In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned a federal court ruling that had ordered the removal of a war memorial cross at the Mojave National Preserve in California. The Associated Press reports that the large cross, erected by the Veterans fo Foreign Wars more than 75 years ago, has been covered with plywood…

As promised, here are the notes from my conversation with Jeffrey Lena, the Vatican’s U.S. counsel, who recently talked with me for my Religion News Service feature concerning the lawsuits filed by Catholic clergy abuse victims against the Holy See. In contrast to victims’ attorney Jeff Anderson, Lena doesn’t like to give interviews, so people following the abuse scandal haven’t…

Last August, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a body of about 10,000 churches with more than 4 million members, became the latest denomination to allow openly gay clergy. (This category includes the Episcopal Church and Judaism’s Conservative and Reform branches.) In her recent piece for the Huffington Post, the Rev. Dr. Cindi Love explained the decision, made official this month…

This story doesn’t pass my smell test, but it’s certainly making religion headlines: a Chinese-Turkish group of Christian explorers from Noah’s Ark Ministries International claims to have found the remains of Noah’s Ark on Turkey’s Mt. Ararat. According to Abrahamic tradition, the massive wooden ship ferried Noah’s family and pairs of all the animal species to safety during the…

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