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(RNS) In a somber ceremony recalling the 13 people gunned down in an attack at Fort Hood, President Obama said the tragedy cannot be supported by any faith. “It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy,” said Obama, standing before boots and photos that symbolized the dead at a…

The Obama administration and top military leaders are discouraging an anti-Muslim backlash in the aftermath of last week’s deadly shooting at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey and Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano on Sunday echoed weekend remarks by President Obama, cautioning against saying that religion played…

WASHINGTON – Abortion opponents in the Senate are seeking tough restrictions in the health care overhaul bill, a move that could roil a shaky Democratic effort to pass President Barack Obama’s signature issue by year’s end. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said Monday it’s unlikely he could support a bill that doesn’t clearly prohibit federal dollars…

(RNS) The Vatican released on Monday (Nov. 9) rules for Anglican converts that allows them to retain traditional forms of worship and governance, but limits the Anglican practice of a married priesthood. In an historic move last month (Oct.) the Vatican announced plans to facilitate the conversion of Anglican conservatives upset with their church’s increasing…

TAWANG, India – Buddhist monks and nuns spruced up their monasteries and hung up welcome banners Friday in anticipation of the Dalai Lama’s contentious visit to this remote Indian town near the Tibetan frontier. China has strongly protested the Dalai Lama’s visit starting Sunday to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which lies at the…

(RNS) Muslim groups quickly condemned the shootings by a Muslim suspect that killed 13 people Thursday (Nov. 5) at an Army base in Texas. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, a psychiatrist who treated soldiers at the Fort Hood base, is accused in the attack that also wounded 30 people. He survived and is hospitalized. “No…

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A group of conservative Anglicans in Britain announced that they would convert to the Catholic Church under new arrangements designed to accommodate Anglicans upset with their church’s growing acceptance of homosexuality and female clergy. Representatives of the British province of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) voted unanimously last week to pursue “corporate…

(RNS) St. Nikolai Evangelical Lutheran Church hasn’t changed much since the 16th century. Bach once played the organ here and the music remains alluring, but it is the church’s more recent history in the last days of the Cold War and its role in the fall of the Berlin Wall that draw tourists today. The…

(RNS) Two years after its long-awaited debut in North America, Reform Judaism’s new prayer book is heading south — with some cultural differences. For Progressive Jews in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and South Africa, the World Union edition of Mishkan T’filah has incorporated national anthems, local poetry, adjusted seasonal references and traditional rituals requested by…

WITTENBERG, Germany (RNS/ENI) The Vatican official responsible for links with other churches has rejected suggestions of a “standstill” in the search for Christian unity. “There has already been a lot of movement,” said Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. “I hope that there can be even more movement for…

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