Faith Digest: Most U.S. Catholics ambivalent about Latin Mass

Most U.S. Catholics ambivalent about Latin Mass. Two years after Pope Benedict XVI eased restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass, more than six in 10 American Catholics have no opinion on the return of the traditional liturgy, according to a new survey. The Mass dates to the 16th century but fell out of use after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. According to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, one in four Catholics in the United States favors having the Latin Mass as a liturgical option, 12 percent oppose it and 63 percent have no opinion. Only one American Catholic in 10 would attend a Latin Mass if it were convenient, according the research center. Apathy is most prevalent among Catholics born after 1982, with 78 percent saying they have no opinion about Benedict bringing back the Latin Mass.

Lutherans lift ban on gay clergy. After a long and contentious debate, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to drop a ban on partnered gay clergy and committed to let people in same-sex relationships serve as leaders of the church. The ground-breaking decision is a dramatic change for the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination, which previously permitted openly gay and lesbian clergy so long as they remained celibate. Conservative Lutherans immediately encouraged members and congregations who disagree with the decisions to direct their money elsewhere.

Religious Right opposes health care proposal. Conservative Christian groups have ramped up opposition to health care reform. Members of the newly formed Freedom Federation, representing some of the largest conservative religious groups in the country, say they oppose taxpayer-supported abortion, rationed health care for the elderly and government control of personal health decisions—all of which they believe to be components of the health care proposals being considered by lawmakers. The Freedom Federation includes the American Family Association, the Church of God in Christ, Concerned Women for America, Family Research Council Action, Liberty University and the Traditional Values Coalition.

Shuttle mission includes piece of missionary history. The latest flight of the space shuttle Discovery carried a piece of missionary history with it into outer space. On board Discovery was a piece of the plane used by members of Missionary Aviation Fellowship who were killed more than half a century ago in Ecuador by Waodani tribesman. Astronaut Patrick Forrester—a member of University Baptist Church in Houston who has served as a short-term missionary—contacted the Idaho-based ministry about carrying a memento from the plane that had been used by pilot Nate Saint and four other missionaries before their deaths in 1956. Their story was depicted in the 2006 movie End of the Spear. The item from the battery box of the plane was approved by NASA and will be returned to Missionary Aviation Fellowship with a certificate showing it was part of a space flight.