I reported for Reuters at the Washington state Capitol yesterday, covering the public hearings on a gay marriage bill — and in between, the breaking news that the state Senate now has enough votes to pass the bill. (The House already had enough votes.) It now appears that Washington’s lawmakers will legalize gay marriage next month,…

Catholic comedian Stephen Colbert devoted a “Yahweh or No Way” segment to the new English translation of the Roman Missal (Mass). Only Colbert could work in references to Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and They Might Be Giants’ “Istanbul (Not Contantinople)” into that story! Plus there’s some funny stuff about Pope Benedict’s “need for speed” and disregard…

I haven’t been covering the Jerry Sandusky child-rape allegations, because it’s not a faith-related story, unless you count the Penn State football=religion, Joe Paterno=God perspective. But other religion reporters disagree, and of course there are obvious comparisons to how the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal was mishandled for years. Some of the headlines: Penn State…

Growing up Orthodox Christian, I always scratched my head at the Catholic Church’s unique insistence on celibate parish priests. A priest’s wife can be such an asset to the community, and it certainly makes sermons and pastoral counseling feel more relevant when drawn from the priest’s personal experiences with marital and family issues. (Priests with…

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