I was working in the Bay Area when one of my competitors, the San Francisco Chronicle, began running “Alicia’s Story,” a first-person account from a young copy editor who had been diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma cancer. The compelling 17-part series, which started on the front page in 2005 and transitioned into a blog and a book,…

This week’s most entertaining religion story came out of the Vatican — a nice surprise, considering the significantly less pleasant headlines from there lately. In short, the Holy See’s official newspaper published a glowing tribute to The Beatles, on the 40th anniversary of the iconic group’s schism, forgiving the band for its excesses, including John Lennon’s infamous…

Ah, so maybe this is what prompted today’s (false) rumor that President Obama was canceling National Day of Prayer 2010: a federal district judge in Wisconsin has ruled that the 1988 law creating the annual observance is unconstitutional. According to the Associated Press story, the order does not block any prayer day until after appeals in the case…

Continuing the Vatican’s damage-control efforts regarding the clergy sex abuse scandal, including a new Associated Press investigation reporting that at least 30 accused priests have been shuffled around the globe, Pope Benedict spontaneously confirmed the need to repent for sins during a homily today. His exact words: “I must say that we Christians, even in recent times, have often…

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