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By ROBERT L. SMITH Religion News Service AKRON, Ohio — From a small house on a busy street, Ai Hong and his wife, Aliyeh Chan, devote hours responding to the military crackdown in Myanmar, their former home. The military has the guns. The military has the might, they acknowledge. “Prayer is our weapon,” Hong says…

Associated Press – October 5, 2007 ROME – An Italian electronics technician has invented a high-tech rosary, to help Catholic faithful recite the prayers using an electronic device instead of traditional beads. Shaped like an egg, decorated with images of the Virgin Mary and featuring a push-button, the gadget allows faithful to listen to a…

Associated Press Najaf, Iraq – With the wounds still fresh from Shiite battles outside shrines in Karbala, Iraqi security forces aren’t taking any chances as worshippers fill another holy city. They have asked for a U.S. military show of force that seeks to prevent growing Shiite rivalries from again turning a pilgrimage into a battle…

Francis X. Rocca Religion News Service Vatican City – In an effort to “moralize” a sport recently beset by scandal, Italy’s Roman Catholic bishops have purchased a professional soccer team, announcing plans to raise ethical standards for players, executives and fans. The Conference of Italian Bishops has acquired an 80-percent interest in AC Ancona, a…

Associated Press WASHINGTON – An Ohio lawmaker on Thursday demanded that Capitol officials change a policy that resulted in the word “God” being removed from a certificate accompanying a flag being sent to one of his constituents. Republican Rep. Michael Turner urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to review and reverse a rule followed by the…

Associated Press – October 3, 2007 TRENTON, N.J. – A travel agency is accused of charging more than 50 Muslims thousands of dollars on a Mecca pilgrimage tour only to leave them standing in airports at the last minute without tickets. The state attorney general’s Office alleges Shama Hajj Ziyarat Tours L.L.C. and its owner,…

By JAMES PALMER Religion News Service BAGHDAD, Iraq — Nabil Comanny and his family endured the dead bodies left to decompose along the road in their southern Dora neighborhood. They accepted the criminal gangs that roamed the area, searching for targets to kidnap. And neither the utility failures nor the mountains of trash in the…

Associated Press – October 3, 2007 ST. LOUIS – Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke, who made headlines last presidential season by saying he’d refuse Holy Communion to John Kerry, has his eye on Rudy Giuliani this year. Giuliani’s response: “Archbishops have a right to their opinion.” Burke, the Archbishop of St. Louis, was asked by…

Associated Press Yangon, Myanmar – A growing number of citizens in Myanmar’s largest city are shutting off the government-run nightly newscast, trying to send the subtle message to authorities that they are tired of listening to their propaganda, residents said Tuesday. Most are switching off the news for the first 15 minutes of the hour-long…

Jerusalem – Israel completed release of 86 Palestinian prisoners on Tuesday, a gesture meant to improve prospects for a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference later this fall. The prisoner release came a day before Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were to begin working out their joint vision of a peace deal…
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