countries. And the lone church destroyed on 9/11 will begin rebuilding.

Good morning. Here are 10-ish items from the weekend you should know about:

Left to right, Cardinals Timothy M. Dolan of New York, Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, arrive for the morning session of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican on Tuesday (Oct. 14). Photo by Paul Haring, courtesy of Catholic News Service

Left to right, Cardinals Timothy M. Dolan of New York, Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, and Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, arrive for the morning session of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican on Tuesday (Oct. 14). Photo by Paul Haring, courtesy of Catholic News Service

Catholic bishops celebrated the “love of a man and a woman” in a message marking the end of the global synod on the family but largely ignored hot-button issues like homosexuality and cohabitation.


Ministers who own a chapel in Idaho say they could face fines and jail for not conducting same-sex marriages. Plus, a gay rights activist is giving $150,000 to Portland-based Christian bakery owners who were fined after they declined to make a cake for a lesbian couple’s wedding.

Friends and family gathered at a small Southern Baptist church in North Carolina to remember Thomas Eric Duncan, who remembered as a big-hearted and compassionate man before he became the first victim of Ebola in the United States. The 21-day observation period for some people who were in contact with Duncan is coming to an end. “We can breathe a sigh of relief,” said Mark Wingfield, associate pastor at the church attended by Duncan’s girlfriend. “We give thanks for the passing of the quarantine period,” Wingfield told the congregation.

Texas Gov. Perry called for a travel ban due to Ebola, while experts say it would cut off the worst-hit countries.

Archbishop Demetrios of America addresses the crowd during a ceremony on Saturday (Oct. 18) that marked the beginning of rebuilding St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which was destroyed on 9/11. Religion News Service photo by Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Archbishop Demetrios of America addresses the crowd during a ceremony on Saturday (Oct. 18) that marked the beginning of rebuilding St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which was destroyed on 9/11. Religion News Service photo by Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Greek Orthodox leaders launched a rebuilding of St. Nicholas, the only church destroyed on 9/11. The church had faced obstacles with the city over the property.

Add Alaska, Arizona and Wyoming to the growing list of same-sex marriage states.

The Episcopal Church’s General Theological Seminary board offers terminated faculty employment negotiations, voting to keep the school’s controversial dean.

A Pennsylvania court upholds black street preachers’ right to protest at a mall.

Almost a year after a painting of Jesus was removed from a high school in Ohio after complaints, a sign showing the same image is on private property in view of the school. The original plan was to construct a 6-foot-tall statue of Jesus near the school entrance but it was too costly.


Amy Poehler’s next comedy apparently centers on a young, agnostic woman who inherits a church.

Actor Benedict Cumberbatch says he would fight “to the death” for gay rights, fighting against “religious fundamentalism.” Actress Glenn Close spoke about growing up in a religious cult called the Moral Re-Armament.

And just for fun, here’s a prayer sheet for Myers–Briggs personality types: “God, help me to finish everything I sta”

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