HEADLINES

Speakers of various faiths offer perspective on N.Y. mosque controversy
Jewish, evangelical and Catholic speakers, some with backgrounds in national security and interfaith relations, called the controversy over plans to build an Islamic community center and mosque a few blocks from ground zero in New York "contrived" and likely to help those who would recruit potential terrorists.

Latin American Symposium Focuses on a Christian Spirituality of Ecology
The participants reaffirmed their faith in a loving God, Creator of all that exists, who is the only Lord of the earth. He has entrusted this creation to human beings, faces of the qualities of their Creator, for its protection and cultivation.

Christian Leaders Welcome New Middle East Peace Talks
The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace joined 27 other Christian leaders in welcoming the renewal of direct peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders brokered by the United States.

Prayer: the key to healthy family life
Research by social scientists has produced a huge mountain of data showing that families with a strong religious commitment—in particular, families that pray together—are more successful in a wide variety of measurements: staying intact, obtaining a good education, avoiding crime, escaping poverty, etc.

Chance to win $500k for Catholic school creates national buzz
The opportunity for a Catholic high school in Nebraska to win $500,000 to help build a new kitchen is creating excitement and drawing voters from around the diocese, the city and Catholics of all ages across the nation.

Back to School: Non-Catholic Giving to Catholic Schools on the Increase
When Catholic schools in Boston, New York and Minneapolis open again in September, they’ll have financial contributions at their disposal, many from a surprising source — non-Catholics. Who are the philanthropists, and why do they give?

Bricks From Chapel Used in Memorial to Quake Victims
Some 800 bricks from a collapsed chapel at St. Louis King of France Parish now stand in a new memorial to Haitian earthquake victims.

Mexican bishops mark bicentennial with call for reconciliation
As Mexico began bicentennial celebrations of its independence from Spain, the Mexican bishops' conference issued a wide-ranging pastoral letter, calling for a national reconciliation of the centuries-old divisions over ethnicity, historical interpretations and the often-strained relationship between church and state.