David Gibson is an award-winning religion journalist, author and filmmaker. He writes for Religion News Service and until recently covered the religion beat for AOL’s Politics Daily. He blogs at Commonweal magazine, and has written two books on Catholic topics, the latest a biography of Pope Benedict XVI.
Father Fugee is out, Archbishop Myers is still in. Why is the Christian faith of Jason Collins overlooked and Tim Tebow’s overhyped? Bonus question: can you define ‘schismogenesis’? Answer below.
(RNS) Christian conservatives have grown increasingly alarmed over reports that the Pentagon has adopted new policies aimed at disciplining or even court-martialing those who share their faith. But the Department of Defense on Thursday said evangelization is still permitted.
NEW YORK (RNS) The “Nuns on the Bus” are revving up their engines for another national campaign, only this time the Catholic sisters are taking their mobile platform for social justice along the country’s Southern border to push Congress to pass immigration reform.
NEW YORK (RNS) The nation’s top Catholic bishop has said the hierarchy would benefit from hiring an “attractive, articulate, intelligent” laywoman to present their message because, as he put it, “In the public square, I hate to tell you, the days of fat, balding Irish bishops are over.”
(RNS) John Paulk, who for years was known as the poster boy for the Christian “ex-gay” movement, says he has come to terms with his sexuality and says he is “truly, truly sorry for the pain I have caused” in supporting the belief that gays can change.
NEW YORK (RNS) The story of a gay Catholic man who was relieved of all duties at his Long Island parish just got more interesting: His bishop returned a petition with 18,000 signatures with a one-line cover letter: “FROM YOUR FAITHFUL ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP.”
(RNS) Reports this week that the late John Paul II may be on the verge on canonization isn’t a huge surprise, but Pope Francis’ decision to take a second look at martyred Salvadoran archbishop Oscar Romero shows that the process of making saints is as much about politics as anything else.
The mentor-acolyte motif is being investigated as a possible factor in the Boston bombings, while other trails are also followed. Did Jesus wear Chuck Taylors? Go ahead, Royals, marry a Catholic!
(RNS) Leading U.S. Catholic bishops on Monday (April 22) denounced efforts to use the Boston Marathon bombings to derail the push for immigration reform, saying it is wrong to brand all immigrants as dangerous.
Is “eye for an eye” actually a better way to think about justice? Should the government be more active in trying to “destroy radical Islam?” The old pope gets a new portrait — what do you think?
