Church Bodies

On Tuesday, Catholic cardinals gathered for the last Mass before they retire behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel as they discuss and deliberate who will lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, led the 115 cardinals during Tuesday's Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and called for unity in a Church that has recently been marred by divisive figures and explosive allegations.

"Each of us is therefore called to cooperate with the Successor of Peter, the visible foundation of such an ecclesial unity," Cardinal Sodano said. He added that the new pope has to "tirelessly promote justice and peace." more >>

As the College of Cardinals continues to determine the next bishop of Rome, some are looking toward the prophecies of Michel de Nostredame as indicators that the church leaders will be electing the last pope.

According to believers in Nostredame, whose latinized name is Nostradamus, the 16th century French physician and soothsayer, wrote that the second to last pope would "flee Rome in December when the great comet is seen in the daytime."

According to Carol Grisanti of NBC News, this astronomical phenomenon can be connected to the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. more >>

An ex-Satanist who is now a Christian and oversees a ministry that reaches out to occultists believes that American society is "submerged in the occult."

Jeff Harshbarger, head of Refuge Ministries and author of the book Dancing With the Devil, told The Christian Post in an interview that characteristics of occult belief are commonplace in American culture.

"Our society is submerged in the occult; Harry Potter has filled the minds of our children for a decade and vampirism meets our teens with the illusions of grandeur. Witchcraft went mainstream decades ago, and Wicca is its offspring," said Harshbarger. more >>

The Executive Committee of the Baptist World Alliance met this week to discuss several matters, including that of its ongoing dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church.

Eron Henry, associate director of communications for the Baptist World Alliance, told The Christian Post that the report on the dialogue has still not been finalized. "The report of the dialogue between Baptists and Catholics will be available for public consumption after it has been formally accepted and approved by the BWA General Council in July," said Henry.

"Both the BWA and the Vatican are in the process of approving, adopting or ratifying the report. Until that is done it cannot yet be deemed to be an official document." more >>

Members of a Jewish advocacy organization founded in 1906 have written a response to an editorial by The New York Times supporting a bill that would provide FEMA aid to houses of worship.

Bobby Lapin, chairman of the American Jewish Committee's legal committee, and Marc D. Stern, general counsel for the AJC, wrote a column published Wednesday regarding the matter.

"Disaster relief is an expression of social solidarity with victims, not a sophisticated method of transferring responsibility for sustaining religious institutions from the collection plate to the tax collector, the core point of separating church and state," wrote Lapin and Stern. more >>

A group of survivors of sexual abuse by clergy have identified 12 cardinals who are currently a candidate for pope in the Roman Catholic Church that have the worst history when it comes to responding to child sex abuse claims.

SNAP, the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, told media on Wednesday that it was basing its list on news reports, legal filings and victims' statements.

"The single quickest and most effective step would be for the next pope to clearly discipline, demote, denounce and even defrock cardinals and bishops who are concealing child sex crimes. We think that's the missing piece," said SNAP Executive Director David Clohessy. more >>