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VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Polish Catholic bishop who has been denounced for calling the Holocaust a “Jewish invention” distanced himself from the statement on Tuesday (Jan. 26), saying that he had been misunderstood. In an interview published Monday (Jan. 25) on an Italian Catholic Web site, Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek was quoted as saying that Jews…

WICHITA, Kan. – An usher testified Monday that he watched the man accused of killing prominent abortion provider Dr. George Tiller approach the doctor in church, put a gun to his head and pull the trigger. Gary Hoepner, who like Tiller volunteered as an usher at the Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, said he chased…

PARIS – A parliamentary panel will recommend on Tuesday that France ban face-covering Muslim veils in public locations such as hospitals and schools, but not in private buildings or on the street, the group’s president said. The decision appeared to indicate that the 32-member, multiparty panel had heeded warnings that a full ban of the…

HANOI, Vietnam – One of the world’s most famous Zen masters made a plea Monday for religious freedom in his homeland, saying Vietnam’s communist leaders have lost touch with their revolutionary ideals and Buddhist traditions. Thich Nhat Hanh, who helped popularize Buddhism in the West and has sold millions of books worldwide, portrayed Vietnam’s leaders…

WICHITA, Kan. – Jurors in the trial of the man charged with shooting Dr. George Tiller will hear from witnesses who saw the abortion provider gunned down at his church, listen to the 911 call made moments later and see evidence of his blood on the accused killer’s shoes, a prosecutor said Friday. Opening statements…

TONGI, Bangladesh – Tens of thousands of Muslims began streaming to the banks of the River Turag north of the Bangladesh capital Friday for the start of a three-day Islamic gathering that will likely attract three million devotees for a mass prayer. Nearly 20,000 security personnel have been deployed to guard the World Congregation of…

(RNS) A Michigan military contractor said Thursday (Jan. 21) it will remove encoded scripture references on weapons it builds for U.S. military after a firestorm of complaints arose from both believers and atheists. “Trijicon has proudly served the U.S. military for more than two decades, and our decision to offer to voluntarily remove these references…

(RNS) Close to half of Americans admit to harboring prejudice against Muslims and negative feelings about Islam, a new study from the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies shows. The level of anti-Muslim prejudice — 43 percent of Americans admitted feeling at least “a little” — is more than twice as high as Americans’ reported feelings…

(RNS) At the point where Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts come together, and about a mile from a forest called Satans Kingdom, Northfield, Mass., isn’t exactly what you’d call a hotbed of either conservatives or evangelicals. Yet when a new evangelical college opens there in 2012, founders hope to help end acrimonious culture wars and…

OREGON CITY, Ore. (RNS) As Neil Beagley lay dying on his grandmother’s bed, his parents did not take him to a hospital or call 9-1-1 or make any lifesaving efforts, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday (Jan. 19). “They did nothing because that was their belief,” prosecutor Greg Horner said in his opening statement at the…

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