“This Pope is a Brazilian!”
While Francis’s visit to Brazil threatens to be overshadowed by his comments on gay priests uttered…
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Is New Pope’s Take on the Poor All That New?
As Francis heads to Brazil, is the new pope signaling a shift away from John Paul-era “conservative restoration” or is this simply a return to JP’s image-conscious conservative populism?
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Forget History Channel’s The Bible, Meet Omar
In the US half the books on Islam are devoted to telling you what’s wrong with it. Where is the serious literature by thoughtful Muslims engaging their faith? That may take some time, but for now, take a gander at a 30-part series on the Prophet Muhammad’s father-in-law.
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Suspicion of the Modern Age: The Pope Regresses
Called to the carpet for the decision to reinstall controversial bishops, the Vatican has taken to doing what it does best: issuing public statements, coupled with obfuscation and outright denial.
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Talmud on Trial: Interfaith Dialogue in the 13th Century
We tend to assume that interfaith dialogue is automatically a good thing, and that the best way to learn about another religion is to study its texts and its official positions. The Paris trial challenges both.
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No Virginia, There’s No “Clash of Civilizations”
In a book geared toward the general reader, scholar Anne Norton confronts Islamophobia in the West and argues against the persistent notion that Islam and the West are locked in a cosmic battle.
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The Pope Is Not the Church
Catholic Christianity has a long tradition of being shaped from the margins.
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The American Media’s Longterm Ambivalence About the Papacy
No matter whose name eventually emerges from the fog of smoke over the Vatican this week, it’s safe to say his face will soon grace the cover of Time. Just under the wire for Holy Week, the traditional season of religiously themed magazine covers.
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The Papal Prayer Machine
With Twitter, there is just the right mix of calculable dissemination and mystery. You know who has retweeted or favorited your prayer, but what of the followers of the followers of the followers who follow you who did not retweet or favorite but may have read and been affected by your prayer?
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What Color is Vatican Smoke?
While I do not doubt that there are certain similarities between apartheid (as well as US segregation) and the exclusion of women from Roman Catholic ordination, and while I can believe that Fresen’s feelings about these two injustices are similar, it is not ethically acceptable to say that they are “just the same.”
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