Francis X. Rocca Religion News Service Vatican City – In an effort to “moralize” a sport recently beset by scandal, Italy’s Roman Catholic bishops have purchased a professional soccer team, announcing plans to raise ethical standards for players, executives and fans. The Conference of Italian Bishops has acquired an 80-percent interest in AC Ancona, a…

Associated Press WASHINGTON – An Ohio lawmaker on Thursday demanded that Capitol officials change a policy that resulted in the word “God” being removed from a certificate accompanying a flag being sent to one of his constituents. Republican Rep. Michael Turner urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to review and reverse a rule followed by the…

Associated Press – October 3, 2007 TRENTON, N.J. – A travel agency is accused of charging more than 50 Muslims thousands of dollars on a Mecca pilgrimage tour only to leave them standing in airports at the last minute without tickets. The state attorney general’s Office alleges Shama Hajj Ziyarat Tours L.L.C. and its owner,…

By JAMES PALMER Religion News Service BAGHDAD, Iraq — Nabil Comanny and his family endured the dead bodies left to decompose along the road in their southern Dora neighborhood. They accepted the criminal gangs that roamed the area, searching for targets to kidnap. And neither the utility failures nor the mountains of trash in the…

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