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(UNDATED) For all of Pontius Pilate’s faults, one was distinctly damning: he didn’t listen to his wife. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the Roman governor of Judea received a note from his spouse during the trial of Jesus. “Have nothing to do with that just man,” she writes, “for I have suffered many things…

(RNS) President Obama met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians, on Tuesday (April 7) in Turkey, where they discussed religious freedom and the opening of an historic seminary closed by Turkish authorities. Bartholomew “made a convincing and passionate argument” for re-opening the Theological School of Halki, according to a statement…

SILVER SPRING, Md. — There are many things that Paula Settles is willing to forgo in these budget-conscious times, but an Easter hat isn’t one of them. “I wouldn’t consider going to church without a hat on,” said Settles, an African-American retiree of a certain age who’s planning her outfit for Easter services at her…

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — At 9 a.m. on Wednesday (April 8) morning, Jose Mendez, a non-Jew, became owner of a huge amount of food he’ll never eat. For the entire length of Passover, which runs April 8-16, Mendez will legally possess hundreds of bags and boxes of bread, pasta and other leavened foods, or chametz,…

New York — For many Jews, the thought of Passover conjures up images of families feasting on matzo, kosher wine and for a few brave souls perhaps, Gefilte fish. Chances are, the name on the packaging is always the same: Manischewitz. For the family that traces its lineage back to Behr Manischewitz and the Cincinnati…

Two conservative groups that are active in the United Methodist Church have announced leadership shifts, with the Rev. James Heidinger retiring from Kentucky-based Good News, and Mark Tooley moving up to president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington. Heidinger, 67, has headed Good News for 28 years and has been a leader…

Montpelier, Vt. – Vermont on Tuesday became the fourth state to legalize gay marriage – and the first to do so with a legislature’s vote. The House recorded a dramatic 100-49 vote, the minimum needed, to override Gov. Jim Douglas’ veto. Its vote followed a much easier override vote in the Senate, which rebuffed the…

A Pentecostal bishop who has challenged Democrats on abortion and a representative of a national gay rights group are among nine new members of a White House advisory council. President Barack Obama announced the appointments of Bishop Charles E. Blake and Harry Knox on Monday, filling out a 25-person roster that is part of the…

(RNS) There’s a new top rabbi in town, according to Newsweek’s list of the 50 most influential Jewish clergy in America: Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington and a member of President Obama’s Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Saperstein took the top spot from Rabbi Marvin…

ANKARA, Turkey – Barack Obama, making his first visit to a Muslim nation as president, declared Monday the United States “is not and will never be at war with Islam.” Urging a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address to the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important ally in many areas,…
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