Salve Regina: Life at America's Newest Catholic University

The Naples Daily News has a story about the first day of classes at Ave Maria University in Florida, the upstart (and way conservative) Catholic school started by Domino's Pizza magnate Tom Monaghan.

"Salve, regina, mater, misericordiae, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve ..." chants Ave Maria University professor Daniel Nodes. Freshman Keith Badinelli recites the prayer in perfect unison. In English: "Hail holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope." Badinelli doesn't need the translation. He's new to the school, but the Latin prayer is one students at the conservative Catholic college are very familiar with.

For most Ave Maria students, it's not just a consistent way to begin class — it's a welcome reminder of where they came from, and why they're here.

RNS Clips: Calif. Bishops Worried About Secession

The Christian Century has Dan Burke's story about four Episcopal bishops who are taking Bishop John-David Schofield to the woodshed over his perceived desire to leave the Episcopal Church.

By allowing critical changes to his diocese's bylaws, conservative bishop John-David Schofield of San Joaquin, California, is clearly preparing to abandon the 2.2-million-member Episcopal Church, the four bishops argue. Moreover, at a volatile moment when disputes over church leadership and property threaten to rip its 110 U.S. dioceses apart, the denomination could be thrown into legal disarray by San Joaquin's actions, according to church experts.

"You have taken legal action that destroys any chance that the rest of the Episcopal dioceses in California could ever argue that we are a hierarchical church," retired San Francisco bishop William Swing wrote in a June 22 letter to Schofield. "That will create chaos for us for all time."

RNS Clips: British Scientologists Win Tax Fight

The Christian Century has our story on British Scientologists' win in their long fight for tax-exempt status.

Jackie Mason: Not a Jew for Jesus!

Quote of the Day: Comedian Jackie Mason

"While I have the utmost respect for people who practice the Christian faith, the fact is, as everyone knows, I am as Jewish as a matzo ball or kosher salami."

-- Comedian Jackie Mason, in court papers filed as part of a $2 million lawsuit against Jews for Jesus for using his name and image in a pamphlet. He was quoted by The Associated Press.

Christian Video Game Designer

Quote of the Day: Christian Video Game Designer Ralph Bagley

“There are people out there who think that if it's a Christian game it has to be about putting two animals on an ark. But how many people are going to play that?”

-- Ralph Bagley, designer of a Christian video game and spokesman for the Christian Game Developers Foundation, speaking of the controversy surrounding violent Christian video games. He was quoted by The Washington Post.

RNS Clips: Hospitals Create Areas for Muslim Prayer -- Beliefnet.com

Janice Neumann's story on Muslim prayer rooms -- not chapels -- in hospitals can be found here.

OAK LAWN, Ill -- The corridor of a bustling hospital is not the best place for kneeling in devout prayer, many Muslim families and doctors have learned. But praying in a chapel comes with its own set of problems -- forbidden pictures and statues of living beings, pews facing in the opposite direction of Mecca, and worshippers wearing shoes on the floor where Muslims kneel to pray. So when a nondescript Muslim prayer room recently opened at Advocate Christ Hospital and Medical Center in this Chicago suburb, families and staff were "flying from happiness," said Refat Abukhdeir, the hospital's Muslim chaplain.

An Army of One

New Society of Priests Has One Goal -- and One Member

RNS's Daniel Burke reports on the foundation of a new Roman Catholic society of priests--the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life--in this week's full-text article, linked above.

Quote:

Pavone imagines society members, free from diocesan and parish duties, burgeoning into an army of priests ready to fight abortion across the country, preaching at churches, organizing rallies, protesting at clinics and leading retreats.

She's Back ...

The Virgin Mary -- seen by devotees over time in a sandwich, various condensation stains, potato chips, pretzels, you name it -- has now been seen at a candy store in California. This time it's a chocolate dripping.

Since the discovery at Bodega Chocolates, Angiano's employees have spent much of their time hovering over the tiny figure, praying and placing rose petals and candles around it.

Let's hope the candles are far enough away that she doesn't melt.

A "Clear and Present Danger"

Bishop Thomas Doran of Rockford, Ill., a heavyweight in the bishops' conference (he's an expert on canon law and helped craft the sex abuse reforms), says "adherents of one political party" are leading the nation towards moral oblivion. Doran never says which party he's talking about, but it's pretty clear it's not the Republicans.

The seven “sacraments” of their secular culture are abortion, buggery, contraception, divorce, euthanasia, feminism of the radical type, and genetic experimentation and mutilation. These things they unabashedly espouse, profess and promote. Their continuance in public office is a clear and present danger to our survival as a nation.

The Observer

Is Gambling a Sin? One Bishop Doesn't Think So

Thomas Tobin, the Roman Catholic bishop of Providence, R.I., says he won't take a position on whether to open a casino in the Ocean State because, well, he likes to roll the dice from time to time.

"I buy raffle tickets to support a local parish or school. I participate in friendly football pools. I've won and lost (usually lost) a few bucks on the golf course. And on a few occasions, I've even made a pilgrimage to Foxwoods, paying my tithe to the slot machines."

Tobin likens Catholics' ambivalence over gambling to their position on alcohol:

"While drinking alcohol is not evil in itself, the morality is found in the circumstances of its use or abuse."

"We realize there are moral concerns about gambling, but still we play bingo, sell raffle tickets, have parish festivals with games of chance, and organize trips to Atlantic City and Las Vegas. Are sins being commited every time these activities take place? I don't think so."

Willie Nelson talks Tao

Quote of the Day: Country singer Willie Nelson

"I believe that all roads lead to the same place. We're taking different ways to get there, but we all end up in the same place. It's kind of like Kinky Friedman's statement, `May the God of your choice bless you.' That's the main thoughts that I have about life."

-- Country singer Willie Nelson, author of the recently published "The Tao of Willie," responding to a question from Time magazine about how his views about Tao may differ from his Methodist roots.

Pictures of Faith

Artist Finds God on Gotham's Mean Streets

New York photographer Larry Racioppo, who has "has captured the ways religious faith" in the city, is profiled in this week's full-text RNS article, linked above.

Quote:

His sharp eye and sensitivity have produced a remarkable and distinctive chronicle of New York City: everyday expressions of religious faith as experienced on Gotham's streets, particularly its poorer corners.

In the Battle Against AIDS, What's Really Important?

Melinda Gates (the other half of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) has a question. The answers are likely to be provocative, depending on who you ask:

Raised in Dallas, Ms. Gates attended high school at the private, Roman Catholic, all-girls Ursuline Academy, which stressed public service. Her remarks at the opening of the conference suggested she is willing to place that priority ahead of Catholic doctrine, which frowns on the use of condoms for birth control, though she didn't name the Church specifically.

“In the fight against AIDS, condoms save lives,” she said. “If you oppose the distribution of condoms, something is more important to you than saving lives.”

RNS Clips: 28, Five Degrees and a 4,300-Member Flock

Greg Garrison's recent story on a Birmingham pastor who is probably the youngest megachurch pastor in the country was picked up by Christianity Today and can be found here.

"This is a very intimidating position to be in," Platt said. "There are a lot of factors that only God can get credit for. It doesn't make sense outside of that."

Taylor Touches a Nerve

Mark Lewis Taylor's recent commentary on U.S. church positions on Israel has touched many a nerve.

A sampling from the mailbox:

Reverend Taylor is either an intellectual cretin or (more likely) a morally degenerate anti-Semite.
Sylven Schaffer, San Antonio

In the interest of intellectual honesty, I expect an immediate denunciation of Jesus Christ by Rev. Taylor. Isn't there something in his theology about casting the first stone...?
-- A. E. Mallenbaum

Israel has met nearly impossible standards of morality (leafletting, delaying attacks to allow civilians to leave) in order to humanly prosecute this war against a band of well armed, immoral, professional terrorists. Meanwhile, it suffered missile attacks from Hezbollah directed right at Israeli civilians. Does that not give you pause? Would it not be right for Professor Taylor to publish an apology?
-- B. Nidus, Malden, MA

Why doesn't he blame the truly guilty instead of the victims? What a sad, misguided man.
I am shocked and disappointed. No wonder the church is in the fix it's in.
-- Graham Diamond, New York

People are allowed to express their opinions, no matter how much they differ from the facts. BUT why are you putting these comments on your website? They are so distorted and inflammatory- and they completely ignore the long history of Hizbollah killing people in locations around the world.
-- Henry Kaminer, New York

Rev. Taylor needs a course in current events and in a history of the Middle East, preferably ones uncontaminated by vitriolic propaganda.
-- Frances Schwartzwald, Grand Prairie, TX

There should be an immediate retraction and apology for Rev. Taylors biased and anti-semitic remarks. There is no room for such remarks anywhere, especially in a Christian environmnet. Shame on you for such publications.
-- J. Wildes, Woodmere NY

If there's a supportive comment out there, let us know. So far they've been few and far between.

For what it's worth, a response from the National Council of Churches can also be found on the UCC web site.

Put a Diaper on That Goat ... Or Else

NPR's John Hendren tells us that shepherds outside Baghdad have been killed by Islamic militants for failing to put diapers on their goats. The goats (or at least the thinking goes) present too much of a temptation for sexually frustrated men in the wartorn country. A similar fate has met grocers who placed celery stalks too closely to the tomatoes. Let your imagination wander; it need not go very far to get the point.

The ever bloggable Andrew Sullivan has his take on what it all means:

As we know, holding straight men accountable for anything sexual is very tough in fundamentalist circles, be they Islamic or Christian. So Catholic priests and bishops were granted church and moral immunity for the rapes and molestations of thousands of minors for decades. The history of wayward pastors and priests getting away with sexual abuse and harassment is long and colorful.

Praying for rain

Quote of the Day: Mayor David Miller of Lubbock, Texas

"Nobody is going to tell God what to do and what not to do, but we are in a serious drought in West Texas and since he is the man who controls the rain clouds we're asking him for his mercy and his help."

-- Mayor David Miller of Lubbock, Texas, speaking about efforts to encourage residents to pray for rain that would ease the dry conditions in the area. He was quoted by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

RNS Clips: Talking Over The Din Of War

Omar Sacirbey's insightful article on efforts by Jews and Muslims to keep relations open despite the war in the Middle East was featured in The Washington Post:

An unprecedented swell of interfaith activities followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and American Muslims and Jews have found common ground as religious minorities with shared theological and social values.

Agreement on Middle East politics has remained elusive. Muslim-Jewish relations in the United States have been challenged by Israel's bombing and ground operations in Lebanon after Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers and later launched hundreds of missiles over the border. Members of both groups are deeply connected to the region through family and religious bonds.

"It always makes it more difficult. And given our attachment to that part of the world, it puts a strain on things," said Malik Khan, president of the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland, Mass. Khan's center has carried on an interfaith partnership with Temple Shir Tikva, a congregation a few mailboxes down the road. "But our effort is to build bridges and strengthen those bonds."

Rachel Havrelock, a Jewish studies professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said he worries that the Jewish and Muslim student group she helped start in November might not be able to survive the turmoil in Lebanon and Israel.

RNS Clips: D.C. Interns Advocate for Faith-based Public Policy

Our recent story by J. Edward Mendez on D.C. interns who spend their summers advocating for faith-based public policy can be found in The Washington Post.

Dozens of religious organizations seasonally turn the District into a training camp for scores of college students and recent graduates. The internship programs, crossing religious and denominational lines, teach them how public service can be an expression of their faith. Many interns get to put their faith in action -- frequenting Capitol Hill to advocate for policy that's
infused with religious values.

RNS Clips: Jim Martin on Torture

Jim Martin's recent essay on U.S. torture policy can be found here:

In a nation where the name of Jesus comes too easily to the lips of political leaders, his most essential teaching is proving easy to ignore. Jesus said that we should love and even pray for our enemies—not torture them.

The degradations undergone by the Christian martyrs are now being employed by our nation against our enemies. In the new global Colosseum, it is becoming difficult to tell the Christians from the lions.

Friday Mourning; The Fest; EWTN

In Monday's RNS report David Briggs writes about the mass appeal of "Friday Mourning," a Catholic rock band: The five band members, in T-shirts, jeans and shorts, some without shoes, some with cigarettes between fingers, drape themselves across cheap plastic, wicker and metal chairs and wooden porch rails outside the two-story home in a working-class neighborhood. On the street, in front of a scraggly lawn, is "Amelia," the 17-year-old rusty van that carries them to gigs in the region. Fairly typical surroundings for a group of young men trying to make it as full-time musicians. Except for the large wooden cross standing on a table in front of the fireplace. Friday Mourning, as these five Catholic students or recent graduates of nearby Franciscan University call themselves, is part of a growing movement that believes sacred music can take many forms. It is important, band members say, for religious groups to be open to reaching young people with musical styles they can appreciate.

A sidebar looks at The Fest, a Catholic music festival: Play that funky music, church boys. Play it with Christian artists like the rockers Sanctus Real and five-time Grammy winner Steven Curtis Chapman, and Catholic youth -- not always accustomed to hearing their generation's music in parishes -- will come by the multitudes. Unlike some nondenominational groups, the Catholic Church and other mainstream religious groups have been slower to integrate contemporary Christian music into parish life. The Fest, a local Catholic music festival that was the brainchild of the Rev. Robert Stec, was started six years ago as a way to engage and evangelize young people.

Greg Garrison writes about EWTN's 25-year anniversary and reports that the network's founder is ailing: More than 5,000 people turned out at an arena Saturday (Aug. 12) to celebrate the 25th anniversary of EWTN, the global Catholic satellite TV network started in Alabama by an energetic nun. Mother Angelica, who founded EWTN in the garage of her Irondale monastery on Aug. 15, 1981, has been in poor health and could not attend the festivities. "She's not feeling well," said Mother Mary Catherine, mother vicar of the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration in Hanceville. "She's tired. She stays in her room most of the time."

It's Not Unusual ... OK, Yes it Is.

Please, ladies, no throwing underwear at the pastor during services at the Church of Tom Jones.

Pastor Jack Stahl said Jones's "soulful, spiritual and supernatural" voice
helps him contact God. The minister, based in Sacramento, California, uses
his music in baptisms, marriages, funerals and exorcisms.

"I'm using his voice to get in touch with God and there's nothing wrong
with that," he said.

RNS Clips: Pope to Discuss Creation, Evolution

Stacy Meichtry's story about the pope's upcoming roundtable on creation and evolution can be found here.

"The seminar, 'Creation and Evolution,' is sure to renew the debate between
Catholic supporters of 'intelligent design' -- the notion that the world is too
complex to have come about through natural events alone -- and scientists who
don't regard intelligent design as valid science."

Missionaries focus on needs at home

In Friday's RNS report Charles Honey looks at domestic missionaries working to save dying churches: Half a world away from the country where he served for more than a year as a chaplain with the Army National Guard, the Rev. Tim Mattison sits in a sparsely furnished office at First Baptist Church. His life here as interim pastor to a struggling congregation would seem to have little relation to the grim realities of Afghanistan. But Mattison believes he was called by God both to console grieving soldiers in the desert and to quietly support the few dozen members of First Baptist. As a missionary for West Michigan-based Continental Baptist Missions, Mattison is part of an army of ministers sent forth to start and save churches across America. Mattison says he doesn't doubt for a second that God called him to this tiny church without so much as a paid secretary.

Bibles instead of bombs

Quote of the Day: Johnny Hunt, spokesman for Muslim Bible Day

"The terrorists sent bombs and bullets. ... Let's respond with Bibles."

-- Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., and a national spokesman for Muslim Bible Day, a project that distributes Bibles in Muslim countries. Quoted on the Muslim Bible Day Web site (www.muslimbibleday.org), Hunt said his church will collect an offering for the project on the second Sunday of September to mark the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Politicians and God's wrath; Benedict and evolution

In Thursday's RNS report we offer a news analysis on politicians and "judgment talk." G. Jeffrey MacDonald says that these days public figures are criticized when they invoke an angry god: As Campaign 2006 heats up, politicians are leveraging the power of religious rhetoric while adhering to what's become the cardinal rule for public religious speech in the 21st century: Never say God gets angry. Political figures on the left and right alike haven't been shy this year about invoking a Judeo-Christian deity, yet they have apparently learned to leave prevalent biblical ideas about divine punishment inside the church or temple. The reason, according to journalism scholars, is simple: Journalists who used to ignore such remarks from public figures now deem them worthy of national coverage -- and consequentially public shaming.

Stacy Meichtry reports from Rome on the pope's upcoming seminar on evolution: Pope Benedict XVI will conduct a weekend seminar in early September examining Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and its impact on Roman Catholicism's teaching of Creation. The seminar, titled "Creation and Evolution," is sure to attract the attention of proponents of so-called intelligent design and Vatican scientists who do not consider it valid science. The seminar is the latest edition of the annual "Shulerkreis," or "student circle," a meeting Benedict has held with his former Ph.D. students ever since his days as a theology professor in Germany in the 1970s.

Just Say No ... to Hezbollah Hashish

Never mind, says Jerusalem resident and self-admitted hashish smoker Dan Sieradski, the calming effects of toking up during war time. Forget what he calls health benefits. "It's probably one of the only things keeping folks here from freaking out," he says.

No, the real reason to put down the hashish, he says, is because Hezbollah smuggles it into Israel and uses the proceeds to fund the fight against Israel.

In other words, its your patriot duty to quit the hashish if you're an Israeli, according to The Forward.

First and foremost, I would urge all my Israel-based readers to cease their
consumption of hashish immediately, for the sake of Israel and for the sake of
the Lebanese living under the yoke of Iran and Syria's oppression by proxy. You
(and I) have directly funded the present attacks against Israel and necessitated
Israel's retaliation. We can afford to shrug it off no more, as the very real
consequences have availed themselves.

"You cannot stop people from smoking cannabis," he concludes, "but you can have a profound impact on where they get it from."

Are Churches Too Silent ... Or the Media?

Mark Lewis Taylor, a professor of theology and culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, blamed U.S. churches for not calling Israeli aggression what it is -- in his terms, "slaughter." In a guest commentary published Thursday by RNS, Taylor says:

"With few exceptions (a statement from the United Church of Christ, and occasional notes about Israel's "disproportionate" response from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and others), U.S. churches concentrate on general laments about escalating violence. Such laments that grieve for the men, women and children on all sides are surely the right place to start, but it cannot be the place to stop."

He continues:

"Where are the U.S. churches? They are often silent. Too many churches are in lockstep with growing Christian Zionist movements, exchanging faith in the God of Jesus Christ for a nationalist loyalty to an imperial Pax
Americana/Israelica, thus giving a blank check to U.S. and Israeli governments' attack policies.

"Too many U.S. Christian Zionists imitate Islamist fundamentalists, seizing upon sacred texts to justify a messianic apocalypticism, leading them to welcome wars as prelude to their fantasies of end-times salvation and damnation. And too many other U.S. Christians seem silent from fear that their criticism of Israel will bring charges of anti-Semitism. Yes, anti-Semitism is a destructive force that often gives birth to other racist bigotries, and it must be resisted. But criticizing Israel's attack policies, or U.S. support of Israel, is not anti-Semitism. Yes, churches, we can and must say this."

In response, Dan Webster and Pat Pattillo over at the National Council of Churches fired back, blaming Taylor for not recognizing the statements the NCC and others have made, as well as the media for not paying attention:

Webster goes first:

Since July 14 the National Council of Churches USA has been regularly updating our website with statements from numerous churches and church organizations calling for immediate cease-fire, or an immediate cessation of hostilities. We have published the laments and well as the call for immediate steps to non-violence. If you visit www.councilofchurches.org today you will see a headline that reads: Church leaders appeal to all sides:
stop the war. Right below that is a comprehensive list of other church statements since this war broke out.

Some email responses have been very pointed. We have been called anti-Semitic and worse. It is my
belief that many church leaders in this country and around the world have spoken up strongly and vocally for the killing to stop immediately. Unfortunately the secular media says that is an expected position of mainline Christian leaders so they concentrate their news coverage on Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and John Hagee who want this war to feed their distorted "end times" theology.

We are making efforts to get our position--we believe it to be the majority Christian position--that God and Jesus are opposed to war, that there is no such thing as a holy war, and that God can take care of the
'end times' without human beings having to indiscriminately kill other human beings.

Pattillo then adds his 2 cents:

I'm not sure where you have been for the last three months, but your obvious ignorance of the statements by the Protestant and Orthodox church community regarding the Middle East situation came as a shock to many
of us. Just this week, on the home page of the National Council of Churches (www.councilofchurches.org), is a generous sampling of those statements -- had you simply taken time to look before writing your piece on "Where are the U.S. Churches?" for Religion News Service.

You are aware, of course, that a virtual blackout on statements from the mainline Christian community exists in the media, who are interested in our opinions only when they address "pop culture" issues or reflect internal conflict. Discussion of more serious issues that critique public policy are largely ignored. As a result, much of our prophetic voice is muffled, confined to communication channels which we control. But you, as a
well-positioned member of the mainline community, have full access to those channels, which makes your lack of information all the more surprising.

If you had written a piece that concluded that the voice of the mainline Christian churches has not been heard in the public square because the media has not been reporting what the churches have said, that would have been an accurate -- and helpful -- commentary.

So who's to blame? Depends on who you ask. From where I sit, there's probably enough blame to go around -- for the media who perhasps should pay closer attention to the NCC and other church statements, and from critics who see anything with the NCC logo as tainted.

Either way, it's an interesting question.

Strange Bedfellows

Mormons, Muslims Team Up on Overseas Aid Projects

RNS' Adelle M.Banks reports on the cooperation between Mormon and Muslim groups to provide aid to those affected by the Lebanese conflict, in this week's full-text article, linked above.

Quote:

Mormons, who have a long history of disaster preparedness, have the supplies. And Muslims, who consider charity one of the five pillars of Islam, have the contacts on the ground. Despite deep doctrinal differences, both groups believe helping others is a central tenet of their faiths.

RNS Clip: Evangelicals Part Way With Bush Over North Korea

RNS senior editor David Anderson's thoughtful piece about a White House-evangelical split over North Korea is now available here.

Our partners over at Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly have a related story here, as well as an interview with evangelist Franklin Graham.

Stay away from Mikey's candy!

Quote of the Day: Veteran-Turned-Activist Mikey Weinstein

"I'm the Field General of the Godless Armies of Satan! You can't just steal my candy like that."

-- Mikey Weinstein, an Air Force veteran who is suing the Air Force for alleged religious favoritism and proselytism in the military service. Weinstein, the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, was recalling what he says to his wife, Bonnie, when she takes his favorite candy, reminding her of the label given to him by a megachurch in the Southeast. He was quoted by The Washington Post.

And I Shall Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever ...

Famed evangelist Billy Graham, admittedly in the twilight of his amazing career, shares thoughts on living, aging and dying with Newsweek's Jon Meacham.

"All my life I've been taught how to die, but no one ever taught me how to grow old," Graham remarked one day to his daughter Anne Graham Lotz. "And I told him, 'Well, Daddy, you are now teaching all of us'."

The Meltdown of Liberal Christianity?

Beliefnet's Charlotte Allen takes on the mainline Protestant churches in the pages of the LA Times, arguing that an anything-goes theology is the deathknell of liberal-minded churches. She makes a few good points, but seems to be saying that the reason these churches are shrinking is simply because they don't agree with her. Either way, it's worth a read:

"When your religion says 'whatever' on doctrinal matters, regards Jesus as just another wise
teacher, refuses on principle to evangelize and lets you do pretty much what you
want, it's a short step to deciding that one of the things you don't want to do
is get up on Sunday morning and go to church."

In Vino Veritas

Jesuit Jim Martin, one of the most insightful and witty Catholic writers out there, takes on Mel Gibson and his recent anti-Semitic diatribe after a few too many drinks. Money quote:

"The weirdest part of Gibson's drunken rant was his statement that the Jews are responsible for all the wars. So, did he mean throughout history or just the recent ones, like World War II? And I wonder if that includes Jesus of Nazareth, who, as Gibson may have discovered during his extensive research for his movie, was Jewish."

Women 'Ordained' as Catholic Priests

Twelve Women 'Ordained' as Catholic Priests in Pittsburgh

A group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests ordained 12 women as deacons and priests and "claims they are valid Roman Catholic ordinations," writes Ann Rodgers in this week's full-text RNS article, linked above.

Quotes:

On Monday, the Rev. Ronald Lengwin, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, called the ceremony "a sad moment for us....You either accept the teaching of the church or you don't. If you don't, in the public manner in which they have done, then they are choosing to separate themselves from the church, even though they say they are not doing so."

and

One of the women, Joan Clark Houk, 66, from suburban Pittsburgh, has a degree that would quickly lead to ordination as an Episcopal priest. She chose the riverboat "because I'm Catholic," she said. She expects God to recognize her ordination, even if the church does not.

"Senseless act"

Quote of the Day: Mian and Nahida Haq, parents of accused killer

"We could not have imagined for a moment that our son would do this senseless act. We have always believed and practiced in fostering love, peace and harmony with everyone, irrespective of religion, race and ethnicity."

-- Mian and Nahida Haq, parents of Naveed Afzal Haq, who was held on bail pending formal charges after a shooting rampage at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle on Friday (July 28) in which one woman died and five others were wounded. Their statement was quoted by the Associated Press.