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"In some aspects, the Orthodox position is similar to the Catholic: The social doctrine condemns abortion as murder and euthanasia as murder or suicide," writes Andrei Zolotov Jr. in The Moscow Times. "But watch for the details." The new social doctrine, approved by the church's Council of Bishops this week, encourages leniency for women who have had abortions, for example.

"Since God's pattern is for people to marry, if you haven't got that relationship, you're depressed," says Ellen Varughese, author of Freedom to Marry. "God said, 'It is good for man not to be alone.' And when singles go for help, people tell them to 'embrace their singleness.' What kind of help is that? Instead of helping people become 'satisfied, successful singles,' churches should develop programs for 'future-married' people. Instead, people have subscribed to the idea that God's will regarding marriage is unknowable—as if fate determines who will and who won't marry. And in Sunday school classes for older singles, it is assumed that people will never marry. Well, just because you're single doesn't mean you're called to that. God does not call people by default. And He calls very few people to be single. So, if you aren't called to be single, then you are called to be married." For a better book, which claims that most churches overemphasize marriage and family and that "God designed human beings to live in relationship with one another, but this does not mean that God's will for all is marriage," click here.

Syed Hasan Ur Zama, a Muslim, has been arrested for a series of church bombings in India. "Information gathered from the accused in the bomb blast cases … has revealed a deep-rooted conspiracy to blast places of worship to create enmity among various religious groups in the country," says a police statement. If true, it worked. Indian Christians blamed militant Hindus, not Muslims, for the bombings. (See more from Indian newspapers The Hindu, The Hindustan Times, and The Times of India.)

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and police will investigate a fire "of suspicious origin" that destroyed St. Philips Benizi Roman Catholic Church and School in Fullerton, California.

It's World Youth Day again, and this time (the 15th annual celebration) ground zero is Rome. Actually, "Youth Day" is a week of activities, characterized by the Associated Press as offering "catechisms, confessions, Masses and wandering." The Chicago Tribune says some are calling it Popestock. ABCNews notes, "The Vatican's strict dress code for visitors to St. Peter's Basilica has collapsed under the weight of 20,000 young people. … Stern Swiss Guards and ushers … stood back and gazed in amazement at the throngs of young people in hot pants, miniskirts, tube tops and other revealing clothing who had waited in line for up to two hours in the blazing heat to reach the cool sanctuary." See more from CNN, The Times, BBC, and the official Vatican site.

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August (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44