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ROBERT SCHULLER-MEMORIAL

Public memorial held for the Rev. Robert Schuller

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) β€” Hundreds of people have attended a memorial service for the Rev. Robert H. Schuller outside the cathedral he built in Southern California.

Schuller died on April 2 after a battle with cancer. He was 88.

The memorial was held on a plaza at what was formerly Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral in the heart of Orange County and is now a Roman Catholic cathedral. The service was followed by a private burial on the cathedral grounds.

Schuller’s daughter, Gretchen Penner, said her father taught her to love all kinds of people, and to believe in a God who is bigger than any problem or trial.

Schuller started preaching from the roof of a concession stand at a drive-in movie theater in California in 1955. He began the televised “Hour of Power” in 1970.

In recent years, Schuller faded from view amid a disastrous leadership transition and declines in viewership and donations that forced the ministry to file for bankruptcy.

Sound:

246-w-34-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Gretchen Penner, daughter of the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, and the Rev. Dan Chun)–Hundreds of people have attended a memorial service for the Rev. Robert H. Schuller outside the cathedral he built in Southern California. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (20 Apr 2015)

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248-a-09-(The Rev. Dan Chun, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, at memorial service)-“and be healthy”-The Rev. Dan Chun, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, says the Rev. Robert H. Schuller delighted in serving others. (20 Apr 2015)

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247-a-10-(Gretchen Penner, daughter of the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, at memorial service)-“to love it”-Gretchen Penner, daughter of the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, says she learned a lot from her father. (20 Apr 2015)

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249-a-11-(The Rev. Dan Chun, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, at memorial service)-“can ever imagine”-The Rev. Dan Chun, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, says the cathedral Schuller built is surpassed by what’s in heaven. (20 Apr 2015)

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EAGLES-TEBOW

Eagles sign quarterback Tim Tebow to 1-year contract

PHILADELPHIA (AP) β€” The Philadelphia Eagles have signed quarterback Tim Tebow to a one-year contract, giving the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner his first shot in the NFL since the Patriots cut him before the 2013 season.

The team announced the deal Monday but did not disclose financial terms.

Tebow hasn’t played in the NFL since 2012 with the New York Jets. He worked as a television analyst last year. But the 27-year-old player is still highly popular, with many fans following him because of his strong Christian beliefs.

Tebow had some success in his two seasons with the Denver Broncos, including a playoff win over Pittsburgh in January 2012, but struggled with accuracy. He was known for running the ball and improvising.

ALABAMA-ISIS RECRUIT

Family spokesman: Alabama woman leaves to join ISIS in Syria

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) β€” A spokesman for a Muslim couple in Alabama says their 20-year-old daughter fled a Birmingham suburb to join ISIS militants in Syria after being recruited on the Internet.

Attorney Hassan Shibly spoke at a Birmingham mosque on Monday on behalf of the parents of the young woman, whom he identified only as Hoda.

Shibly said Hoda left in November after being “brainwashed” for an undetermined length of time. He says the woman’s actions go against the family’s wishes and against the teachings of Islam.

The spokesman added that Hoda’s family has been in contact with U.S. law enforcement and government officials since she disappeared.

Members of the Birmingham Muslim community were meeting on Monday evening to discuss how to protect other children from the influence of violent extremists.

TERROR-PROFILING OR PREVENTION

Where US sees terror prevention, some Muslims see profiling

MISSION VIEJO, Calif. (AP) β€” An Obama administration effort to fight violent extremism is alarming some Muslim leaders and community groups.

The Countering Violent Extremism program was detailed at a White House summit in February but is largely a repackaging of work being done already in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Boston. It’s officially being tested in those three cities and will roll out more broadly if success is seen.

It is led by federal law enforcement officials and uses outreach to try to prevent extremism from taking root.

But the program is creating suspicion among some American Muslims and others who fear it is profiling disguised as prevention and worry it could compromise civil liberties and religious freedoms.

Law enforcement leaders say outreach is separate from intelligence gathering.

ISLAMIC STATE

Ethiopians shocked by Islamic State killings

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) β€” Many in Ethiopia are reeling from the news that Ethiopian Christians were killed in Libya by the Islamic State group, which over the weekend released a video purporting to show the killings.

Ethiopian officials and grieving family members say the victims were planning to go to Europe by boat from Libya but were captured and then killed by the Islamic extremists.

Ethiopia’s government on Monday declared three days of mourning in the predominantly Christian country.

The 29-minute video, released online on Sunday by the extremists, shows more than two dozen captives in Libya being shot or beheaded by militants. In the video, a masked fighter delivers a long statement warning Christians that they won’t be safe until they “embrace Islam.”

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Dairi denounced the killings and offered his condolences to the victims’ families.

Dairi, on a visit to Indonesia, said his government needs international help to retake parts of Libya controlled by terrorists and traffickers smuggling migrants to Europe.

Sound:

158-a-13-(Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed al Dairi (dah-EE’-ree), in AP interview)-“country is appalling”-Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed al Dairi condemns the beheading of captive Ethiopian Christians carried out by Islamic State extremists. (20 Apr 2015)

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160-a-08-(Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed al Dairi (dah-EE’-ree), in AP interview)-“effort against terrorists”-Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed al Dairi urges the U.N. Security Council to implement a resolution that would equip Libya with the adequate weaponry to fight terrorism. (20 Apr 2015)

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159-a-08-(Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed al Dairi (dah-EE’-ree), in AP interview)-“families in Ethiopia”-Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed al Dairi expresses his solidarity with Ethiopia after the brutal killing of Ethiopian nationals by Islamic State militants. (20 Apr 2015)

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VATICAN-US-SAINT

Vatican goes on offensive to defend US Hispanic saint

VATICAN CITY (AP) β€” The Vatican is mounting a campaign to defend an 18th century Franciscan missionary who will be canonized by Pope Francis in the U.S. against protests from some Native Americans.

The Vatican is teaming up with the archdiocese of Los Angeles to host a daylong celebration May 2 at the main U.S. seminary in Rome to honor the Rev. Junipero Serra, who introduced Christianity to much of California as he marched north with Spanish conquistadors.

For the church, Serra was a great evangelizer and a model for today’s Hispanics. Many Native Americans, though, say Serra helped wipe out native populations, enslaved converts and spread disease as he brutally imposed Christianity.

Vatican officials on Monday denounced moves to remove Serra’s statue from Congress, saying the historic record shows he defended Native Americans.

PRESSLER-REID-MORMON

Harry Reid helps former senator join Mormon church

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) β€” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has helped a former U.S. Senate colleague become a Mormon.

Reid, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave a blessing to Larry Pressler of South Dakota on Sunday to confirm him as a member of the faith.

The Deseret News reports that the ceremony was held at a Maryland church.

Pressler, 73, served as a Republican for two terms in the U.S. House before serving three terms in the Senate from 1975 to 1997. In 2014, he ran again for Senate as an independent but lost to Republican Mike Rounds.

Pressler says he was introduced to the church when Reid gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and he later discussed it with church member Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

SUPREME COURT-SYNAGOGUE LAWSUIT

High court won’t hear appeal in Connecticut synagogue suit

WASHINGTON (AP) β€” The Supreme Court won’t hear an appeal from a Connecticut commission that was accused of religious discrimination when it rejected plans for a synagogue in 2007.

The justices on Monday left in place a lower court ruling that said Chabad Lubavitch (khah-BAHD’ loo-BAH’-vich) of Northwest Connecticut could challenge the decision under a federal law barring government interference in religious exercise.

Chabad Lubavitch claims its right to freedom of religion was violated when the Litchfield Historic District Commission decided that a proposed 17,000-square-foot addition to an 1870s Victorian house to create a new synagogue was too large.

A federal judge threw out the case, but the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year that the lawsuit could go forward.

Chabad Lubavitch is a Hasidic movement within Orthodox Judaism.

RELIGIOUS DIVORCE-COERCION

Jury finishes 2nd full day without verdict in divorce trial

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) β€” Jury deliberations will continue in the federal case of an Orthodox rabbi accused in New Jersey of using brutal tactics to force unwilling Jewish men to divorce their wives.

The jury concluded its second full day of deliberations on Monday. They asked for a transcript of the testimony given by Rabbi Aryeh Ralbog, who was granted immunity by federal prosecutors.

Rabbi Mendel Epstein faces charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and attempted kidnapping with his son and two other Orthodox rabbis. Prosecutors say the rabbi’s team used brutal methods and tools, including handcuffs and electric cattle prods, to torture the men into granting divorces.

The defense has acknowledged that some crimes may have been committed but says the 69-year-old Epstein was not part of a kidnapping conspiracy.

ITALY-OBIT-TOAFF

Longtime Rome rabbi who welcomed John Paul II dies at 99

ROME (AP) β€” Elio Toaff, the longtime chief rabbi of Rome who helped set Judaism and the Catholic Church on the path to reconciliation after centuries of distrust, has died at the age of 99.

Rabbi Toaff died Sunday and Rome’s main synagogue immediately opened its doors for those wishing to pay their respects.

Toaff took a historic step on the path of reconciliation when he welcomed St. John Paul II on the first-ever papal visit to a synagogue in 1986.

Toaff’s willingness to engage in interfaith dialogue made him a privileged partner in the Vatican’s efforts to reach out to Jews and other religions, and he was one of only two living people mentioned in John Paul’s will when the pontiff died in 2005. The other was the pope’s personal secretary.