Christianity

Pope Begins Turkish Mosque Visit

November 30, 2006

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6158811.stm

Pope Benedict XVI has visited one of Turkey's most famous mosques in what is being seen as an attempt to mend relations with the Muslim community.

During his tour of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the pontiff paused in silent prayer alongside senior Muslim clerics.

It marks only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship.

Earlier, the Pope visited the nearby Hagia Sophia...

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Pope Shifts Focus to Christian Rights

November 30, 2006

Author: Scott Rank and Stacy Meichtry

Source: Beliefnet

Wire Service: AP

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/205/story_20503.html

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Pope Benedict XVI joined an Islamic cleric in prayers under the towering dome of Istanbul's most famous mosque Thursday in a powerful gesture seeking to transform his image among Muslims from adversary to peacemaker.

The pope's minute of prayer was carried out in...

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Muslim Students in Rome see Learning as a Two-way Street

November 28, 2006

Author: Tracy Wilkinson

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-students28nov28,1,6960986.story?coll=la-headlines-world

ROME - When Zeinep Ozbek told her parents how she planned to pursue her education, they were shocked.

Not only was the young Muslim woman about to leave her native Turkey, she was venturing into a strict traditional bastion of...

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Allure of Islam Signals a Shift Within Turkey

November 28, 2006

Author: SABRINA TAVERNISE

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/world/europe/28turkey.html

ANKARA, Turkey — A short 24 hours before a visit by Pope Benedict XVI to this Muslim country, its prime minister finally agreed to meet him publicly. The venue: the airport, on the Turkish leader’s way out of town.

A pedestrian street in Istanbul, where women in miniskirts and head scarves mingle. Turkey...

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Singapore may Host World Meeting of Religious Authorities

November 22, 2006

Source: Yahoo! News

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/061122/5/singapore242623.html

By this time next year, Singapore could be a platform where leading international religious authorities come together to seek and promote greater understanding of each other's faith.

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong personally discussed this possibility with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone at the Vatican City on Monday.

The suggestion of an...

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"Spirit of Assisi" Unites Young in Prayer

November 20, 2006

Source: Catholic News Service

http://www.cathnews.com/news/611/111.php

Prayer for peace needs to be heard in synagogues, churches, mosques, pagodas and gurudwaras as well as in schools, workplaces, homes and "most importantly in our hearts", say young people who met for the 20th anniversary of the Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi.

Zenit reports that about 45 young from 29 countries and belonging to Hindu, Taoist, Buddhist, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Zoroastrian, Sikh, Bahai,...

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Christian Pressure Kills off Bias Ban

November 19, 2006

Author: Jeremy Roberts

Source: The Australian

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,20787618-949,00.html#

The South Australian Attorney-General has admitted dropping a planned ban on religious-based discrimination from a new law because of fears from Christians they would be prevented from converting non-Christians.

Muslim leaders and legal experts have condemned the decision to drop the ban, arguing that laws were...

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Leader Warns Turks Ahead of Pope's Visit

November 19, 2006

Source: Beliefnet

Wire Service: AP

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/204/story_20469_1.html

The spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians cautioned Turks in an interview published Sunday against creating potential "unpleasant incidents" during Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming trip to Turkey.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said in an interview published in the Sabah newspaper Sunday that the pope's Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 trip was a...

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Concession E-Mail To Hindu Sen.: 'Know Jesus'

November 16, 2006

Author: Mary Tan

Source: wcco.com

http://wcco.com/local/local_story_320195110.html

Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, a practicing Hindu, was re-elected in District 50 last week on the Democratic ticket, netting 63 percent of the vote. But rather than placing a call to concede the race, his Republican opponent Rae Hart Anderson instead offered him an e-mail concession that he said read like an attempt to convert his religious beliefs.

"To get a sermon is...

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