Source: Asia News

http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=2098

On December 12, 2004 Asia News reported, "For John Paul II, the crèche still matters. Speaking before the Angelus, the Pope said that the scene of the Nativity of Jesus was not only 'part of our culture and art but also a sign of faith in God who, in Bethlehem, "made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14).' Boys and girls attended the traditional blessing in St Peter’s Square of the statue of the ‘...

Source: The State

Wire Service: AP

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/10386076.htm

On December 10, 2004 the Associated Press reported, "Balkan leaders on Friday agreed that strengthening regional dialogue was the only way to prevent the return of ethnic violence that wracked the region in the 1990s. Closing a two-day summit on ethnic and religious tolerance, the presidents of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria,...

Source: Yahoo News

Wire Service: AP

Source: Yahoo! News

Wire Service: Reuters

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4083005.stm

On December 9, 2004 the BBC News reported, "The Serbian Orthodox Church has filed a lawsuit against the UK, France, Germany and Italy for allegedly failing to protect its churches in Kosovo. Bishop Artemije of Raska and Prizren, who lodged the complaint, told Serbian media that the four nations had allowed ethnic Albanians to ransack churches. The state-run Politika paper quotes him saying dozens of Orthodox...

Source: Zenit

h ttp://w ww.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=63315

On December 9, 2004 Zenit reported, "Social integration of immigrants calls for finding 'the proper balance between respect for their own identity and recognition of that of others,' says John Paul II. The Pope proposes this in his message for the forthcoming World Day of Migrants and Refugees, to be observed Jan. 16, with the theme 'Intercultural Integration'... 'The way to take is the path of genuine integration with an open outlook that refuses to...

Source: The Mercury News

...

Source: Bloomberg

Source: The Washington Times

Wire Service: AP

http://www.washtimes.com/world/20041207-095551-3910r.htm

On December 8, 2004 the Associated Press reported, "Terrorists bombed two churches in Mosul yesterday, wounding three persons in a coordinated attack apparently aimed at stirring trouble among religious groups in the ethnically diverse northern city.     In Baghdad, U.S. soldiers arrested several people described as suspected...

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-me-botanicas6dec06,1,835053.story?coll=la-news-religion

On December 6, 2004 the Los Angeles Times reported, "on Sunday ... dozens of students, museum patrons and spiritualism enthusiasts ... listened to a panel discussion at UCLA's Fowler Museum of Cultural History on the practices and traditions of the priests and priestesses who offer their services...

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1206/p11s02-lire.html?s=hns

On December 6, 2004 The Christian Science Monitor reported, "A vote by the Presbyterian Church (USA) to use economic sanctions against certain companies doing business with Israel - namely those that profit from the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza - has set off a quiet firestorm within the American religious community. The Presbyterians' decision to consider...

Source: Portland Press Herald

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/viewpoints/mvoice/041205mainevoice.shtml

On December 5, 2004 Portland Press Herald reported, "every December, millions of Americans are busy not observing Christmas. Yet, they go through a dilemma that is as old as the first Christmas celebration in this country: They're left out of the big national party that celebrates a distinctly Christian event that also happens to be an official...

Source: AsiaNews

Source: Daily News Transcript

http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=46369

On December 5, 2004 Daily News Transcript reported, "the formerly innocent act of decorating the town square has inspired a new tradition of argument and litigation. In Norwood [MA], they've been fighting for years over a nativity scene that has long been placed in front of an elementary school. It won't be there this year both the law and common...

Source: CNS News

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=%5CCulture%5Carchive%5C200412%5CCUL20041202b.html

On December 4, 2004 CNS News reported, "a civil liberties organization has published a step-by-step guide to understanding what can and cannot be done to celebrate the holidays in public. The Rutherford Institute's 'The Twelve Rules of Christmas' was compiled because of a growing tendency among public schools and...