Source: Macleans.ca

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/news/shownews.jsp?content=n041059A

On April 10, 2005 Macleans.ca reported, "Hundreds of same-sex supporters hooted, sang and clapped their hands to a choir singing Chapel of Love at a boisterous rally Sunday that saw Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other religious leaders calling for the right to perform gay and lesbian marriages.

The rare union of various faiths was one of five gatherings...

Source: The Associated Press

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3172872

On April 9, 2005 The Associated Press reported, "an interfaith group that originally asked to be included in a National Day of Prayer ceremony at Troy City Hall says it's backing out. The group says the reason is that the National Day of Prayer Task Force is an exclusively Christian organization. The interfaith group also includes Hindus, Muslims, Jews and members of other religions. An...

Source: Los Angeles Times

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/04/09/when_islam_clashes_with_womens_rights/

On April 9, 2005 The Boston Globe reported, "nearly two weeks ago, Amina Wadud, an African-American activist and a professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, deliberately broke with Islamic tradition by leading a mixed-gender prayer service in...

Source: The Times

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,20709-1561066,00.html

On April 9, 2005 The Times reported, "It was truly a global funeral. In the Asian evening, the European and African morning and the American small hours, tens of millions were glued to television screens — from giant ones in parks to tiny satellite receivers in China, where state broadcasters ignored it all...In France, Europe’s biggest Roman Catholic nation, thousands...

Source: The Toledo Blade

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050409/NEWS10/504090376

On April 9, 2005 The Toledo Blade reported, "The unprecedented sight of dozens of spiritual leaders of the world's diverse religious groups gathering in Rome for a papal funeral testified to Pope John Paul II's lifelong efforts to promote interfaith dialogue and harmony, according to a leading scholar on religious pluralism...John Paul II achieved...

Source: Beliefnet

Wire Service: RNS

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/164/story_16425_1.html

On April 8, 2005 the Religion News Service reported, "The American Jewish Congress (AJC), an advocacy group, has launched a campaign to counteract an effort by some church groups divesting from companies that do business in Israel. The divestment effort, which has been spearheaded by the Presbyterian Church (USA) and other church groups that are...

Source: Yahoo! News

Wire Service: AFP

Source: The Hindu

Wire Service: PTI

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200504082029.htm

On April 8, 2005 the Press Trust of India reported, "Religious leaders from all communities today came together under one banner in the national capital to offer prayers for the late Pope John Paul II, who they said was the greatest proponent of communal harmony. While maulvis chanted verses from the holy Quran, a Hindu priest recited the...

Source: The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/08/international/worldspecial2/08france.html

On April 8, 2005 The New York Times reported, "France may be a predominantly Roman Catholic country, but it is also officially secular, with separation of church and state one of its most sacred tenets.

So while the death of Pope John Paul II has brought widespread mourning, there has also been pressure on the French Republic not to...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/07/Opinion/A_better_retirement_f.shtml

On April 7, 2005 the St. Petersburg Times printed a letter to the editor by Ahmed Bedier, Central Florida director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Tampa, in which he expressed condolenses for the death of Pope John Paul II. Bedier wrote, "On behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim community, I would like to...

Source: Appeal-Democrat

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/2005/04/07/news/top_story/news1.txt

On April 7, 2005 the Appeal-Democrat reported, "Yuba-Sutter's Sikh community provided further proof Wednesday that respect for the late Pope John Paul II extends far beyond the Catholic church. The Sri Guru Nanak Sikh Temple...held a memorial service for the pope and invited members of Yuba City's St. Isidore Catholic Church. A photo of John Paul...

Source: CNW Group

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2005/06/c2922.html

On April 6, 2005 CNW Group reported, "Under Pope John Paul II, the Roman Catholic Church has used poverty as 'a tool for proselytizing,' an interfaith 360 Vision panel discussion heard this evening. Hindu and Sikh panelists argued that the Church has focused on aiding the destitute of Asia and Africa because it seeks to win converts in those parts of the world. At the...

Source: Hindustan Times

Wire Service: AFP

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1308584,00050003.htm

On April 6, 2005 the Agence France-Presse reported, "The Sikh Federation of Britain paid tribute on Tuesday to Pope John Paul II, signalling its gratitude for his support of Sikhs during the past 20 years. The pope's expression of 'great sadness' at the Indian army assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984, was an example...

Source: The Detroit News

Wire Service: AP

http://www.detnews.com/2005/religion/0504/06/A04-141579.htm

On April 6, 2005 the Associated Press reported, "Muslims across Metro Detroit are expressing sadness and concern at the death of Pope John Paul II, who, they say, transcended the boundaries of different faiths and brought many Christians to a greater understanding of Islam. Many said they are saddened by the loss of a great...