Did 9/11 Really Change American Religion?

Stop the presses!

Usually Weblog uses this space to comment on the day’s top stories. Not today. It seems like every publication around the world is running a religion story of some sort, so Weblog spent all morning just finding the links below. Don’t get lost—there’s some very interesting and important stories in here. Comments and coverage roundups will return Monday.

September 11:

Four lives: Their faith and fears | By day, they have been leaders and heroes. By night, they have fought anxiety and an incalculable sense of loss. This is the story of how a widow, a general, a key Bush adviser and Pakistan’s president braved the fires of September 11 (Newsweek)
9/11 lessons not easily taught in classrooms | As educators struggle to find just the right tone and perspective to discuss one of the most traumatic events on American soil, some fret about the rancorous tenor of the debate over what to teach (The Hartford Courant)
‘Let’s roll,’ he said. And so she has | Hero’s wife makes his words resound (The Washington Post)
Lisa Beamer may some day forgive 9/11 hijackers | But not now (Reuters)
Earlier: Widow’s book sheds more light on last moments of Flight 93 on Sept. 11 (Associated Press)
She doesn’t want to share her grief with a nation | Meet Sue Mladenik, the anti-Lisa Beamer (The Christian Science Monitor)
Life in the new normal | Lee Jenkins preached you could be rich in life and rich in the kingdom of God at the same time. But 9/11 changed that, as it has changed so much (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
The unbelievers | The Swiss. The CIA. Israelis. Big Oil. The Antichrist, even. With Sept. 11, the politically paranoid hit the jackpot. But many of their conspiracy theories are chilling, even dangerous, and they’re catching on fast (The Ottawa Citizen, Toronto)
Spiritual leaders are still wrestling with 9/11 questions | Some find solace in Flight 93 heroes (The Boston Globe)
Church creates a memorial for its two Sept. 11 victims | Outdoor sanctuary helps parishioners reflect and grieve for lost neighbors (The Boston Globe)
A day of sacred places | New York will mourn with bells, prayers, candles, chants and “interfaith” services (Elizabeth Crowley, The Wall Street Journal)
A heart, a cross, a flag | What arose from the ashes (Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal)
One year later: A more serious USA | What’s changed since Sept. 11, besides the infamous meaning we now hear in that number? (Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune)
St. Sabina puts faith in Sears Tower Sky Deck on 9/11 | The parish has reserved space to pray, sing and read Scripture (Cathleen Falsani, Chicago Sun-Times)
Two studies raise doubts on trauma counseling’s value | Analyses: Debriefings don’t help, and may harm, mental health (The Washington Post)

Proposed attack on Iraq:

Iraq crisis divides religious leaders| Some religious leaders believe that as a nation, we cannot set out to be “the world’s policemen”. (BBC)
Church leaders speak against ‘wicked’ war | Britain’s two most senior churchmen have launched separate impassioned initiatives aimed at preventing war against Iraq. (The Times, London)
A Puritan on the warpath | The biblical zeal with which the US President is waging a moral crusade against Saddam Hussein owes much to the dissenting protestantism of America’s original settlers (Tristram Hunt, The Observer, London)
Church of Scotland warns against Iraq war | The Moderator of the Church of Scotland’s general assembly has urged Tony Blair to try and prevent war against Iraq (BBC)
The standards by which war with Iraq must be judged | A conflict on the current evidence and terms would be difficult to support (Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, The Times, London)
Can U.S. neo-imperialist march be stopped? | To broaden their base in American opinion, the pro-Israeli activists have gained valuable allies in the fundamentalist Christian evangelical movement, which has swept America in recent years, and which is inherently favorable to Israel and hostile to Islam (Patrick Seale, The Daily Star, Lebanon)
War is not inevitable, says archbishop | Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Wales, expressed hope that the West’s confrontation with Iraq could be solved without war. (The Times, London)
Jumblatt warns Christians not to be US-Israeli dupes | Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt claimed Thursday that some Christian leaders were being “manipulated” by the United States and Israel. (The Daily Star, Lebanon)

Church and state:

Congressional chaplains | Michael Newdow says it is unconstitutional for taxpayer-funded chaplains to pray in Congress and minister to lawmakers (All Things Considered, NPR, audio)
Also: Lawmakers assail lawsuit targeting their chaplains (The Washington Times)
“In God We Trust” greets students at schools | The law — passed by the General Assembly earlier this year, signed in May by Gov. Mark R. Warner and in effect since July 1 — commands public school divisions to “prominently post” the motto “in a conspicuous place in each of their schools for all students to read.” (The Virginian-Pilot)
Church free to maintain crosses | Newport City Hall has backed off its demand that Trinity Baptist Church take down three crosses that the congregation erected last Easter season (The Cincinnati Post)
State attorney general: Flagpole prayers protected by First Amendment | Bill Pryor says he sent memo to Alabama’s school superintendents to avoid any confusion over rights of students to hold upcoming prayer meetings (Associated Press)
Roadside crosses: Centuries-old tradition can stir controversy | One such memorial is the focus of a court battle in Colorado. And officials across the country are finding different ways to handle the markers (Arizona Daily Star)
Honolulu Police Department removes religious content from its website | Site had biblical passage and links to a police officer’s poems (The Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

Politics and law:

Unholy ghost | Out of Congress’ sight, Bush trying to push faith-based initiatives (Editorial, Times Record News, Wichita Falls, Texas)
Also: Money to religious charities studied | Agencies are writing rules on their own, without waiting for Congress (Associated Press)
The private faith of a public man | How religion shapes this presidency (The Christian Science Monitor)
Earlier: Bush’s Defining Moment | The President, facing a grief-stricken nation under attack, finds his voice and his mission (Christianity Today, Nov. 12, 2001)
Democrats reject Bush pick in battle over court balance | Republicans complained that Justice Priscilla Owen’s opponents had greatly distorted her record and that she had been victimized by zealous abortion rights advocates (The New York Times)
Also: Texas judge rejected for the federal bench | Democrats also accused Justice Owen of being a judicial activist who crafted laws from the bench dealing with parental notification laws for abortion (The Washington Times)
Settlement lowered in lawsuit on agency | Vickie Allen-Curry was awarded $500,000 after she said she was forced to take part in prayers during staff meetings (The Huntsville [Tex.] Item)

Crime and violence:

Hopes for peace fade in Sudan | Negotiations fail (The Washington Times)
Four VHP men arrested for attacking Christians in Orissa village (Rediff.com)
Keeping the faith, forcefully | Georgian Orthodox worshippers are accused of violent attacks on members of other religious groups that have emerged since the collapse of the Soviet system (The Baltimore Sun)
Troy declares himself competent | Despite findings of defense doctors to the contrary, man claims he can stand trial for allegedly shooting and killing a priest and a parishioner in a Lynbrook church in March. (Newsday)
‘I feel no hatred’ – priest | An Anglican priest testified on Thursday that he harbored no feelings of hatred or revenge towards the two men who murdered his son during a robbery. (News 24, South Africa)
Priest to be sentenced in insurance fraud | He pleaded guilty Thursday over his role in an international insurance scam orchestrated by disgraced financier Martin Frankel. (Associated Press)
Also: Pair accused of targeting blacks in investment fraud | A civil lawsuit filed Thursday by federal securities regulators accuses two people of defrauding at least 1,000 investors out of more than $1.3 million with a supposed plan to buy stock in black-run companies before they went public. (Associated Press)
Churchman decapitated | Official has been decapitated in the Solomon Islands in a week of worsening violence in the troubled South Pacific state that has left five dead and 11 injured. (The Australian)
Woman and child beaten after prayer meeting | The pair were in a critical condition in hospital after suffering serious head injuries after woman’s partner beat them. (The New Zealand Herald)
Prison rape — it’s no joke | It has terrible consequences, not just for the inmates who are brutalized, but for our communities as well (Pat Nolan, The Washington Times)
Earlier: Prison rape is no joke | As 7-Up pulls offensive advertisement, evangelicals continue to combat prisoner rap (Christianity Today, July 9, 2002)

Lebanese Christian station closed:

Lebanese media fight TV station closure | Angry reactions meet court order to close the main voice of the anti-Syrian Christian opposition. (BBC)
TV station raided, closed in Beirut | Court says coverage of vote on Syria’s role violated laws. (The Boston Globe)
Also: Prime minister says religious media not under fire (Daily Star, Lebanon)
Also: Lebanon Closes Christian TV Station (VOA)
Also: Lebanese TV station closed down (BBC)

Life ethics:

Clinic records fight divides Iowa town | Planned Parenthood’s refusal to turn over records has stirred debate around the country and divided this farm town of about 10,000 (Associated Press)
Anti-abortion activist arrested | Bill Whatcott allegedly crossed U.S.-Canada border illegally (Canadian Press)
24 percent of Church of England clergy back euthanasia | The findings provoked surprise as the Church has consistently opposed the practice (The Daily Telegraph, London)

Lottery:

Baptists start long haul in lottery war | Nearly 3.3 million pieces of anti-lottery material will be delivered (The Commercial Appeal, Memphis)
Lottery opposition building here | Opposition to the proposed state lottery may be the issue which brings Christians out of the woodwork and marching into the public arena, say church leaders (The Daily Herald, Columbia, S.C.)

Education:

Some parents question new yoga program in classroom | Twelve classes of children, totaling 220 students in grades one through four, were scheduled to begin a children’s yoga program in early September (The Aspen [Colo.] Times)
Also: School yoga program sparks fiery debate (Aspen Daily News)
Also: Patience stretched during yoga debate | Religion or exercise? Proposal for school leads to division (The Rocky Mountain News, Denver)
Author says he welcomed controversy | The religion professor who spent 15 years writing Approaching the Qur’án, told a UNC-Chapel Hill audience Thursday he never expected a national uproar about his book. (TheNews and Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
Also: Summer reading author defends work, UNC’s decision (The Daily Tarheel, UNC)
Cardinal in holy war over schools | Edward Cardinal Egan has charged that New York politicians are violating poor parents’ “fundamental” rights by denying them the option to send their kids to parochial schools – instead forcing them into oft-failing public schools (New York Post)
Brains and backbone | Some colleges say religious attendance helps develop the whole person (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
N.Y. bishops and the Blaine truth | New York City’s Catholic bishops have issued a call for vouchers in their new pastoral letter on parental choice in education, the battle is joined once more in our nation’s never-ending voucher war. (Daniel Mcgroarty, NY Post)
New Mexico attorney general would fight school vouchers | Patricia Madrid said that if re-elected she would fight school vouchers because she believes they would violate several provisions of New Mexico’s constitution (Albuquerque Journal)

David Benke:

Expelled Lutheran minister gets public support | The “It’s OK to Pray” theme, being pushed by Mr. Benke’s supporters in the 2.6 million-member conservative denomination, comes as a church review board considers his appeal that he did not commit “syncretism” or “unionism” — forms of heresy by mixing with other faiths or non-Lutherans — by his public prayer (The Washington Times)
Interfaith observances prompt tensions | LCMS still struggles with services (Religion News Service)

Theology:

We need true tolerance, but our thinking about it is skewed | Theologian believes thinking is “clouded” by two major misunderstandings (A.J. Conyers, The Dallas Morning News)
Bad times are good times for end-timers | Perhaps as we move toward the anniversary of 9-11 we should assume the stance of the prophetic forerunners of end-time apocalyptic writing and engage our problems with the conviction that what we do or don’t do can make a difference (Leo Sandon, Tallahassee [Fla.] Democrat)

Sex and marriage:

Teens saying no to sex for the health of it | Abstinence classes ignore morality, focus on hazards (Houston Chronicle)
Some fear sex education curriculum could come under fire | Christians questioned in school board race (Naples [Fla.] Daily News)
Study finds ‘a parent’ link between teen sex and upbringing | Teens are more likely to engage in underage sex if their parents smoke, booze or don’t wear seat belts, a new study says (New York Post)
Groups seek abstinence-only curbs | Twenty groups who support sex education are urging members of Congress to spend no new money on abstinence-only programs when legislative business resumes this week (The Washington Times)

Homosexuality:

Rights-repeal leader: Gays can be healed | Nathaniel Wilcox, a black minister, has moved to the forefront of the campaign to overturn the 1998 amendment to the county’s human rights ordinance that prohibits job and housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (The Miami Herald)
Also: Miami facing new challenge on gay rights | Sharply divided Miami voters will face the issue of overturning the city’s gay rights ordinance on Tuesday (The New York Times)
Also: Gay rights repeal effort is likely to fail, poll shows | 54 percent of likely voters oppose the effort to repeal the county’s gay rights amendment, compared to 34 percent favoring it (The Miami Herald)
Also: Six say petition signatures were forged | Names found multiple times on Take Back Dade initiative (The Miami Herald)
Same-sex blessing “outside scripture,” says African cleric visiting B.C. | The blessing of same-sex unions is considered a “schismatic” issue by the international Anglican community, says Archbishop Bernard Malango of Zambia (Canadian Press)
Views on gays at issue in 11th | Runoff candidate claims opponent is too supportive (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
United Way alters gift policy | Donors can now exclude an agency from being helped by their gifts, in response to Big Brothers’ new policy requiring local chapters to allow homosexual mentors. (The Wichita Eagle)
Two thirds of Anglican clergy oppose ordaining homosexuals | Nearly two thirds of clergy in the Church of England oppose the ordination of practicing homosexuals to the priesthood, according to research published yesterday. (The Times, London)
‘Gay marriage’ register signs up 300 | Thursday marks the first anniversary of London’s Partnership Register which gives formal recognition to both gay and heterosexual partnerships where one partner lives in London (BBC)
That was then: Alex and Ian | An interview with one of London’s first officially recognized gay couples (BBC)

Church controversies:

Church council plan settles riff | The World Council of Churches accepted a plan to ease differences over forms of worship and inclusion of women that had threatened to split Western Protestant and Eastern Orthodox Christians (Associated Press)
Defrocked, priest gets support from England | David Moyer has been removed from ministry in the Episcopal church (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Also: Episcopal priest defies ouster | The Rev. David Moyer says that the church has become too liberal on issues such as the ordination of women and recognition of same-sex unions. (Associated Press)
Earlier: Episcopal priest keeps vigil on removal; it may come today | The Rev. David Moyer spent much of yesterday in his oak-paneled Rosemont office, wondering whether his bishop would defrock him today for “abandoning the communion” of the Episcopal Church (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Also: Episcopal controversy muted in area | The action against the Rev. David Moyer — called deposition by the Episcopal church — caused a wave of dissension in Pennsylvania, but only a ripple of concern in Southwest Florida (The News-Press, Fort Myers, Fla.)
Lutheran opponents of ordination of women want their own diocese | Church not expected to support idea (Helsingin Sanomat, Helsinki, Finland)
An unorthodox tangle | The election of Irineos as Greek Orthodox Patriarch was welcomed last year by all except the Israeli government, which withheld its approval. Now, his Arab supporters have deserted him over an alleged land deal with Israel (Ha’aretz, Israel)
Black Baptists reduce chief’s power | National Baptist Convention says changes are unrelated to Lyons scandal (Associated Press)
Kisses, threats and rows: vicar has his day in court | In a tale of rural strife, priest accused of sexual harassment, bullying and fraud asks archbishop to reinstate him (The Guardian, London)
Women take a stand at Baptist gathering | A circle of black clergywomen is protesting the widespread resistance by the male-dominated National Baptist Convention USA pastorate to allowing women as peers in the pulpit (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Church life:

A radical rebirth | Restoring Baltimore’s Basilica of the Assumption to its architect’s original vision means eliminating significant parts of its history — and re-creating others (The Baltimore Sun)
Clergy members’ egos can undermine faith | The abuse and misuse of sacred trust have greatly undermined faith in religion today (Gerald L. Zelizer, USA Today)
Church resubmits its plan to expand | May drop lawsuit in zoning dispute (The Boston Globe)
Brazil picture-postcard church destroyed by fire | Cause unknown. (Reuters)
Arrest for church graffiti | A Queens man has been charged with spray-painting anti-Catholic slurs on a Bayside church, police said yesterday. (NY Daily News)
To worship, not cower | One hopes that no place of worship will need assistance from law enforcement (Editorial, The Palm Beach [Fla.] Post)

Missions and ministry:

Saddling up for the Lord | Cyclists cross continent for church charity (The Record, Stockton, Calif.)
Free-radio Haiti: Taking Christianity to a Voodoo culture | Four students and three adults go on short-term missions trip (Cottonwood County Citizen, Windom, Minn.)
Christian groups help North Korean asylum seekers | An interview with Douglas Shin, head of Exodus 21 (All Things Considered, NPR, audio)
Now playing: God | Church in theater at mall will feature band, film clips. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Trinity students do unto others | Senior sees need, fills niche at school. (TheNews and Observer)
Promise Keepers: Numbers down, but don’t count them out | Smaller, church-based men’s ministries seem to be filling the void that Promise Keepers meetings used to fill (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Pastor not a door-to-door salesman | Every Tuesday and Saturday night Terri Howard and his family shuffle out into the streets of Oxford on a mission—to share the love of God with anyone who will open their front door (The Oxford [Penn.] Tribune)

Franklin Graham:

Franklin Graham focusing on AIDS | Reach out to ill, evangelist urges (Religion News Service)
Younger Graham diverges from father’s image | Ministry’s patriarch accepted Islam, but his son condemns the religion (The Washington Post)
Franklin Graham to lead 3-day evangelical service | A similar festival in Spokane, Wash., last month drew 80,000 participants, organizers said (The Roanoke [Va.] Times)

Archaeology and history:

Satellite search underway for Noah’s ark | A puzzling mountain-side object in Turkey is the target of a hide-and-seek game of biblical proportions (Space.com)
Earlier: Bird Searches for Ark | World’s highest-resolution commercial imaging satellite will investigate the “Ararat Anomaly.” (Christianity Today, Dec. 10, 2001)
Researchers find church in Jordan | “A big mosaic floor, an altar and pillars … built between 400 and 600 A.D. have recently been unearthed,” says archaeologist Hamad Qatameen (Associated Press)
In the footsteps of St. Paul | BBC Radio follows the apostle’s life (BBC)

Sports:

What a soccer team can teach the church about faith | Why is it that a football club can produce an extraordinary response to institutional meltdown but a church cannot? (Chris McGillion, The Sydney Morning Herald)
Bible study drives some pro golfers | Players seek divine inspiration on course (The Toronto Star)
Australian soccer star: don’t call me God | “It is quite inappropriate to refer to me, a mere man, as God. It is also disrespectful and dishonoring to God,” says Gary Ablett, who now works at a Christian radio station (News.com.au, Australia)

Music:

‘Let’s Roll’ compilation benefits Beamer foundation | Let’s Roll: Together in Unity, Faith and Hope is due Tuesday. (Billboard)
The faith factor | In Christian music, sales are up—and so is the confusion. Whose music is it anyway? (Chicago Tribune)
Heaven can wait | Success won’t turn the Blind Boys of Alabama from their chosen gospel path (The Times, London)
Drummer beat his way back from hell | Kevin Hicks experienced healing after visiting Church of the Holy Sepculchre (Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist, Victoria, Canada)
P.O.D. help Blindside see the limelight | Swedish group championed by Sonny Sandoval looks to break out (MTV News)
Gospel duo Mary Mary wins both gospel and R&B fans with contemporary sound | Sisters Tina and Erica Campbell, better known as the gospel act Mary Mary, admit you won’t find them in church every Sunday. (Associated Press)
Friendship shapes Jars of Clay | From their first single, the mid-’90s crossover hit “Flood,” to their recent self-produced release The Eleventh Hour, the band has never seemed content fitting into preconceived notions of what a contemporary Christian rock band should do or be (The Orlando Sentinel)

Books:

A don devoted to God | C.S. Lewis bio “The Magic Never Ends” is first-rate (Kay Gardella, New York Daily News)
Pastor has faith in Tony Soprano | Chris Seay’s The Gospel According to Tony Soprano is now on sale (New York Daily News)
Also: ‘Sopranos’ about family values, really | The author of The Gospel According to the Simpsons on The Gospel According to Tony Soprano (The Baltimore Sun)
Sept. 11 books hit bookstores | Many are religious (Associated Press)
Sacred mysteries | Thomas Aquinas is a surprisingly sympathetic writer for many Anglicans (Christopher Howse, The Daily Telegraph, London)
Intolerance: The bestseller | Contempt for Judaism isn’t the Left Behind series only disturbing message (Gershom Gorenberg, The American Prospect)

Film:

Bad movie hurts Jedi down under | Disillusionment isn’t only for the mainstream religions (Wired News)
Earlier: Jedi Order lures 53,000 disciples in New Zealand | Unofficially, the country has more Jedi Knights than Buddhist, Baptists, Mormons, Hindu and Ratana Christians (The New Zealand Herald)
Will Smith Wanted for Emperor of Ocean Park (ComingSoon.com)

Technology:

Scanned ‘txt msg’ Bible, saw that it was not good | But reading the “txt msg” version is like ordering a chocolate mousse and being handed a capsule that contains all the ingredients distilled and compressed down to the size of a marble (David Hinckley, New York Daily News)
‘E-prayers’ from around world flood into chapel | More than 280 e-mails with prayer requests were received within the first 12 hours of going live (The Scotsman)
Dutch Catholic church offers religious ringtones (Ananova)

Other religions :

Ky. prison suspends satanic services | The state Department of Corrections suspended formal satanic services by inmates at one Kentucky prison yesterday until officials can research and develop a statewide policy (Lexington [Ky.] Herald-Leader)
Also: Prison suspends satanic services (Associated Press)
Parents ask school to quash student’s suspension for wearing Wiccan symbol (San Antonio Express-News)
Also: Student fights to wear Wiccan necklace | School officials let her come back Wednesday only after she agreed to hide the pentacle, a five-pointed star inside a circle. (The Houston Chronicle)
Also: Wiccan fighting dress code | Waxahachie officials say teen’s pentacle necklace could be disruptive (The Dallas Morning News)
India’s National Commission for Minorities proposes a Sikh-Christian meeting after conversion reports (PTI)
Western and Islamic worlds closer than you think | New study finds common ground in public opinion on attitudes to democracy, political and religious leadership, and gender and sexuality (Rami Khouri, The Globe and Mail, Toronto)
Deceived by the ugly face of Islam | For obvious reasons, the international spotlight is trained on Islam, and much of what we see is ugly. (Lucy Clark, The Daily Telegraph, Australia)
No, Not That Billy Graham | The Islam expert selected to head Harvard Divinity School (Brendan Miniter, The Wall Street Journal)
Growing diversity brings schools to plan for non-Christian holidays | There will be no football game tonight at Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth. The team played Thursday out of respect for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year (Ft. Worth [Tex.] Star-Telegram)

Religion in society:

Putting a leash on dogma | When it comes to contemporary political debate we must avoid asserting moral beliefs as moral truths (Catharine Lumby, The Bulletin, Australia)
It’s the right thing to do | While we might disagree with someone’s religious views, we should not oppose them (Phil Dodson, The Macon [Ga.] Telegraph)
Religion isn’t nice | It kills. So that’s that: no secular thinkers on Thought for the Day. Another bowlful of mental custard, anyone? (Polly Toynbee,The Guardian, London)

Catholicism:

Church in crisis as seminary shuts down | As an endangered species, Catholic bishops may need a rethink on celibacy (Nicola Byrne, The Observer, London)
Kentucky church gets higher status | Vatican names St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral a minor basilica (Associated Press)
Black Catholics gather in Chicago | They say church continues to dismiss their concerns (Associated Press)
Pope Warns of ‘Signs of Deviation’ | The pope told visiting Brazilian bishops it would be regrettable if “immature young men, or those with obvious signs of deviations, were ordained, which, as it is sadly known, can cause serious anomalies in the consciences of the faithful, producing clear damage to the whole Church” (Associated Press)
Bishops air concerns at conference | Slam EU, U.N. for lobbying against beliefs (Associated Press)

Sex abuse charges:

No Geoghan pact yet, lawyer says | Not even tentative yet (The Boston Globe)
Ending legal secrecy | One of the most troubling, and least scrutinized, aspects of the child sexual abuse scandal now roiling the Roman Catholic Church is the enabling role played by the court system (Editorial, The New York Times)
In Law’s corner | Defending the Cardinal, a leading lawyer must roll with the punches (The Boston Globe)
Diocese, ex-priest hurl accusations | The Diocese of Peoria and a former priest have accused each other of lying in statements to the media regarding a defamation lawsuit the priest filed after he was accused of sexually abusing girls. (Associated Press)
Legal problems plague Pell sex abuse inquiry | Legal representation for both sides in the inquiry into sexual abuse allegations against Sydney’s Catholic Archbishop George Pell will today hold talks to reconsider their involvement. (ABC, Australia)
Also: Church under fire for denying Pell accuser legal funding | A Catholic church inquiry into sexual abuse allegations against Sydney Archbishop George Pell is under criticism for not treating the accuser fairly (ABC News, Australia)
Voice of the Faithful is not the church | The scandals in the Catholic Church have created a free-for-all for those who wish to vent against the church. (John Mallon, The Boston Globe)
Catholics say diocese policy assumes guilt | Many Catholics fear that a proposed policy for handling allegations of child sex abuse weighs too heavily against priests, church employees and volunteers who face such accusations in the future. (The Plain Dealer)
Cardinal’s accuser charged with extortion | Loren Mitchell Saffels, 34, told Stockton police in June that he had been molested in 1982 by Mahony, who was bishop of Stockton at the time. (Associated Press)
Panel on abuse drops 2 clerics | The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops said yesterday they have restructured a committee that drafts policies on how dioceses should discipline priests who molest children. (The Boston Globe)
Charge of sex abuse levied on mentor | Steven E. Kuehne was cohost of Roc House Cafe, a weekly, hourlong show that airs Friday nights and features Christian music videos (The Augusta [Ga.] Chronicle)
Vicar wanted to French kiss me, says parishioner | The Rev Harry Brown, 49, priest-in-charge of Crosscrake and Preston Patrick, near Kendal, was accused by a woman to have tried to kiss her as they sat on a sofa at her home. (The Times, London)
Also: Sacked priest denies ‘French kiss’ claim (BBC)
And lo my flock, don’t be brothel creeper like me | A minister who was caught with a prostitute during a police raid on a brothel will return to the pulpit next month. (Daily Record, Scotland)
Also: Ban on brothel minister is lifted (The Scotsman)
‘Silentlambs’ speak out about sex abuse | Several former Jehovah’s Witnesses stood outside a Kingdom Hall church near Green Lake yesterday with a tiny toy lamb whose mouth was covered with black electrician’s tape. (The Seattle Times)
Disarray as Pell lawyer quits and church denies funds to accuser | Legal teams on both sides crumble under pressure. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Jesuits to pay $7.5 million to 2 men who contended abuse | The settlement, among the largest of its kind in a growing number of such cases, was reached on Wednesday after about a year of negotiations (The New York Times)

Other stories of interest:

Midwest director of Jews for Jesus ticketed for car’s inscription | Police officer who issued the parking ticket says lettering makes it a commercial vehicle (Chicago Sun-Times)
Controversial church figure resigns | Marianne Williamson, spiritual director of Warren’s Renaissance Unity, will move on. (The Detroit News)
Nation mourns passing of Archbishop Samuel Carter | Was first Jamaican bishop in Roman Catholic Church (Jamaica Gleaner)
In defense of Rowan Williams | Williams’ conservative opponents have judged the man not for what he has said about, for example, the resurrection, prayer, the virgin birth or charity, but because of his stance on the Gay issue (Michael Coren, The National Post, Canada)
Embracing that ‘city upon a hill’ | Societies do not always live up to their ideals, but a society without ideals is hollow (Charles C. Euchner and William M. Fowler, The Boston Globe)
Scientists wrangle with questions of faith | Discussions of religious faith have in recent years become increasingly friendly terrain for scientists (The Christian Science Monitor)
Demonstrators to ask Sharon to reopen Temple Mount | Judaism’s holiest site has been off-limits to non-Muslims for nearly two years (The Jerusalem Post)
Boy shot and killed after pointing BB gun at officers | A 14-year-old boy who said he was possessed by demons went to a church for help but was shot by police. (Associated Press)
Singing, an old age elixir | But elderly don’t sing in church as often as they used to (Health24, South Africa)