Catholic Bishops from the Middle East summoned to Rome by Pope Benedict XVI demanded that Israel end its “occupation” of Arab lands. Benedict called on Islamic countries in the Middle East to guarantee freedom of worship to non-Muslims. Israel said the meeting was hijacked by enemies of the Jewish state.

Some senior Israeli officials question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s requirement that any agreement with Palestinians must be preceded by their acknowledgement that Israel is a Jewish state, the NYT reports. Islamist movements have totally replaced political ones in the Middle East, reports the NYT.

A American-born spokesman for al-Qaida urged Muslims living in the United States and Europe to carry out attacks there, calling it a duty and an obligation, according to the AP, and YouTube is defending policies that allow people like Anwar al-Awlaki to post videos.

Anti-Islam “experts” in the U.S. rake in millions each year through their non-profit foundations, raising questions about their tax exemptions, according to an investigative report by The Tennessean.

Nearly 10,000 pages of previously sealed Catholic church documents show that the Diocese of San Diego long knew about abusive priests, some of whom were shuffled from parish to parish despite credible complaints against them, the AP reports. Italian prosecutors say the Vatican’s bank has been laundering money.

The Mormon church is not safe for gay people, gay activists say. Utah needs more liquor licenses, according to a legislative audit.

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court dismissed a suit brought by the Catholic League against the San Francisco Board of Supervisors over a 2006 declaration by the board that criticized the local archdiocese for refusing place foster children with gay parents. A new breed of conservative Catholic bloggers are bent on policing the church, according to the AP. “We’re no more engaged in a witch hunt than a doctor excising a cancer is engaged in a witch hunt,” said Michael Voris of RealCatholicTV.com and St. Michael’s Media (pic, w/sword, at top left).

Crystal Cathedral founder Rev. Robert H. Schuller pleaded with parishioners for money for his bankrupt church on Sunday.

A bomb exploded at the gate of a famous Sufi shrine in central Pakistan during morning prayers Monday, killing at least five people. China clamped down on Tibetan students who are protesting the communist government’s imposition of Chinese as the primary language of instruction. Iran imposed new restrictions on university social sciences such as women’s and human rights, which they deem incompatible with Islam. A court in India ruled that women in priestly families have an equal right to share in the offerings collected during festivals.

Tony Blair’s sister-in-law has converted to Islam. The pope is praying for officials in Naples, Italy, to pick up 2,400 tons of trash left in the streets. Florida pastor Terry Jones picked up his prize for not burning Qurans from a New Jersey car salesman. A Dutch court ordered a retrial for anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, who is accused of hate speech.