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A rib bone and a piece of cloth supposedly recovered after Joan of Arc was burned at the stake are probably not hers, according to experts trying to unravel one of the mysteries surrounding the 15th century French heroine. … A cat femur found among the remains just confuses the matter. For some, it lends weight to the notion of a hoax or a fake relic. However, other historians say cats or other animals representing the devil could have been thrown into pyres in medieval times … ."

With news coverage like this, who needs legends?

5. India's church is on fire
For those who have been reading Weblog's many links to persecution stories in India, be sure to read Julia Duin's piece in Saturday's Washington Times. Here's how it begins:

Anyone wanting a seat at the Full Gospel Assembly of God Church here must show up early Sunday morning to get past the milling crowds and beggars outside the front entrance.

Full Gospel symbolizes what is schizophrenic about Christianity in India: It is prosperous in some places and persecuted in some states. High-tech Bangalore is in Christianized southern India, which may be why Full Gospel is one of the country's fastest-growing congregations.

It is impressive even by American megachurch standards. It has 12,000 members, a dozen assistant pastors and 15 services each weekend in several languages.

It's a bit reminiscent of Tim Stafford's May 2004 Christianity Todaycover story on India — which was criticized by some Indian Christians as overemphasizing persecution in the country, and by other Indian Christians as underemphasizing the problem.

Quote of the day:
"The votes today have compromised these discussions and have created Nigerian congregations occupying Episcopal churches. This is not the future of the Episcopal Church envisioned by our forebears."

— Peter Lee, bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Virginia, quoted in The New York Times. The Episcopal Church's forebears held African slaves.

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Anglicanism:

• 7 Va. Episcopal parishes vote to sever ties | Same-sex unions, choice of gay bishop spark conservatives' break from church (The Washington Post)
  
  
• 8 Virginia flocks break away | Eight Northern Virginia churches announced yesterday they will leave the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia after their congregations voted overwhelmingly to depart because of liberal trends in the 2.2-million-member Episcopal Church (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Earlier: Diocese faces exodus of flock | The losses are unlikely to stop now. Two more Northern Virginia churches with a combined 400 members -- Church of the Epiphany in Herndon and Our Saviour Episcopal in Oatlands -- are slated to vote in early 2007. (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Episcopal parishes in Virginia vote to secede | Some clergy have criticized what they regarded as the church's leftward drift, including the consecration of an openly gay bishop (The New York Times)
  
  
• Earlier: Episcopalians are reaching point of revolt | Several American churches say they intend to form a new branch that would rival or even supplant the Episcopal Church (The New York Times)
  
  

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December (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50