Faith Digest

Faith Digest

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Amnesty International chides Vatican. In its latest annual report, Amnesty International has criticized the Vatican for falling short of its commitments to protect children from sex abuse. This marks the first time the group has included the Vatican in its annual report, which assesses the state of human rights in 157 countries. That change follows a wave of scandals over sexually abusive Catholic priests in Europe and Latin America last year. Amnesty International said the Vatican failed in its obligations as a party to the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child by not removing alleged perpetrators from their posts pending proper investigations, not cooperating with judicial authorities to bring them to justice and not ensuring proper reparation to victims.

Crystal Cathedral for sale. The Crystal Cathedral has announced plans to sell its iconic glass-walled church in Southern California to pay back creditors and overcome bankruptcy. Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman, daughter of founder Robert H. Schuller, said the church will remain as a tenant and will have the option to buy back some of church’s campus in Garden Grove. The megachurch, known for its Hour of Power television broadcast, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from its creditors last October. At the time, the church owed $7.5 million to creditors and has cut back staff, reduced airtime and halted its holiday pageants. Under the plan, the worship services and broadcasts are expected to continue without interruption, the church announced.

Same-sex relations receive record approval. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say gay or lesbian relations between consenting adults should be legal, the highest percentage ever recorded by the Gallup Poll. Researchers found 64 percent of American adults supported legal gay relations, which Gallup has included in surveys since 1977. Despite the high rate of support for gay relations, Americans are less likely—56 percent—to consider them “morally acceptable,” although that figure is the highest measured since Gallup first asked that question in 2001. The same poll found a majority of Americans (53 percent) supported gay marriage for the first time since Gallup started tracking the issue in 1996. The findings, based on telephone interviews of 1,018 adults, have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Compiled from Religion News Service

Correction. The Faith Digest column in the May 23 issue carried an item titled, “Plans for interfaith school shelved.” In attribution to a quote, Lee Barker was identified incorrectly as president of Andover Newton Theological School. Barker is president of Meadville Lombard Theological School. Nancy Nienhuis, dean of students and vice president for strategic initiatives at Andover Newton Theological School added: “Andover Newton is moving ahead with its plans to create a multifaith model for seminary education; we just won’t be doing so with Meadville Lombard. Our current work with the Hebrew College Rabbinical School continues to be a part of this vision, as do new initiatives with other schools that will further broaden our multifaith focus.”

 


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