Thrifty Faithful Hurts U.S. Churches: Survey

"Donations to churches have fallen for the second consecutive year and as the economy recovers slowly religious leaders are hoping a thrifty faithful is not the new normal - at least when it comes to giving."

Scandal Tests Catholics’ Trust in Leadership

"As the sexual abuse scandal sweeps through the Roman Catholic Church in Europe and the United States, there are few places where dismay and confusion among worshipers strikes as deep a chord as here in Armagh, seat of the embattled cardinal whose fate has become closely entangled with the widening controversy facing Pope Benedict XVI."

'Christian Warriors' Allegedly Plotted Attack on Cops

"Nine suspects tied to a Christian militia that was preparing for the Antichrist were charged with conspiring to kill police officers, then kill scores more by attacking a funeral using homemade bombs, federal prosecutors said Monday."

Pope Accused of Failing to Act on Sex Abuse Case

"Pope Benedict XVI has been accused of failing to act on complaints from two archbishops in the US about a priest who allegedly abused 200 deaf boys."

Evolutionary Scientist Wins Templeton Prize

"Fransisco J. Ayalaa, a former Catholic priest who as an evolutionary geneticist has long argued that science and faith are compatible yet separate, won the Templeton Prize, one of the world's most prestigious religion prizes."

Education, Faith and a Likelihood to Wed

"The higher the level of education, the more likely people were to wed, and the less likely they were to live together. More than 60 percent of people with a college degree or higher were married. Religion also played a role. Among white men, 55 percent of those who said religion was 'very important' were married, compared with 35 percent of those for whom it was 'not important.'"

Report: Catholic Clergy Abuse Claims Drop in US

"While the Roman Catholic church in Europe reels from a widening sex abuse crisis, the scandal that has plagued the U.S. church for nearly a decade is tapering off, a report released Tuesday says."