Rep. Charlie Wilson is one of a number of Democrats who is officially undecided about the final health care bill - but the St. Clairsville Democrat is giving off strong signals he is headed toward a "yes" vote. Wilson is scheduled to participate today in a conference call with "pro-life religious leaders" to say that "these leaders are encouraged that this historic piece of legislation upholds restrictions on federal funding of abortion, provides critical support for pregnant women and will cover more than 30 million uninsured Americans," according to the group Faith in Public Life, which is sponsoring the call....
When U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and his aides walked into Cardinal Daniel DiNardo's conference room at the Catholic Chancery one afternoon three weeks ago to talk about immigration reform, they were greeted by the archbishop, Lutheran Bishop Michael Rinehart and a dozen rabbis and clergy members from a variety of denominations. They were also greeted by about 6,000 postcards piled in stacks on the large conference table around which the group would sit.... At a time when anger is the currency of the political realm, much of it aimed at illegal immigrants, the religious leaders were saying to Cornyn that...
He's one of the best known religious leaders in the nation, President Obama's former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. His sometimes controversial, fiery sermons have lasted for hours at times... but when Wright was paired up with Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan and Catholic priest, Father Michael Pfleger, there wasn't much said. In fact, the three sat quietly together, in the audience at Chicago's historic Regal Theatre, as honorees for a fundraiser called "Living Legends, Educating 365". Several hundred people paid between $40-$100 for tickets to the show, and entered through doors with entrances separated for males and females. As...
Amendment passed in the Lords may leave clergy at risk of being sued for refusing to bless gay couples, it is claimed Church of England clergy will be sued for discrimination if they refuse to “marry” homosexuals under a proposed law, a bishop has warned. Other religious leaders fear that churches that refuse to bless civil partnerships might be forced to close. The Bishop of Winchester said the vote by peers to lift the ban on civil partnership ceremonies in religious buildings will blur further the difference between marriage and civil partnership. Since the change in the law signalled on...
Religious leaders are turning to postcards in their latest effort to push politicians to reform the country's immigration laws. Beginning later this month, pro-immigrant religious groups will begin delivering hundreds of thousands of the cards signed by parishioners to members of Congress. About 40,000 of those will come from the Houston area.
Lancaster Mayor Says Sorry for "Christian Community" Comment By Olsen Ebright NBCLosAngeles.com Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris has apologized for trying to grow a Christian community. During his State of the City speech on Jan. 27, the mayor said, "We are growing a Christian community, and don't let anybody shy away from that." That comment, supporting a ballot measure to authorize Christian-specific prayer at city council meetings, quickly attracted criticism and federal action. The Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a federal civil rights complaint on Friday. On Monday, the mayor held a news conference with various religious leaders to apologize,...
Soldiers from AustraliaÂ’s Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) conduct a medical clinic (MEDCAP) for the Chenartu villagers while more than 150 people gather for a shura.(Photo courtesy Australian Government Department of Defence) Courtesy Australian Government Department of DefenceThe Australian Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) with their Afghan partner force have facilitated a major gathering (shura) of village elders and religious leaders in Chenartu, north-east of Tarin Kowt, as part of their current focus on reaching out to Afghan communities across Uruzgan Province. During the meeting, village leaders and representatives were consulted to gain an understanding from the community of their...
Harriet Harman has backed away from a confrontation with religious leaders over who they can employ, making clear that she will not force contentious amendments to the Equality Bill through Parliament. Ministers were astonished on Monday when the Pope said that the Bill violated “natural justice” and urged bishops to fight it. But that attack, along with the strength of opposition in the Lords and the limited time left to get Bills passed before the election, has sapped the Government’s enthusiasm to continue the fight. Ms Harman, the Equalities Minister, has been engaged in a long dispute with churches and...
Afghan President Hamid Karzai left for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss his reintegration plan aimed at persuading Taliban militants to switch sides. Saudi Arabia was one of the few countries that recognized the Taliban regime before it was ousted in 2001 and Saudi leaders have acted as intermediaries previously. The U.S.-backed leader, who was heading a delegation that includes new Foreign Minister Zalmay Rasoul and key religious leaders, planned to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, then meet with King Abdullah. The two leaders will discuss Afghanistan, the region and possible "solutions for reconciliation," according to a statement from his...
The Georgian and Russian churches have long found themselves heavily involved in political antagonism affecting almost all segments of the broad divide between pro-Western Georgia and increasingly isolationist and irredentist Russia. During the war between the two countries in August 2008, the Georgians and the Russians as well as their respective churches defended national interests as Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia gave his full support to his nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the Russian Orthodox Church wasted no time to wholeheartedly subscribe to the official line of the Kremlin. In August 2009, one year after Russia’s military aggression against...
Thursday, March 18, 2010
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