The Church of England, the home base of the global Anglican Communion, has moved closer to approving female bishops, more than 30 years after its U.S. Episcopal Church began ordaining women. (The CoE began ordaining women priests in 1994; Anglican churches in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Cuba already have women bishops.) The…

The Swiss have just denied the U.S. government’s request to extradite Oscar-winning filmmaker and accused child rapist Roman Polanski, apparently on a legal technicality. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has weighed in, denouncing the decision: This is a travesty. Our hearts go out to anyone who was hurt by Polanski and…

Presbyterian leaders voted to allow gay clergy, but not gay marriage, during the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly last week. But PBS’s Religion & Ethics Newsweekly reports that the measure now goes to the presbyteries, or local juriscdictions, which have previously rejected resolutions to ordain gays and lesbians. The Associated Press reports: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is ranked…

There were a lot of quirky religion news stories with serious undertones this week, ranging from a cussing Catholic priest ministering to Mexican gangsters to the appointment of a Muslim mayor in a strongly Orthodox Jewish suburb of New York City. Iran even banned the mullet, among other decadent “un-Islamic” Western men’s hairstyles. But, I’ve got to give…

More from Beliefnet and our partners
More from Beliefnet and our partners