OBAMA-RELIGIOUS CHARITY
Obama cites religious mandate to help the poor
WASHINGTON (AP) β President Barack Obama says religious groups are at the forefront of helping the poor, but sometimes give more priority to other issues.
The president took part in a panel discussion Tuesday that was part of a Catholic-Evangelical summit at Georgetown University.
Obama acknowledged his differences with religious groups on abortion and same-sex marriage, but said they all should agree on the need to help the poor. He suggested that for many Christians, the issue of alleviating poverty “is oftentimes viewed as a ‘nice to have’ relative to an issue like abortion.”
The president said Pope Francis, on the other hand, “has been transformative through his sincerity and insistence” that helping the poor “is vital to following what Jesus Christ, our Savior, talked about.”
Obama said he looks forward to hearing the pope reiterate that message when he visits the U.S. in September.
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281-a-11-(President Barack Obama, in panel discussion at Catholic-Evangelical summit)-“same-sex marriage”-President Barack Obama says all Christians should agree on the need to help the poor. (12 May 2015)
< 279-a-05-(President Barack Obama, in panel discussion at Catholic-Evangelical summit)-“issue like abortion”-President Barack Obama says churches sometimes don’t give their highest priority to helping the poor. ((cut used in wrap)) (12 May 2015) < 278-w-32-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with President Barack Obama)–President Barack Obama says religious groups are at the forefront of helping the poor, but sometimes give more priority to other issues. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (12 May 2015) < 280-a-09-(President Barack Obama, in panel discussion at Catholic-Evangelical summit)-“know their stories”-President Barack Obama says religious groups are at the forefront of helping the poor. (12 May 2015) < US RELIGION SURVEY Study: More Americans say they’re atheist, agnostic NEW YORK (AP) β A new Pew Research Center survey of religious affiliation finds that a growing number of Americans don’t believe in God. Pew researchers say the number of Americans who don’t affiliate with any particular religion has grown to 56 million in recent years. While that category includes some who still believe in God or consider themselves “spiritual,” the new study also found substantial increases in those who say they’re atheist or agnostic. The Rev. Russell Moore, who guides public policy for the Southern Baptist Convention, found the results indicative of people’s willingness to be more open about their beliefs. In a blog posting, Moore says, “We do not have more atheists in America. We have more honest atheists in America.” Secular groups also have become increasingly organized to counter bias against them and keep religion out of public life through lawsuits and lobbying lawmakers. Pew researchers found that more than 70 percent of Americans identify as Christians, but that’s down about 8 percent from 2007. They say the Christian losses were driven by decreases among liberal Protestants and Roman Catholics. Pew found 13 percent of U.S. adults are former Catholics. Sound: 284-a-14-(The Reverend Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, in AP interview)-“riddance to them”-The Reverend Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, says he believes more Americans are willing to admit that they’re atheists. (12 May 2015) < 282-w-30-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with the Reverend Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission)–A Southern Baptist leader is questioning a new Pew Research Center survey that finds that a growing number of Americans don’t believe in God. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (12 May 2015) < 283-a-05-(The Reverend Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, in AP interview)-“atheists in America (second reference)”-The Reverend Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, says he thinks more Americans are willing to admit that they don’t believe in God. (12 May 2015) < 285-a-08-(The Reverend Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, in AP interview)-“at the time”-The Reverend Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, says Christianity can still thrive in a secular culture. ((cut used in wrap)) (12 May 2015) < 286-a-12-(The Reverend Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, in AP interview)-“a free fall”-The Reverend Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, says the study wasn’t bad news for all churches. (12 May 2015) < 174-c-12-(Rachel Zoll, AP religion writer)-“about a lot”-AP religion writer Rachel Zoll reports the study has implications for political debate. (12 May 2015) < 172-c-21-(Rachel Zoll, AP religion writer)-“atheist or agnostic”-AP religion writer Rachel Zoll reports more than a fifth of Americans consider themselves completely secular. (12 May 2015) < 171-c-15-(Rachel Zoll, AP religion writer)-“over 20 percent”-AP religion writer Rachel Zoll reports a new survey finds the percentage of Americans calling themselves Christian has dropped from the high 70s to the low 70s. (12 May 2015) < GAY RIGHTS-RELIGIOUS RIGHTS Some LGBT residents critical of Utah antidiscrimination law SALT LAKE CITY (AP) β A Mormon church-backed antidiscrimination law that protects gay and transgender people and religious rights has taken effect amid skepticism from some LGBT residents. Gay rights groups pushed for an antidiscrimination law for years and finally succeeded this year with a legislative deal that won the crucial backing of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The law that took effect Tuesday makes it illegal to base employment and housing decisions on sexual orientation or gender identity. It was hailed as landmark legislation. But LGBT residents say it still allows discrimination because religious organizations and their affiliates β such as schools and hospitals β are exempt. One example they cite is Brigham Young University, which is owned by the Mormon church and can still evict people from student housing for being gay. That exemption also applies to the 1,400 landlords the university contracts with for off-campus housing. CONSERVATIVE CONFERENCE-UTAH Conference coming to Utah to promote ‘natural families’ SALT LAKE CITY (AP) β With the support of the governor and the Mormon church, a conservative organization has promoted its upcoming international conference in Utah as a mecca for supporters of the natural family created by God. Leaders of the World Congress of Families told reporters in Salt Lake City that the foundation of good and moral societies is made up of families led by a man and a woman. Janice Crouse, the conference executive director, said same-sex families and LGBT advocates are welcome at the event, scheduled for Oct. 27-30 in Salt Lake City. But national and local LGBT advocacy groups don’t plan to attend, and they aren’t happy Utah was chosen for the conference. A group called Restore our Humanity held a news conference Tuesday on the steps of the Utah Capitol, where they said the conference will infuse discrimination and bigotry into the community. NY-EDUCATION TAX CREDIT NY Gov. Cuomo calls for $150M education tax credit plan NORTH HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) β New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing tax credits of up to $500 for low-income families who enroll their children in private schools. The Democratic governor announced the measure Tuesday at an event on Long Island where he was joined by Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Cuomo also wants the state to offer tax credits for private donations to public schools and scholarships for students from low- and middle-income families who attend either private schools or public schools outside of their local district. The governor says the measure is intended to help parents make the best educational decisions for their children. Cuomo wants lawmakers to pass the measure this year. The proposal would also give public school teachers a tax credit of up to $200 a year for classroom supplies. Sound: 291-a-15-(New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, at news conference)-“that are working”-New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan says the tax credit would help everyone. (12 May 2015) < 290-a-09-(Governor Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., at news conference)-“it’s about opportunity”-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says low-income families should be eligible for tax credits to send their children to private schools. (12 May 2015) < 292-a-10-(New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, at news conference)-“to our children”-New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan says Catholic parents aren’t the only ones who could take advantage of the tax credit. (12 May 2015) < PREGNANT TEACHER FIRED Church: Fired pregnant teacher can’t sue for discrimination HELENA, Mont. (AP) β Attorneys for a Roman Catholic Diocese and a Catholic school say a Montana teacher fired for having a baby out of wedlock was a ministerial employee who can’t sue for discrimination. Former Butte Central teacher Shaela Evenson accuses the school and diocese of pregnancy discrimination, sex discrimination and breach of contract for her 2014 firing. Attorneys for the school and diocese have responded that a religious exemption in federal law prohibits discrimination claims from being filed by ministerial employees. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says ministerial employees perform essentially religious functions. Evenson taught literature and physical education to middle-school students. But the school and diocese say the exemption applies because she also led a class prayer and attended Mass. VATICAN-CLIMATE-POOR Pope: God will judge on care for Earth and the poor VATICAN CITY (AP) β Pope Francis has warned the rich and powerful that God will judge them on whether they fed the poor and cared for the Earth. Francis’ delivered the warning Tuesday during a Mass for the Vatican’s charity federation. It was his latest exhortation ahead of the release of his eagerly-awaited encyclical on the environment, which is expected sometime next month. He said: “We must do what we can so that everyone has something to eat, but we must also remind the powerful of the Earth that God will call them to judgment one day, and there it will be revealed if they really tried to provide for him in every person and if they did what they could to preserve the environment so that it could produce this food.” Francis’s concern for the poor was cited by President Barack Obama Tuesday during a Catholic-Evangelical forum at Georgetown University. Obama said Francis “has been transformative through his sincerity and insistence that this is vital to who we are. This is vital to following what Jesus Christ, our Savior, talked about.” VATICAN-LIBERATION THEOLOGY Liberation theology founder praises Vatican’s ‘new climate’ VATICAN CITY (AP) β The founder of the once-criticized liberation theology has praised the “new climate” at the Vatican under Pope Francis that has focused the church’s attention on serving the poor. Peruvian theologian the Rev. Gustavo Gutierrez made his first appearance at an official Vatican press conference Tuesday. It was a remarkable moment given that the Vatican spent much of the past few decades cracking down on individual priests and the Marxist excesses of the Latin American-inspired theology advocating the church’s preferential option for the poor. Gutierrez stressed that the Vatican never condemned liberation theology as a whole. But he acknowledged that it had engaged in “very critical” dialogue with its proponents and that there were “difficult moments.” HIDDEN CEMETERY In Detroit, Jewish cemetery survives within GM auto plant HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (AP) β Michigan’s historic Beth Olem Jewish cemetery is surrounded on all sides by General Motors’ Detroit Hamtramck Plant. To maintain the automotive plant’s security, public access to the cemetery is limited to a couple days a year β typically Sundays nearest to the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Passover β and some special requests. This year, the opening around Passover was postponed a month until this past Sunday, when a few dozen people showed up. The 2.2-acre, 1,100-grave Jewish cemetery with burials ranging from the late 1860s to the late 1940s has survived through historical quirks. The biggest was an agreement ironed out about 35 years ago to preserve the cemetery when GM got Michigan Supreme Court approval of its contentious bid to demolish roughly 1,500 homes and businesses, several churches and a hospital so it could build a new plant. Given the passage of time and infrequent access, cemetery officials say curious visitors with no connection to the deceased outnumber descendants. CAMBODIA-US-STATUE RETURNED Cambodia welcomes home 10th century statue of a Hindu god PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) β Cambodia has welcomed home a 1,000-year-old stone statue of a Hindu god that was looted from a temple during the country’s civil war and spent the past three decades at an American museum. The sculpture of Hanuman, a Hindu monkey god, was formally handed over Tuesday at a ceremony in Phnom Penh attended by government officials and the director of the Cleveland Museum of Arts, which acquired it in 1982. Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister praised the museum for returning the statue and called on “the world to follow the example of returning plundered treasures.” The Hanuman is the sixth ancient “blood antiquity” returned to Cambodia in recent years. Others have come from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses and the Norton Simon Museum.
