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Faith leaders from a range of religious backgrounds have banded together to condemn a new Arizona law, signed Friday, that allows police to stop anyone suspected of being an undocumented immigrant. Critics say this essentially legalizes racial profiling and harrassment of Latinos, since it aims to address the border state’s struggles with Mexicans crossing the border…

On his way to deliver a eulogy at a memorial service for the 29 West Virginia miners who died in the explosion earlier this month, President Obama met with celebrated evangelist Billy Graham. Although Graham, 91, has counseled White House occupants since the Eisenhower administration, Obama is the first sitting president to visit his North Carolina home. The…

More bad news for the Catholic Church in Europe: Admitting to having sexually abused a young boy about 25 years ago, Roger Vangheluwe, 73, has resigned from his position as Belgium’s longest-serving bishop. The Associated Press and Catholic News Agency have the story. The scandalous news came a day after Pope Benedict accepted the resignation of…

Along with last night’s Jon Stewart/South Park segment, the most entertaining religion news item of the past week came out of an April Fool’s Prank played by GameStation, a British online gaming store that buried an “immortal soul clause” in the site’s terms and conditions. Apparently, this resulted in the voluntary surrender of about 7,500…

While I considered the two-part 200th episode of “South Park” lots of fun, it wasn’t necessarily the most entertaining religion story of the week, especially once the censorship of the Prophet Muhammad’s image went from ironic plot device to network-imposed mandate, and media outlets focused on a veiled threat from Revolution Muslim, a small NYC-based extremist group, praying for God to…

Alicia Parlette, 28, passed away yesterday, five years after her devastating diagnosis of sarcoma. a type of cancer. As I mentioned in my blog post last week, tens of thousands of readers had followed her emotional first-person series, Alicia’s Story, in the San Francisco Chronicle, which began in 2005 and continued as a blog through 2007. Beliefnet readers…

Catholic News Agency reports that British and Welsh bishops have apologized for their handling of the Catholic Church’s clergy sex abuse scandal, while also asking Catholics to pray for Pope Benedict during the four Fridays of May. Those Friday prayers will be observed in a spirit of “reparation and atonement.” The message seems aimed at…

Coincidentally, two separate Washington D.C. events have just rescinded invitations to conservative Christian clergy, in response to public outcry over each man’s previous statements. In brief: –Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, who formerly headed the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy, will no longer be leading a Latin Mass this Saturday, in Pope Benedict’s honor, at the Basilica in Washington. He has been disinvited…

Looks like the media spotlight and global campaigning by groups like Amnesty International has succeeded in saving Ali Hussain Sibat, the Lebanese TV psychic sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for “witchcraft” after being arrested by the country’s religious police during a pilgrimage. The Associated Press reports that Sibat’s attorney has gotten assurances that the father of five will not…

Today is Earth Day, as well as the NFL draft and Take Our Daughters And Sons to Work Day (or as it’s known in my home office, Thursday) — something for everyone! But to focus on Earth Day, which is now in its 40th year, the religion news continues to be that a range of denominations…
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