The trip, planned for Nov. 28 to Dec. 8, is part of the ELCA bishops' initiative to support a churchwide strategy for engagement in the region, according to a news release.

The bishops plan to meet with United Nations representatives, visit and worship with local congregations, visit the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem, hold discussions at a synagogue, visit refugee camps and Hebron, a West Bank city where Palestinians and Israeli settlers reside.

They're debating Maj. Nidal M. Hasan's interpretation of Islamic teachings, theorizing that the religion prohibits Muslims from fighting in wars against other Muslims, as Hasan perceived the U.S. military to be doing, RNS reports. Instead, Hasan said the military should allow Muslim soldiers to be released as conscientious objectors. Read more at the jump.

The 145-93 vote favored the moderate Rhoades -- newly appointed to the Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend -- over Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, who is more conservative. Read more about the committee.

The groups make a claim "rarely heard in contemporary culture, that the duty of a judge, and of a society imposing judgment, is to make adequate provision for ... values" of mercy, forgiveness and passion, writes U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall.

The Fort Bend diocese is smaller than Harrisburg's geographically and in its number of Catholics, but it's home to the University of Notre Dame, widely considered the crown jewel of American Catholic education.

Rhoades, 51, was among the 75-plus U.S. bishops who condemned the university's decision to invite President Obama, who supports abortion rights, to speak at the school's commencement earlier this year -- which now-retired Fort Bend Bishop John D'Arcy skipped out of protest. Rhoades told reporters Saturday, "that's now in the past -- let's move to the future," according to the South Bend Tribune.

Catholic bishops are required to submit their resignation to the pope by age 75, and D'Arcy, 77, did so two years ago. Read more at the jump.

Pennsylvania's tax code allows exemptions only for "actual places of regularly stated religious worship." The county's assessment director says this condition isn't met when there's no regular worship.

The new policy could significantly affect the Catholic Diocese of Scranton, which is closing 45 churches and some schools in the county. Northampton and Carbon counties took similar steps, after which the Diocese of Allentown filed suit, claiming that the buildings should still be exempt from taxes under a provision forgiving taxes on charities.

The Rev. Joseph Tuscan, a priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Springettsbury Township, will celebrate the Latin Mass usually at 3 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month at St. Joe's and on the fourth Sunday at St. Mary's on George Street in York. Confessions at 2:30 p.m.

An exception is this weekend, when Sunday's Latin Mass will begin at 5 p.m. at St. Joe's.

In 2007, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades established an official "community" for Catholics who prefer the traditional Latin Mass. It meets weekly at St. Lawrence Chapel in Harrisburg.

Rhoades is in the running for the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

Also up for the seat is Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, who recently made headlines when he told former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (a Catholic and supporter of abortion rights -- now U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services) not to present herself for Communion.

The Rev. Charlie Gross, associate presbyter, has been acting as head of staff for the three-county Presbytery of Donegal since the departure of the Rev. Roger Uittenbogaard.

Cox-Holmes has served as associate general presbyter in the Presbytery of Kiskiminetas (based in Yatesboro, Armstrong County) for 15 years. She attended Earlham School of Religion, a Quaker seminary, and got her PhD in religion/psychology at Graduate Theological Union and her doctor of ministry from Dubuque Theological Seminary.

"Some of the only half-gruntled Anglicans have uttered some "not-so-fast!" or "count-me-out!" cautions. As one leader among them reminded, "there was a Reformation, you remember," as he spoke for those who knew that being received by Rome, even with gestures that would allow Anglican converts some liturgical and traditional free range, still demands a great doctrinal gulp. Converts would have to accept papal infallibility and, with it, the infallible doctrine (1950) of the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin and other teachings which long offended non-Roman Catholics."

-- The invitation extends to married clergy, so some church-watchers are wondering whether more people in the Roman Catholic Church will begin entertaining the possibility of married Catholic priests.

-- Because of a qualifier in the celibacy clause, some potential converts might be turned off by the idea.

What do you think? Anglican-Catholic conversions aren't new, but could this move hurt relations between the churches?

On Monday, the regional Catholic diocese is hosting a dialogue in Harrisburg about these issues. You can hear presenters including Monsignor John A. Radano, who recently served as staff member to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Rev. Dr. Cheryl M. Peterson, assistant professor of systematic theology at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.

"This is the 10th anniversary of the signing of the document on August 30, 1999, on Reformation Sunday," said Deacon Charles Clark of the Diocese of Harrisburg. "It marked a very significant turn for the better in Catholic-Lutheran relations."

Registration is $20 and includes lunch. For details, call Clark at 657-4804.

"It's really a national debate among people with a secular orientation about how far do we want to go in promoting a secular society through emphasizing the 'new atheism,' " says Stuart Jordan, an atheist who advises the evidence-based group Center for Inquiry on policy issues.

"And some are very much for it, and some are opposed to it on the grounds that they feel this is largely a religious country, and if it's pushed the wrong way, this is going to insult many of the religious people who should be shown respect even if we don't agree with them on all issues."