Yahoo! News: Religion News

---

• Episcopal Church approves liturgy for blessing gay unions
• Episcopal Church approves same-sex blessing rite
• Nigerian Christian urges US action on Islamic group
• Vatican condemns "illicit ordination" in China
• After attacks, Kenyan Muslims guard Christian churches
• Episcopal Church To Offer a New Blessing for Gay Marriage
• Episcopalians set to be first big U.S. church to bless gay marriage

Episcopal Church approves liturgy for blessing gay unions Posted: 10 Jul 2012 04:55 PM PDT INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - The Episcopal Church approved a liturgy on Tuesday that clergy can use to bless same-sex unions, including gay marriages in states where they are legal, the first U.S. religious denomination to approve such a ritual. Delegates to the triennial convention of the 14th largest U.S. religious denomination approved a resolution establishing a liturgy to be used in such blessings. Episcopal bishops had voted to approve the resolution on Monday. ...

Episcopal Church approves same-sex blessing rite Posted: 10 Jul 2012 04:43 PM PDT The Episcopal Church has approved a churchwide ceremony for blessing same-sex unions.

Nigerian Christian urges US action on Islamic group Posted: 10 Jul 2012 01:57 PM PDT The leader of Nigeria's Christians called Tuesday on the United States to declare the Islamist group Boko Haram to be terrorists, but a US official said it was more important to address social inequalities.

Vatican condemns "illicit ordination" in China Posted: 10 Jul 2012 08:38 AM PDT BEIJING/ROME (Reuters) - The Vatican on Tuesday condemned the appointment of a Chinese Catholic bishop without its approval, hours after a source said one of Rome's own newly-ordained bishops had been detained in a seminary in China. In a move likely to strain already frayed relations with Beijing, the Vatican said it refused to recognize the ordination on July 6 of Reverend Joseph Yue Fusheng in Harbin, complaining his elevation by Beijing's state-run Church overseer had not been blessed by the pope and was therefore meaningless. ...

After attacks, Kenyan Muslims guard Christian churches Posted: 10 Jul 2012 08:34 AM PDT Kenyan Muslims are joining the police in protecting churches in the northeastern province where Christians have come under increased attack from suspected Somali Al Shabab Islamic militants.

Episcopal Church To Offer a New Blessing for Gay Marriage Posted: 10 Jul 2012 02:39 AM PDT The Episcopal Church has approved a new liturgy that allows priests and bishops to provide official blessings for same-sex marriages. The new rites were proposed and approved at the Church's Gneral Convention this week and could go into effect by the end of the year. Some local dioceses have allowed their priests to officiate at or bless same sex marriages in states where they are legal, but the new proposal offers official guidelines for Church members to follow.

Episcopalians set to be first big U.S. church to bless gay marriage Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:59 PM PDT INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - The U.S. Episcopal Church is poised to become the first major religious denomination in the United States to approve a rite for blessing gay marriages after its bishops overwhelmingly approved such a liturgy on Monday. The proposed blessing was agreed by the church's Chamber of Bishops at a meeting in Indianapolis and is expected to receive final approval from its House of Deputies later this week, Ruth Meyers, a chair of the Episcopalians' Subcommittee on Prayer Book, Liturgy and Church Music, told Reuters. ...

You are subscribed to email updates from Religion News Headlines - Yahoo! News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610