Julia Duin

Governor lets Va. troopers refer to Jesus

Virginia state troopers can again refer to Jesus Christ in public prayers. Republican Gov. Robert F. McDonnell late Wednesday lifted a restriction imposed by former Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kane in 2008.

April 28, 2010

U.S. Muslims urged to engage in culture

Tariq Ramadan, the Swiss-born Islamic scholar who was just allowed into the United States after a six-year ban instituted by the Bush administration, told American Muslims on Tuesday to get involved with all sectors of American society, instead of being "obsessed" with whether they're considered terrorists.

April 28, 2010

Chinese accused of vast trade in organs

China's hidden policy of executing prisoners of the forbidden quasi-Buddhist group Falun Gong and harvesting their organs for worldwide sale has been expanded to include Tibetans, "house church" Christians and Muslim Uighurs, human rights activists said Monday.

April 27, 2010

Linked cardinal replaced for high Mass

The Catholic bishop of Tulsa was tapped as a last-minute replacement to lead a massive Mass slated at the National Shrine after the original celebrant stepped aside after being linked to the church's clergy sex-abuse scandal.

April 23, 2010

Tulsa bishop to replace cardinal at Mass

Organizers of a massive Latin Mass slated for Saturday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception have chosen Tulsa Bishop Edward J. Slattery to oversee the ceremony, after the Colombian cardinal originally slated to preside stepped aside earlier this week after being linked to the church's clergy sex-abuse scandal.

April 22, 2010

Cardinal won’t lead Mass after scandal

A Colombian cardinal slated to be the main celebrant of a pontifical solemn high Mass Saturday has stepped aside because of security concerns after his name surfaced in the church's clergy-abuse scandal.

April 22, 2010

DUIN: Can wearing silk be a moral issue?

Silk is second nature to the Indian woman who dreams of that red sari she'll wear on her wedding day.

April 22, 2010

Cardinal asked to step aside at D.C. Mass

The main celebrant of a pontifical solemn high Mass on Saturday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception has been asked to step aside by organizers because of security concerns following reports he was linked to the Catholic Church's clergy abuse scandal.

April 21, 2010

Cardinal’s letter spurs protest in D.C.

A group of Catholic activists opposed to clergy sex abuse is demanding Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl intervene to prevent a Vatican official from celebrating a high Latin Mass this weekend.

April 21, 2010

Justices weigh case of clash of beliefs

The clash of religious freedom versus gay rights on college campuses came before the Supreme Court on Monday as lawyers for a Christian student group argued the group should not be forced to accept atheists or homosexuals into its leadership ranks.

April 20, 2010

Christians, Muslims almost equal in numbers in Africa

A continent once known more for witchcraft than worship has become a stronghold - and a flash point - for the world's two largest religions, the Pew Forum said in a survey released Thursday.

April 16, 2010

DUIN: What’s coming for charismatics?

I was in Tulsa last week with more than 9,000 people trying to figure out what the Holy Spirit will do in the 21st century.

April 15, 2010

Survey: Sub-Saharan Africa one of the world’s most religious places

A continent that was more known for tribal shamans than for steeples and minarets has, in just 110 years, become one of the world's most religiously devout regions, according to the Pew Forum.

April 15, 2010

Former Episcopal churches, diocese spar

A group of conservative former Episcopal churches tangled with the Episcopal Church and its Diocese of Virginia before the Virginia Supreme Court on Tuesday over a unique state law that awards property to congregations that bolt their parent denomination.

April 14, 2010

Baltimore archdiocese sues over pro-life signage

The Archdiocese of Baltimore has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the country's oldest crisis pregnancy center, claiming the city has enacted a biased ordinance that discriminates against pro-life organizations.

April 8, 2010

DUIN: Heeding a call to sacrifice it all

Sixty-five years ago at dawn on April 9, 1945, six men were marched naked to a gallows and hanged in the Flossenburg concentration camp in Bavaria.

April 8, 2010

Catholic pharmacy shutters in Virginia

DMC Pharmacy, a pro-life Catholic pharmacy that opened with much fanfare in Chantilly, Va., in October 2008, closed last month because of lack of funds.

April 7, 2010

Faith leaders impatient for freedom ambassador

Thirty religious leaders have sent a letter to the Obama administration asking the president why he has not appointed an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom after almost 15 months in office.

April 6, 2010

Catholic Mass revisions launch war of words

What some have called a "stem-to-stern" revision of the the ritual text for the celebration of the Mass has been in the works for eight years and has not come without controversy.

April 2, 2010

DUIN: New Bibles find niche crowds

This being Holy Week, it's the season for Bibles, judging from all the recent releases on my desk. Although there are already 7.5 billion copies distributed of the world's best-selling book, publishers are always looking for that new niche audience.

April 1, 2010