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By FRANCIS X. ROCCA c. 2011 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY (RNS) When Vatican officials announced last week that Pope Benedict XVI’s 2005 election rendered his organ donor card null and void, they offered no specific reason for the change. The curious history of papal body parts, however, offers some clues. “A decision of a…

Haroon Moghul, executive director of The Maydan Institute, says The Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition party in Egypt, has moved away from its “toxic image” and promotion of Sharia law and, in the unfolding revolution, appears more interested in creating a democratic arena focused on ethics and values. The Maydan Institute is a communications and…

(RNS) A federal appeals court ruled Monday (Feb. 7) that a Puerto Rican law intended to keep neighborhoods safe from crime has been used unfairly to breach the free speech rights of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The law allows homeowners’ associations to control pedestrian and vehicular traffic on residential streets. But Jehovah’s Witnesses, who consider it a…

WASHINGTON (RNS) A delegation of Baha’is is making the rounds in Washington in an effort to raise awareness of the treatment and imprisonment of more than 50 Baha’is in Iran, including seven top leaders of the Iranian Baha’i community. Iraj Kamalabadi, a Southern California engineer whose younger sister is one of the Baha’is in Iranian…

(RNS) Each week brings an average of two arsons, seven thefts, and 19 burglaries at U.S. churches, according to Christian Security Network’s second annual year-end report of church crimes. The report, which uses news articles, police blogs, and verified personal reports to compile its data, showed a slight increase in most church crimes in 2010…

On the eve of his new film, Never Say Never, teen pop sensation Justin Bieber shows the role his Christian faith plays in his life. How will his fans respond? Read the full story: Justin Bieber: Tween Evangelist

Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday (Feb. 3), President Obama made a compelling case for something terribly unusual: humble faith. Read the full story here.

By DANIEL BURKE c. 2011 Religion News Service (RNS) If she had listened to her parents, Sister Jenn Graus might never have professed vows last month to join the Congregation of St. Joseph. Though lifelong Catholics, Graus’ parents had met few nuns or sisters near their home in Sterling Heights, Mich., and assumed most were…

WASHIGNTON (RNS) The architect of the Obama administration’s new consumer protection bureau met with faith-based groups Tuesday (Feb. 8) in a bid to shape the agency’s work as a moral crusade. “The most recent financial crisis caused many to question the moral underpinnings of our financial dealings with each other,” Elizabeth Warren, a former Harvard…

TORONTO (RNS/ENInews) Decrying the “sex-saturated world of contemporary Western culture,” Canada’s Roman Catholic bishops are urging church members — married and single — to live chastely. In an eight-page pastoral letter released last month, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops urged young Canadians to dress modestly, to choose uplifting entertainment and to seek the Sacrament…
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