Among all the usual religion reporting on interfaith conflicts or cooperation, two intrafaith disputes are making headlines from their respective “base” countries: an ultra-Orthodox Jewish protest in Israel over the religious integration of a school for girls in a West Bank settlement, and stunned reactions over the Archbishop of Caterbury’s treatment of Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori when she preached in England, including instructing her not to wear her mitre. Some links for more information on each situation:

Anglican Communion

• Lambeth Palace tells presiding bishop not to wear symbol of office (Episcopal Life)
• Bishop crossed in mitre row (The Times)
• PB calls ABC treatment “bizarre, beyond bizarre” (Episcopal Cafe)

Judaism

• In Israel, Demonstrators Back Haredi Parents Defying High Court (Religion Clause)
• Ultra-Orthodox protest Israeli school integration (Associated Press)
• Thousands of haredim protest in Jerusalem (JTA)

And that’s not even getting into the ongoing Catholic discussion over whether celibacy should remain mandatory for priests or the escalating Jewish debate over whether any criticism of Israel is a “shanda,” including over last year’s war in Gaza and the recent flotilla incident. (I’ll address the latter in a future post, ideally to avoid any Helen Thomas retreads, but check out this CNN link for now.)

What do you think? Are these akin to family disputes that should be conducted privately, or is public scrutiny and debate appropriate? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.

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