From KTNV in Las Vegas:  Parishioners are terrified after protesters have disturbed Mass at several Catholic churches across the valley. The group, Koosha Las Vegas, includes members who clearly identify themselves as former Muslims turned Christians. They’ve been entering churches during services, shouting at Catholics that they need to repent now or else, and filming the acts and posting them on the internet. The videos make clear the group has been active on the Las Vegas Strip and several other... Read more

Several weeks ago, we had a joint Clergy Convocation in the Diocese of Brooklyn, with the theme focusing on the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate. One of the speakers was Imam Khalid Latif, who may be familiar to many Americans as the Imam who sat next to Pope Francis during the interfaith ceremony at Ground Zero. He was a compelling and persuasive speaker — and he has quickly become one of the voices calling for prudence and a measure of sanity... Read more

Seriously? From the James Madison University newspaper in Virginia: Into Hymn, the only Christian a cappella group on JMU’s campus, was invited to sing at this year’s annual Unity Tree lighting ceremony hosted by the Student Government Association Friday. “We spent a lot of time and effort to prepare an arrangement of the song ‘Mary, Did You Know?’ and were excited as we were invited this year,” Michaela Kim, a senior education major and member of Into Hymn, said. However,... Read more

This strikes me as a pretty big deal: A statement by a group of Orthodox rabbis calls Christianity part of a divine plan in which God would have Jews and Christians work together to redeem the world. Although signed so far by 28 rabbis mostly from the more liberal wing of the most traditional branch of Judaism, the statement marks a turning point for Orthodox Jews, who until now have limited interfaith cooperation to working on social, economic and political causes. But this... Read more

The Los Angeles Times takes a look back at a newspaper whose stunning popularity fed into a virulent strain of anti-Catholicism in the early 20th century: The year was 1915, and the strange new newspaper in Aurora, Mo., had grown so quickly in its first four years that rail officials had to build extra tracks for all the paper and printing materials suddenly rolling into town. The Aurora post office, according to one account, more than tripled its staff to... Read more

Hate crime? Terrorism? Or just madness? Nobody seems to know. But this is happening just a few blocks from my home — I’ve seen the flames and heard the sirens, and it’s all deeply disturbing: Somebody has been burning down new homes in a New York City neighborhood populated by Bukharian Jews, and police aren’t sure whether the victims are being targeted for their religion, their architectural taste or for no reason at all. Over the past six weeks an arsonist... Read more

Sandro Magister speculates:  While waiting for Pope Francis to rule on communion for the divorced and remarried, which two synods discussed and split over, there is already a glimpse of the theme of the next synodal session: married priests. That married priests will be the next topic of synodal discussion can be gathered from various indications. The first indication is the evident intention of Pope Francis to implement the agenda dictated in 1999 by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, in a... Read more

From The Indianapolis Star: The Archdiocese of Indianapolis has settled a Syrian family in the city despite Gov. Mike Pence’s announcement that he would halt the settlement of refugees in the state. Catholic Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin announced Tuesday that the family of four arrived safely in Indianapolis on Monday night. The federal government, in part, sought to settle the family in Indianapolis because they already have family living here, said Greg Otolski, archdiocese spokesman. Pence has not changed his stance on stopping... Read more