By Daniel Burke Religion News Service (RNS) The high court of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has issued a landmark decision that unequivocally bars noncelibate gay and lesbian clergy and halts recent attempts to compromise on ordination standards. Ministerial candidates in the PCUSA are required to be in faithful heterosexual marriages or remain celibate, though a…

Associated Press – February 19, 2008 VATICAN CITY – The Vatican’s No. 2 official, on the eve of a trip to Cuba, held out the possibility of a future visit there by Pope Benedict XVI, according to an interview published Tuesday. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s secretary of state, departs for Havana on Wednesday for…

Associated Press – February 20, 2008 PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Fed up with violence and broken promises, voters in Pakistan’s deeply conservative northwest have thrown out the Islamist parties that ruled this province for five years – a clear sign that Pakistanis rejected religious extremism in a region where al-Qaida and the Taliban have sought refuge.…

By Francis X. Rocca Religion News Service Vatican City — In his 26-year reign, Pope John Paul II canonized a record 482 saints and beatified an additional 1,341 Catholics, more than all his predecessors combined since the late 16th century. John Paul’s recognition of holiness among previously underrepresented groups of laypeople and non-Europeans aroused enthusiasm…

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