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For years, perhaps even centuries, it has been an open secret in Rome: Some prelates in the Vatican hierarchy are, in fact, gay. But the whispers were amplified this week when Pope Francis himself, in a private audience, appeared to have acknowledged what he called a “gay lobby” operating inside the Vatican, vying for power and influence. Speaking to a meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women on June 6, Francis discussed a dossier he had received from his predecessor, Benedict XVI. “The ‘gay lobby’ is mentioned, and it is true, it is there....

<p>Pope Francis has acknowledged the existence of a 'gay lobby' inside the Vatican's secretive administration for the first time.</p> <p>Speaking during an audience with Latin American Catholics, the Argentine Pontiff said that there was a 'current of corruption' in the Roman Curia - the central governing body of the Catholic Church.</p>

If you were a Christian minister who was given the opportunity to write an op-ed piece for the Washington Post, what subject would you choose? War and peace? The decline in faith among America’s young people? The increasingly empty pews in mainstream Protestant churches? The ethical decline in society? Or any of myriad other morally and religiously troubling issues? Well, not if you were a Methodist minister named James P. Marsh Jr. For this man of the cloth, the issue troubling him so much that he had to write about in the Washington Post was . . . people standing...

Special to The Washington Post I am a Methodist minister and a Washington Nationals fan. I was there on Opening Day in 2005 at old RFK Stadium in Washington, and I try my best to plan my summer around Nats home games. I have only one issue with the ballpark experience, and it’s not with the beer prices. It’s with “God Bless America.” In his May 15 column, Washington Post writer John Kelly described the odd feeling of not knowing whether to stand during the singing of this song in the middle of the seventh inning. Like Kelly, I don’t...

The Boy Scouts of America’s newly adopted policy of accepting gay Scouts “is not in conflict with Catholic teaching” and parishes should continue to sponsor scouting, according to a letter from the U.S. Catholic church’s liaison to the Scouts. “We should be encouraged that the change in BSA’s youth membership standard is not in conflict with Catholic teaching” which is that gays “are to be treated with the same signity due all human beings created by God,” Edward Martin, chairman of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, wrote in a letter. “Scouting is still the best youth-serving program available to...

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's downward spiral of apostasy took a huge leap when the Southwest California Synod ELCA elected the first ever homosexual bishop of the denomination. “The Rev. Dr. Guy Erwin has been elected as bishop of the Southwest California Synod ELCA” announced a facebook post by the synod. (See synod facebook page here) Rev. Dr. Guy Erwin's faculty profile at California Lutheran University where he teaches says this, "Dr. Erwin is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; he and his partner Rob Flynn are members of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in North...

New York Daily News reporters went to church on Sunday with disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner, who is seeking the redemption brand as he runs for mayor of New York City. Pastor Phil Craig, it appears, welcomed the candidate with open arms to the Greater Springfield Memorial Church in Queens: Weiner picked the modest church with about 30 people in the pews for his Sunday morning debut over the megachurches that are often popular campaign stops. Pastor Phil Craig welcomed Weiner with notes of redemption. “I made mistake after mistake,” he said in introducing the candidate. “Moses wasn’t qualified …...

One of the largest Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations in the United States is presently weighing the possibility of leaving the denomination due to theological differences.First Presbyterian Church of Houston, founded in the early nineteenth century and with an estimated 3,600 members, voted earlier this year to enter a discernment process over the possibility of seeking dismissal.James T. Birchfield, senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church, told The Christian Post that the congregation wants to consider where they stand in relation to the views of PC(USA)."Our congregation is attempting to discern the best place – the best denominational relationship – that...

Click to enlarge… -9fe78609122b9aa3 Photo caption: Rabbi Edward Cohn of Temple Sinai, talks about compassion and open mindedness during a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Planned Parenthood health center at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans on Clairborne Avenue, May 22, 2013. ~ On Planned Parenthood’s plans to build a 7,000 sq ft abortion clinic in New Orleans, “the first Planned Parenthood clinic in Louisiana that will offer the procedure,” according to The Times-Picayune, May 22

Joe Biden has a very long history of putting his foot in his mouth. Be it when he called his running mate "Barack America," or when he stated, "You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent to fully... I'm not joking." On Tuesday he did it again, this time when giving a speech about the impact that Jewish Americans have had on American culture. The Vice President started out by lauding the great achievements made by Jews in the United States. Then, speaking off-the-cuff, he veered into odd territory. Discussing the...

Vice President Joe Biden is praising Jewish leaders for helping change American attitudes about gay marriage and other issues. … Biden says, quote, “Think—behind of all that, I bet you 85 percent of those changes, whether it’s in Hollywood or social media, are a consequence of Jewish leaders in the industry.” …

full title.....Chelsea Clinton puts her religious roots to academic use as she lands new job as 'multifaith' leader at New York University Chelsea Clinton, who is a member of the United Methodist Church, has landed a new job at New York University as co-founder and co-chair of its brand-new 'multifaith initiative,' Of Many Institute. The 33-year-old's role, which is yet to be formerly announced, will aim to develop multifaith dialogue and 'support a new generation of religious and civic leaders who. . . [will] reach across faith boundaries to solve social problems together,' explains the NYU website.

Senior members of the Church of Scotland voted Monday to let some congregations choose ministers who are in same-sex relationships — an important compromise that must still pass further hurdles before it can become church law. The church's General Assembly backed a motion affirming a traditional conservative view on homosexuality, but permitted liberal congregations to ordain openly gay men or women if they wish. The assembly's vote would require the approval of next year's General Assembly as well as votes by the church's regional presbyteries to become law. The process is complicated, and is expected to take at least two...

Senior members of the Church of Scotland voted Monday to let some congregations choose ministers who are in same-sex relationships—an important compromise that must still pass further hurdles before it can become church law. The church’s General Assembly backed a motion affirming a traditional conservative view on homosexuality, but permitted liberal congregations to ordain openly gay men or women if they wish. … Monday’s decision came after a lengthy debate on the issue, which has divided the church of about 400,000 members for years. Two congregations have split from the church over the issue. …

News reports from the time indicate the now-chief counsel of the IRS, William Wilkins, helped a church connected to President Barack Obama’s friend Rev. Jeremiah Wright get out of an IRS probe in 2008 while working as a private attorney. “Lawyers from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have won the dismissal of an IRS case against United Church of Christ, Sen. Barack Obama's denomination,” The American Lawyer’s Zach Lowe wrote on May 22, 2008.

This week Minnesota became the twelfth state in the United States to redefine marriage. Jay Bakker, son of the televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, marked the occasion by offering “rainbow bread” for “communion” at the inaugural service of Revolution Church Minnesota on Sunday, May 12th. Bakker explained all were welcome to participate in the meal regardless of religious belief or lack thereof, and that “today we do this in remembrance of what Christ did and what folks who followed in Christ’s footsteps did, but also in the celebration of what’s happened here in the House and with what...

Liberation Theology and Neo-Pentecostalism: A Leading Challenge to the Evangelical Churches in Brazil By Julio Severo Traditionally, major theological trends — good or wicked — came from Europe and America. The single major theological trend originating outside Europe and America is Liberation Theology, which is prevalent in Latin America, especially Brazil. In this original and exclusive e-booklet, I trace this movement in Brazil and how its leaders recognized openly that the only force capable of challenging Liberation Theology was neo-Pentecostal churches. In fact, the Brazilian Left admits today that neo-Pentecostal churches are the only hindrance to the advance of its...

Vice President Joe Biden has a commandment for pastors, rabbis and nuns: He wants them to tell their flocks that enacting gun control is the moral thing to do. But another vote may have to wait until Congress wraps up work on an immigration overhaul. Biden met for two-and-a-half hours Monday with more than a dozen leaders from various faith communities – Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh, to name a few. Both Biden and the faith leaders encouraged each other not to give up on what has been an arduous and thus far fruitless effort by Biden and President Barack...

"The theology of Rome, the authority of Rome—that was appealing to us," says Father Mark Lewis of St. Luke's Parish, the first US Episcopal church to join the Catholic Church under new Vatican rules.

Across the street from us we have a 'First Congregational United Church of Christ'. They have a lesbian pastor, but still sometimes we have some discussions outside on the street. What took the cake, specially for a supposed religious person is when she said 'The problem with this city is that there are too many Churches.'(Her church is drastically losing membership) My jaw dropped, all I could say is 'The problem with this city is that there is not enough churches preaching the gospel!' (This city has the smallest church attendence in the country) What would you say to a...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has given tacit approval to the Boy Scouts’ proposal to allow gay youth to join, saying they “appreciate the positive things” included in the plan to end the organization's controversial ban on gay boys. The Boy Scouts of America last week proposed allowing gay youth – but not adults – to participate in the private youth organization. That came two months after they floated the idea of allowing gays and lesbians of all ages to join, a proposal that was denounced by the conservative religious groups that make up a bulk of...

Retired Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay man to become a U.S. bishop in the Episcopal Church, has written an nasty piece of opinion attacking a Catholic Archbishop as well as the Catholic Church in its entirety for defending marriage. Robinson, writing for The On Faith blog at The Washington Post, attacked Abp. Allen Vigneron for having said Catholics who support gay unions or marriage should not receive communion. And not only does he say that the Church is wrong on gay marriage, he says the Church has "lost its way" and has no right to even discuss...

The Church of England yesterday gave a green light to wedding-style services for couples in civil partnerships despite its official opposition to same-sex marriage.A report from the Church’s doctrine watchdog urged priests to devise “pastoral accommodations” for gay couples” and to be “flexible”. It said the aim was to enable them to enjoy a “closer approximation” to marriage. The senior bishop who drafted the missive to priests insisted that it did not amount to a policy u-turn and that an official ban on formal "blessings" for civil partnerships remained in place. But he said it was clear there was a...

On Thursday morning, February 28, I found CNN featuring a continuous shot of a helicopter. The network cut between a close-up and a distant dot. It was Benedict, flying from the Vatican City. This was extraordinary attention for an ordinary cardinal, because as Benedict told the throng awaiting him, "I am no longer Pope." I am not a scholar of Catholic history, but I believe we were witnessing the first time the Papal throne was vacant while an elected Pope was alive. "This no one can deny," wise Sister Rosanne told us during the 8 am theology class that began...

It comes as no surprise to see the deep Scriptural ignorance in our world today. After all, many people have turned away from the solid foundation of truth found in God’s Word. Many people, even some who claim to be Christian, rarely even open a Bible, much less study one. But, when a man comes in the name of Jesus and goes on national radio and denies Jesus’ knowledge and teachings, it is a chilling thing to hear. On Saturday afternoon, I heard a rerun segment of Sean Hannity’s nationally syndicated radio show on which he had two guests taking...

Long-time evangelical Left leader Jim Wallis, founder and CEO of Sojourners, has changed his position on government recognition of same-sex marriage. He announced his support in a Friday interview with The Huffington Post. Wallis said he is worried about the decline of marriage and wants to strengthen it, but believes that same-sex couples should be included in that endeavor. "I think we should include same-sex couples in that renewal of marriage, [but] I want to talk marriage first," Wallis said. "Marriage needs some strengthening. Let's start with marriage, and then I think we have to talk about, now, how to...

The Christian Left is a group devoted to informing their site’s and Facebook page’s visitors that there is such a thing as the Christian Left. They quote a verse from the Parable of the Good Samaritan: “Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise,’” (Luke 10:37). Their mission is “[t]o follow Jesus by taking actions on behalf of the oppressed, the sick, the hungry, the poor, the incarcerated, the lonely, the disabled, the mentally ill, the mistreated, the war-torn, and the weak.” Hmm, what is missing here? Oh, right: the unborn. The Christian LeftWhat’s wrong with The Christian Left, though, is...

Washington Episcopal Bishop Marianne Budde, writing in her blog on the subject of Resurrection, opined that if someone were to discover a tomb with Jesus' remains in it, the entire enterprise would not come crashing down. VOL: Actually, Bishop it would. Our faith would be in vain and we would be of all men (and women) most miserable. St. Paul writes in I Cor. 15, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day...

Most Easter church services dwell on three words: “He is risen!” At the church that President Obama chose to attend on Easter, the three words were a bit different: “You’re a racist!” Obama attended St. John’s Episcopal Church in DC, and according to the pool reporter, Rev. Luis Leon launched into at least one racist tirade. “It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back … for blacks to be back in the back of the bus … for women to be back in the kitchen … for immigrants to be back on...

America’s mainline Protestant seminaries are in crisis, but so far they seem to be spending more energy dodging tough choices than preparing for the future. A recent article at Inside Higher Ed describes the enrollment collapse at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. Luther is one of the most important Lutheran seminaries in the country, but its status wasn’t enough to insulate it from the forces upending seminaries everywhere. Enrollment fell off sharply, and the institution ”was running multimillion-dollar deficits, spending down its endowment and relying on loans.” The seminary’s response? It’s making some painful cuts, letting go of some staff...

It’s sad when clergy egregiously politicize worship, especially on an important holy day at an historic church that used to symbolize non partisan unity. But the Episcopal clergy Luis Leon at St. John’s Episcopal Church next to the White House, known as the church of the presidents, discharged some cheap shots during Easter worship today, with the Obamas in the congregation. “It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back, back, back,” Leon sermonized. “For blacks to be back in the back of the bus, for women to be back in the kitchen,...

When it comes to finding controversial pastors, President Obama sure knows how to pick them. While attending Easter services at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington this morning, President Obama listened as Rev. Dr. Luis Leon spoke not of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but of the religious right as bigots who hate blacks, women, immigrants, and gays. The report came from the White House press pool and posted by TheBlaze.com. According to reports, Rev. Leon used his Easter sermon to attack religious conservatives, saying “It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us...

President Obama and his family this morning went to Easter Sunday services at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. Here are notes on the Easter service from the pool reporter, which included this part, "It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back ... for blacks to be back in the back of the bus ... for women to be back in the kitchen ... for immigrants to be back on their side of the border":

The pastor at the Washington, D.C. church where the Obama family celebrated Easter on Sunday said members of the religious right want blacks “in the back of the bus,” women “back in the kitchen” and immigrants “back on their side of the border.” “It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back…for blacks to be back in the back of the bus…for women to be back in the kitchen…for immigrants to be back on their side of the border,” Rev. Dr. Luis Leon said in his sermon, according to the White House press...

Easter Sunday is not a day of rest for the Democrats' moneychangers. At least three top party officials dispatched fundraising emails Sunday in their bid to reach loyal Democrats in between church and Easter dinner. It's just the latest sign that politics and fundraising have become as regular as shopping at Sears or Walmart, which also open on Easter. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Sunday morning sent out an updated fundraising note from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that didn't even mention Easter. "We could really do this! If we can hit 200,000 donations before tonight's FEC deadline, it would...

While many Christians were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday, Barack Obama, his family, and everyone else attending St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. received a message that included an attack on conservatives, the Weekly Standard reported. "It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us back ... for blacks to be back in the back of the bus ... for women to be back in the kitchen ... for immigrants to be back on their side of the border," said Dr. Luis Leon. According to a tweet sent by Reuters'...

For the last 700 years, it has been the main place of Christian worship in the Palace of Westminster, aside from brief periods as a wine cellar and a stable for Oliver Cromwell’s horses.But now, it seems, the Government has a new role in mind for the chapel of St Mary Undercroft, which is nestled in a crypt beneath Parliament. Ministers are considering changing the historic Anglican chapel into a multi-faith prayer room – so that it can be used to conduct same-sex weddings. Under the gay marriage legislation currently passing through Parliament, the chapel will not be able to...

WASHINGTON — In 2004, Barack Obama cited his Christian faith while explaining his opposition to same-sex marriage. "What I believe, in my faith, is that a man and a woman, when they get married, are performing something before God, and it's not simply the two persons who are meeting," he said. Eight years later, he cited his faith again when he became the first sitting president to endorse marriage equality. "When we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it's also the Golden Rule, you...

"If Jesus were alive today, he would be more inclined to say, 'you know, I didn't know it all...'" - Rev. Oliver White, Sean Hannity Show, March 27, 2013 In general, most news outlets have provided awful coverage of the Supreme Court proceedings on same-sex marriage. Covering the proceedings like they cover a political campaign or a sporting event, most of the analysis and commentary has been about political "wins" for one side or the other and the ramifications of the pending decision on homosexuals in our society, rather than the wide-ranging ramifications for society itself. Filling the void of...

The joke about Unitarians is that they’re where you go when you don’t know where to go. Theirs is the religion of last resort for the intermarried, the ambivalent, the folks who want a faith community without too many rules. It is perhaps no surprise that the Unitarian Universalist Association is one of the fastest-growing denominations in the country, ballooning 15 percent over the past decade, when other established churches were shrinking. Politically progressive to its core, it draws from the pool of people who might otherwise be “nones” – unaffiliated with any church at all. But within the ranks...

With that said and meant, this shift is altogether unsurprising. The new mark of being culturally acceptable is affirming homosexuality as virtuous (not merely okay, but virtuous, even exemplary). This is the litmus test. I don’t think many of us expected that it would so quickly fill this role, but it has. The mark of being a progressive, kind, socially courageous person today is simply this: affirming same-sex marriage. There are other cardinal virtues of a contemporary au courant identity, but this is the lodestar, the one that hangs one’s personal moon. This shows us that the cultural middle is...

The National Catholic Reporter has once again proved that its nickname, the National Catholic “Fishwrap,” is well deserved. On Wednesday, NCR printed a column in which columnist Bill Tammeus (who, oddly enough, isn’t Catholic, but a Presbyterian elder) referred to the unborn child as a “bundle of cells” and questioned why the Roman Catholic Church has exerted so much energy trying to stop abortion, as opposed to the death penalty. After all, says, Bill Tammeus, “in the matter of abortion, we have a bundle of cells that one day may be born.” On the other hand, in the case of...

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – When Rob Bell signed copies of his latest book March 10 at Schuler Books & Music, two Flint women who came out to see him said the Mars Hill Bible Church founder's teaching had opened their minds about God and made them question whether their same-sex relationship would damn them to hell. Bell, who followed his visit to Grand Rapids with other public promotions of "What We Talk About When We Talk About God," told an audience Sunday, March 17, in San Francisco that he supports same-sex marriage. You can hear it at about the 42:30-mark...

With the election of Pope Francis, there has been an almost "catholic" attempt to determine if he is liberal or conservative. CBS claims he is a "staunch conservative" based on the fact that, as correspondent Allen Pizzey put it, he "opposes abortion, supports celibacy, and called gay adoption discrimination against children," not to mention his opposition to faux marriage. Tingle Central's Chris Matthews said that the new pontiff is economically "progressive," which, if we were to be informed by actual statistics, should mean he wouldn't give one red cent to anybody. But none of these analysts will peg the pope...

WASHINGTON (CAP) - American Catholics this week, while generally happy with the newly elected Pope Francis, expressed disappointment that the new head of the Catholic Church insisted on espousing such Catholic views. A new study out of the Pew Research Center said that while 74 percent of American Catholics approve of Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio's appointment as pontiff, almost 60 percent wished he held different views on abortion, premarital sex, contraception and same-sex marriage. "Most respondents questioned why the pope has to be so darn Catholic, to use a phrase that came up over and over again," said Pew spokesman...

ay, 19 Mar 2013, 1:18 AM EDT GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Controversial author and former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville came out in support of marriage equality during a forum March 17 in San Francisco. During the forum at Grace Cathedral, an Episcopal church, Bell was asked about his position on gay marriage, and responded by saying, "I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think the church...

In a statement posted on the front page of their website, officials at the Green Street United Methodist Church said that they ask other churches to join in the movement to “refuse to sign any State marriage licenses until this right is granted to same- sex couples.” In the full version of their statement - publicly posted on their website – the church asks that services such as premarital counseling be offered to couples of all orientations, in addition to other couple-specific services.

Religious leaders attending the U.S. Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, organizers said.

How can we tell that the conclave made a good decision in elevating Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the papacy? Exhibit A (through at least D): liberals are annoyed. But leftists' problems with Pope Francis, well-emblazoned as they were within hours of the announcement, reveal some crucial truths about the Church that even many Catholics are loath to confront. When it came to Benedict XVI, the willfully uninformed chattering class had a field day -- rather, a field eight years -- with the thoroughly discredited "Nazi pope" meme. (We might call noted luminary and theologian Susan Sarandon the "Nazi ambassadrix" in...

SARASOTA (FOX 13) -Demonstrations took place across the United States and internationally to protest the male-only conclave to elect the next pope. Members of a church in Sarasota sent up their own smoke signals Tuesday -- not black or white, but pink.