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May 7, 2008 GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
McCain Vows to Push Religious Freedom
Juliet Eilperin/Washington Post (05/07/2008)
ROCHESTER, MI--Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) delved into issues of religious freedom and human rights Wednesday morning,
telling a crowd of several hundred supporters that policymakers need to confront the fact that "evil still exists in
the world." Speaking at Oakland University in a town hall meeting, McCain argued the federal government needs to be
more aggressive in pushing for greater religious freedom in foreign nations such as China and Iran; working to combat
human trafficking both domestically and abroad; and cracking down on illicit material on the Internet.
DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
Manifesto aims to make 'evangelical' less political
Cathy Lynn Grossman/USA Today (05/07/2008)
An "evangelical manifesto" being released today by a group of Christian scholars and theologians is expected to try
to take back the term "evangelical" from politics and return it to its theological roots.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
Mich. high court says gay partners can't get health benefits
David Eggert/Associated Press (05/07/2008: ap.google.com)
LANSING, Mich. — Local governments and state universities in Michigan can't offer health insurance to the partners of
gay workers, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The court ruled 5-2 that Michigan's 2004 ban against gay
marriage also blocks domestic-partner policies affecting gay employees at the University of Michigan and other
public-sector employers.
Court denies Islamic divorce
Nick Madigan/Baltimore Sun (05/07/2008)
Saying "I divorce thee" three times, as men in Muslim countries have been able to do for centuries when leaving their
wives, is not enough if you're a resident of Maryland, the state's highest court ruled yesterday. Yesterday, the
Court of Appeals rejected a Pakistani man's argument that his invocation of the Islamic talaq, under which a marriage
is dissolved simply by the husband's say-so, allowed him to part with his wife of more than 20 years and deny her a
share of his $2 million estate.
CONGREGATIONS AND FAITH GROUPS
Some fighting cell tower for this dead spot
Erica Noonan and Manny Veiga/Boston Globe (05/07/2008)
The cellular giant T-Mobile is seeking to build a soaring 100-foot-tall cellphone tower in a wooded patch at the edge
of the graveyard. The Archdiocese of Boston, which owns the cemetery, has approved the plan and agreed to lease the
spot to the company. The proposal - which still must be approved by Framingham's Zoning Board of Appeals - has
enraged the Cherry Street Neighborhood Association, a band of several dozen self-appointed guardians who say that
installing the planned tower and a surrounding 8-foot-tall fence violates the memories of people buried nearby.
Reorganization threatens to shutter New Orleans parish
Rick Jervis/USA Today (05/07/2008)
NEW ORLEANS — The faithful of Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church are not leaving quietly. Told last month that
their 121-year-old church may close as part of a massive post-Katrina reorganization of Catholic churches, Good
Counsel parishioners are writing letters, filing appeals and threatening lawsuits.
ARTS AND MEDIA
Pope goes digital to better connect with youth
Reuters (05/07/2008)
SYDNEY - Pope Benedict will text message thousands of young Catholics on their mobile phones during World Youth Day
in Sydney in July, hoping going digital will help him connect better with a younger audience. The Pope will text
daily messages of inspiration and hope during the six-day Sydney event while digital prayer walls will be erected at
event sites and the church will set up a Catholic social networking Web site akin to a Catholic Facebook.
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