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(RNS) U.S. religious groups are mobilizing relief efforts for Haitians devastated by Tuesday’s (Jan. 12) massive earthquake, even as they assess the damage to their local partners and congregations. With many power and phone lines destroyed, U.S.-based aid workers said it is difficult to determine the scope of destruction left by the earthquake and aftershocks…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI met the woman who toppled him inside St. Peter’s Basilica, accepting her apology and offering his forgiveness for the Christmas Eve incident. Susanna Maiolo, 25, and members of her family met briefly with the pope following his weekly public audience at the Vatican on Wednesday (Jan. 13). According to…

TORONTO (RNS/ENI) Jordan has complained to a United Nations agency after Canada refused to seize the Dead Sea Scrolls at a recent exhibit in Toronto. Jordan says the ancient manuscripts, which had been on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority, were stolen from a museum in East Jerusalem, which Israel seized from Jordan during the…

WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. State Department lambasted Iran on Monday (Jan. 11) for deciding to try seven members of the Baha’i Faith on charges of spying for Israel, and called on Iran to release all religious minorities imprisoned because of their faith. “The United States strongly condemns the Iranian government’s decision to commence the espionage…

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican newspaper and radio station have called the film “Avatar” simplistic, and criticized it for flirting with modern doctrines that promote the worship of nature as a substitute for religion. L’Osservatore Romano and Vatican Radio dedicated ample coverage to James Cameron’s big-grossing, 3-D spectacle. But the reviews were lukewarm, calling the…

(RNS) The Islamic Society of North America, one of the most visible Muslim organizations in the United States, has appointed Chicago lawyer and youth leader Safaa Zarzour as its next secretary general. Zarzour’s appointment comes on the heels of several terror-related incidents involving young Muslims that have cast suspicion on Muslim Americans and provoked concerns…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Lamenting “economic and political resistance” to dealing with climate change, Pope Benedict XVI on Monday (Jan. 11) called on the world’s nations to reach an agreement on the matter by the end of 2010. The pope’s statement was delivered as part of his annual address to foreign ambassadors. Referring to last month’s…

(RNS) With his round cheeks and ample belly, the Buddha may rank somewhere close to sumo wrestlers on most Americans’ list of go-to sources for healthy eating tips. But the ever-present image of a fat and happy Buddha owes more to China’s ideal of prosperity and ability to mass-produce figurines than to historical accuracy. In…

TRENTON, N.J. (RNS) The New Jersey state Senate on Thursday (Jan. 7) voted down a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, prompting a promise from gay-rights advocates to take their campaign to the courts. The final tally, 20-14 with three abstentions, reflects a dramatic shift in the state’s political landscape since gay-marriage supporter Gov. Jon Corzine…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) When Pope Benedict XVI visits Rome’s main synagogue next Sunday (Jan. 17) to mark Italy’s 21st annual Day of Jewish-Christian Reflection, the setting alone will reflect a momentous event in Jewish-Catholic relations. The Great Synagogue of Rome stands inside the city’s former Jewish ghetto, where for centuries (from 1555 to 1870) Rome’s…
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