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BERLIN – Catholic authorities in Germany announced two major abuse investigations Wednesday – one into the renowned choir once led by Pope Benedict XVI’s brother and another more general look into what everyone, including the pope, knew about the sexual and physical abuse of students. The Roman Catholic diocese of Regensburg in southern Germany appointed…

(RNS) In a major shift, Reform rabbis have publicly acknowledged intermarriage as a “given” that calls for increased outreach and understanding, rather than a threat to Jewish identity that must be resisted at all costs. The Central Conference of American Rabbis, which represents nearly 2,000 Reform rabbis from around the world, embraced the change during…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The elder brother of Pope Benedict XVI admitted striking members of the German boys’ choir that he led for three decades, but denied knowing that some of the boys were victims of clerical sex abuse. “I must admit that I often became depressed, because (the boys) did not achieve the results I…

WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday (March 8) to decide whether the father of a fallen soldier can sue religious protesters for picketing at his son’s funeral with signs that read “Thank God for dead soldiers.” The case will test the boundaries of the Constitution by weighing whether extreme speech that inflicts…

TOKYO (RNS/ENI) The Roman Catholic bishops of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — the only cities in the world that were leveled by atomic bombs — are urging world leaders to abolish nuclear weapons. Nagasaki Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami and Hiroshima Bishop Joseph Atsumi Misue released a joint statement ahead of a nuclear security summit scheduled for…

(RNS) A judge sentenced two Oregon parents to 16 months in prison on Monday (March 8), calling their decision to not seek medical care for their 16-year-old son a “crime that was a product of an unwillingness to respect the boundaries of freedom of expression.” Marci Beagley sobbed as the sentencing was read, and shortly…

(RNS) Pope Benedict XVI will meet with the head of Germany’s Catholic bishops on Friday (March 12) to discuss allegations of widespread sexual abuse of children in the pope’s homeland. Archbishop Robert Zollitsch of Freiburg, president of the German bishops’ conference, said through a spokesman that he will brief Benedict on some 170 abuse allegations…

BERLIN – An ever-widening sexual abuse scandal involving Germany’s Roman Catholic Church spilled into the heart of Pope Benedict XVI’s homeland Friday when a former member of a boy’s choir led for 30 years by his brother claimed he was a victim. A former singer came forward with allegations church employees had sexually abused him…

WASHINGTON – On the other side of the obstacle course that President Barack Obama must clear to get his health care overhaul, a final trapdoor is lurking: the divisive politics of abortion. The issue pits House Democrats against each other just when Obama is calling on them to unite for one last push on health…

LONDON – Dutch anti-Islam maverick Geert Wilders took his cinematic assault on the Quran to Britain’s House of Lords on Friday, sparking heated debate inside the chamber and angry protests outside. The invitation to London, and Wilders’ stunning political gains in the Netherlands this week, highlight a growing dichotomy in Europe: concern at the increasing…
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