The Episcopal bishop of Philadelphia has been reinstated by a church court two years after he was ousted for “conduct unbecoming” because he failed to report his brother (also a priest) to authorities on abuse. The appeals court essentially said the statute of limitations had expired on the case, which occurred some 35 years ago.
A Kansas City church works out the kinks of ministering to sex offenders. Scientologists scored a significant legal victory when a Florida judge dismissed two lawsuits that accused the church of various nefarious activity; the court said the church, like all others, was protected from court intervention by a “ministerial exception.”
Lawyers for Shalom Rubashkin, the kosher slaughterhouse boss who was sentenced to 27 years in the clink on fraud charges, want a new trial because they said the judge in the case had earlier met with prosecutors, but failed to disclose that at trial. Some Arizona churches are worried that church vans could be targeted under a section in the state’s hot new immigration law that makes it illegal to transport undocumented immigrants.
The gay marriage crowd picked up a symbolic victory as Mexico’s Supreme Court upheld the Mexico City policy that allows same-sex marriage; the court is still weighing the scope of it’s 8-2 ruling. Gay groups (and their opponents) both hope to claim the momentum after Wednesday’s Prop 8 ruling.. The judge at the center of the Prop 8 ruling comes under fire because he’s reported to be gay, and Christian conservative legal groups are in a turf battle over who dropped the ball in the defense of Prop 8.
Avowed atheist Christopher Hitchens talks to CNN’s Anderson Cooper about his recent cancer diagnosis, and what he makes of the prayers (for good or ill) of his fans and critics. He starts talking about prayer around the 3:00 mark:
Elena Kagan is now Justice Elena Kagan after the Senate’s 63-37 confirmation vote Thursday; she becomes the 4th woman justice in the court’s history, the third woman and the third Jew on the current court (there are six Catholics). A Southern Baptist minister in Georgia who’s run billboards featuring President Obama alongside a hammer and sickle is in a run-off for a congressional seat.
Republican senatorial candidate Sharron Angle goes public with her views on gays and clergy; not surprising: clergy should be able to endorse political candidates from the pulpit, and gays should not be able to adopt children. A biography of Mormon president Thomas S. Monson is set to come out in September. America’s first test-tube baby (and a Boston Globe reporter) gives birth to her first child.
Jewish activists voiced their support for the Islamic center near Ground Zero, going against the previous statement by the Jewish civil rights group ADL. American University’s Akbar Ahmed says Muslims ought to think twice about the so-called Ground Zero mosque because it’s like “pouring salt into the wounds” of Americans still reeling from 9/11. A poll says New Yorkers oppose the project, 61-26 percent.
Some Jews in France want to reclaim their Jewish surnames that were switched to something that sounded “more French.” The State Department says al-Qaida remains the biggest terror threat facing the U.S., and voiced concerns about its ability to attract radicalized Americans. More than 1,000 Muslims youths are expected for an anti-terror camp in Britain.
Egypt is cracking down on the ritual call to prayer in Cairo, mandating that registered mosque all use one call that will be broadcast from a downtown studio; NPR says critics say the current “uncoordinated delivery lacks dignity.” Indonesian Muslims who pay about $3,300 to get on a six-year government waiting list to make the Hajj to Mecca say much of that money is used for bribes and corruption.
