By DANIEL BURKE c. 2011 Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) A sweeping new report on the clergy sex abuse scandal compares the Roman Catholic Church to police departments, with similar hierarchies, moral authority and isolated working environments. And because the church, like the police, has “historically ‘policed itself,”‘ as the report says, some lay Catholics…

By YONAT SHIMRON c. 2011 Religion News Service (RNS) Harold Camping’s campaign to warn Christians that the rapture is coming on Saturday (May 21) may have won him a band of followers, especially among those who have reportedly quit jobs or used up their life savings. But Camping’s acolytes may pale in comparison to the…

By JUDITH SUDILOVSKY c. 2011 Religion News Service QASR EL YAHUD, West Bank (RNS/ENInews) Pilgrims are flowing back to the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism on the Jordan River as Israel removes 40-year-old land mines and makes improvements to the area. “It is a very sensitive place politically and religiously and is of importance to…

By FRANCIS X. ROCCA c. 2011 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY (RNS) Amnesty International has criticized the Vatican for falling short of its commitments to protect children from sex abuse. “The Holy See did not sufficiently comply with its international obligations relating to the protection of children,” the human rights group said in its latest…

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