Although Pope Benedict follows John Paul II in his devotion to conservative Catholic renewal groups carrying out the “new evangelization,”–from Opus Dei to the Legion of Christ — it is particularly the Italian-based movement, Communion and Liberation (CL) that has inspired the current pontiff. The Tablet (June 17) reports that CL’s influence on the pope, then Joseph […]

Among post-communist countries, Eastern Germany has the lowest level of church affiliation and an unexpected persistence of rituals devised during the communist period as a substitute for Christian ones. However, this may be changing: in various parts of the former communist region of Germany as the Jugendweihe, or “youth consecration,” has experienced a decline of […]

The attempted terrorist attacks in Canada in May revealed a small but radical segment of disaffected yet “homegrown” young Muslims in the country, reports the Christian Science Monitor (June 6). The planned massive terrorist attacks using powerful explosives were to be carried out by 17 males, including five juveniles, targeting Canadian buildings and institutions. Terrorism experts see […]

The Pensacola revival lives on only in memory as the church and leaders that hosted the phenomenon have moved on or burned out, reportsCharisma magazine (July). The Pensacola revival, starting in 1995 and based at the Brownsville Assembly of God in that city, drew hundreds of thousands of people to its ecstatic services. The revival, which […]

The denominational conventions held so far this summer have not yielded dramatic results. But elections in the Episcopal and Southern Baptist bodies and rulings passed in the Presbyterian Church (USA) do signal shifts and impasses that will likely become more visible in the months ahead. The choice of Katherine Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop of […]

In May, beside 150 male imams, 50 female preachers graduated in Morocco after a 12-month long training course. While only males will continue to act as imams (i.e. to lead congregational prayer), female preachers (murshidat or guides) will especially turn their efforts toward women and children. They are expected to focus on poor classes in […]

The release of the Da Vinci Code did not cause much of an uproar in the U.S. or Europe, but the reaction and protests among Christians in the developing world were much stronger. The New York Times (May 21) reports that in the U.S., “many churches regarded the [film] as a threat, but chose to try to […]

Catholicism and capitalism have struck up a close relationship in Poland, thanks largely to American influence, reports The Tablet (May 20). Jonathan Luxmoore and Jolanta Babiuch write that “freemarket, neoliberal ideology” has prevailed in ruling circles in the church, often providing a unique interpretation of papal encyclicals. The writers cite a recent report noting that U.S. free-market […]