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Marriage Equality Coming To Taiwan In Spite of Religious Objectors?; Anti-Gay Ruling Sought By Indonesian Islamists Threatens Women & Poor Couples; LDS Church Launches New ‘Mormon and Gay’ Site; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ame-sex conduct in Nigeria, the report found that the SSMPA, in many ways, officially authorizes abuses against LGBT people, effectively making a bad situation worse. The passage of the SSMPA was immediately followed by extensive media reports of high levels of violence, including mob attacks and extortion against LGBT people. Human rights groups and United Nations “TELL ME WHERE I CAN BE SAFE” 2 officials expressed grave concern about the scope t…

With the Pope at Ground Zero

By Anthea Butler

…prayers silently while looking at the south pool of the memorial. The 9/11 site has become not just a memorial or a museum—it is a pilgrimage. For families, it is a place where people lay flowers alongside their loved ones, or walk amongst a grove of beautiful trees. The roar of the water falling into the two craters left by the towers is a poignant reminder of both that day’s destruction and the endless tears that have flowed since that day. Many…

Francis Visits the Church that John Paul Broke

By Patricia Miller

…umber of marriages within the church has declined by nearly half. Only the number of Catholic funerals has held steady. And while the number of Catholics overall has remained level, that’s largely due to Hispanic migration to the US; some 40 percent of those born Catholic have left the church. But numbers don’t tell the whole story. The church Francis will encounter is fundamentally different in character from the church of John Paul in two import…

Why are Nuns and Monks in the Streets? (Parts I & II)

By José Cabezón

…ten have an “unofficial” monastic population that can be up to half of the official number of resident monks—a kind of waiting list. Although residents of the monasteries, where they work and study, these unofficial monks and nuns have little status and no real privileges in these institutions. (For example, they are not allowed to receive a share of monetary contributions made to the clergy by the laity.) Whereas monks and nuns used to be the one…

Is the Bible Too Holy to Be Tennessee’s State Book?

By Adam Shapiro

…identity. The religious nature of the text aside, adopting the Bible as an official state book also entangles Tennessee’s identity with a specific interpretation of its history. The fight over official public memorials of American history has intensified, especially in the South—with activists calling out the valorization of Confederate relics without acknowledgement of the role that racism and slavery played in that history. The same concern is p…

US Archbishop and Vatican-Appointed “Overseer” Attends Annual Meeting of Women Religious

By Emily Baxter

…nference rooms aside, it is possible to read between the lines of both the official and unofficial messages that slipped out of the LCWR conference: The sisters were uncompromising—perhaps still feel betrayed by Rome—and Sartain offered a sort of double-message, emphasizing both dialogue and submission. The Archbishop addressed the Sisters during mass on Wednesday and focused on obedience and submission to God. He did not directly address the cont…

In the Aftermath of the “Himalayan Tsunami”

By Luke Whitmore

…ds, and bridges. It is too early to know how many people have died but the number will probably be in the thousands. The numbers may be low compared to global-scale disasters of recent years, but there is a wrenching poignancy to what is happening in Uttarakhand right now. Many of the forces that frame daily life in South Asia are suddenly on display like a raw wound: the wages of development and globalization, the power of the natural world, divi…

Christian Founder of Online Dating Site Wants to Ease Gay Pain

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…Finance, the 78-year-old Christian co-founder and CEO of the online dating site eHarmony, said being gay or lesbian “has been a painful way for a lot of people to have to live.” But, he’s ready to pony up $10 million “and ask other companies to put up money and do a really first-class job of figuring out homosexuality.” I’m so glad that Warren is so concerned with my “pain” and is ready to start “figuring out” homosexuality. Never mind that scienc…

Free Arabs: Satire, Disobedience, and Disclaimers

By Nabil Echchaibi

…er political and individual rights, and narrow social expectations. The website describes its work as “a unique combination of investigative journalism, trendy reporting, arty activism, and impertinent satire”—all enshrined in the site’s slogan: “Democracy, Secularism, Fun.” There is no doubt that Free Arabs executes its mission with skill and creativity. Investigative reports cover the war in Syria, human rights violations in Bahrain, stalled pol…

Muslim Mickey Mouse Tweet as Egyptian Wedge Issue

By Joseph Hammond

…edible liberal party in Egypt’s upcoming general elections. At Wednesday’s official launch of the party, the FEP came out swinging at the Muslim Brotherhood’s new FJP, accusing its rival of “political fraud.” On Friday, fresh protests across Egypt showed that many Egyptians continue to seek expedited prosecutions of former members of the Mubarak regime. In Alexandria, the FEP took a visible role in providing tents wired with internet access to med…