Note: Registration or subscription to the host news sites may be required to read some of the stories linked here.

Stories about the Nova Scotia bishop and his resignation:

Bishop resigns from N.S. diocese that settled sex abuse lawsuit for $13 million
Bishop Raymond Lahey, named to the position in 2003 by Pope John Paul II, is a Newfoundland native who once served as a professor of theology at Memorial University in St. John's. Ronald Martin, whose brother wrote a suicide note in 2002 that led to charges of sex crimes against a priest from the diocese, filed a class-action lawsuit last year against the organization.
Canadian Press, September 27

N.S. archdiocese shocked by bishop's arrest on pornography charges
A bishop based in Nova Scotia has been charged with possessing and importing child pornography, just weeks after his diocese reached a $15-million settlement with people who said they were abused by priests as children. Raymond Lahey, 69, resigned from his post with the Roman Catholic diocese of Antigonish on the weekend before news of his arrest became public knowledge on Wednesday.
Canadian Press, September 30

Bishop facing child porn charges quits
A prominent Roman Catholic bishop praised for his compassion and humanity in dealing with victims of sexual abuse in Nova Scotia now faces charges related to child pornography.
National Post, October 1

Nova Scotia Catholic bishop faces child porn charges
Recently retired clergyman had been overseeing settlement of priest sex abuse claims
CanWest News Service, October 1

Bishop surrenders to Ottawa police on child porn charges
A Nova Scotia bishop facing child-pornography charges turned himself in to Ottawa police on Thursday. Raymond Lahey, 69, arrived at police headquarters after a Canada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest.
Canadian Press, October 1

Bishop surrenders to police
A Nova Scotia bishop facing child pornography charges has entered the Ottawa police station with two lawyers, including Michael Edelson. He made no comment as he stepped out of a Porsche SUV and entered police headquarters.
Globe and Mail, October 1

Stories about the Salvation Army's controversial anti-prostitution campaign:

Salvation Army in battle over prostitution
A campaign to help victims of human trafficking stirs controversy and allegations of fear mongering
Globe and Mail, September 15

Sex trade workers decry Salvation Army posters
Graphic images wrongly portray them as slaves, they say
Vancouver Sun, September 25

Salvation Army's human trafficking campaign blasted by B.C. sex worker groups
The Salvation Army is standing by its controversial campaign against human sex trafficking, despite claims from prostitution advocates that the images depicting women in violent situations further marginalize trafficking victims and insult those who've entered the sex trade by choice.
Canadian Press, September 25

Earlier: Sex-trading and the Olympics

Stories about the Christians protesting the Calgary Zoo's elephant statue:

Christian group wants 'religious' statue out of zoo
A dancing elephant statue at the Calgary Zoo has kicked up controversy after a Christian group condemned the figure as an inappropriate religious icon. Zoo officials say they have no plans to replace the Ganesh statue -- which has stood near the elephant enclosure for at least two years -- despite calls for its removal from Concerned Christians Canada.
Calgary Herald, September 26

The value of celebrating Blasphemy Day
Last week also bore witness to one of the strangest examples of religious grievance one will ever encounter. The statue welcoming visitors to the Calgary Zoo's elephant exhibit has drawn the wrath of Concerned Christians Canada (CCC).
Rob Breakenridge, Calgary Herald, September 29

Stories about the 60th anniversary of Chinese communism:

Church in China survived 60 years of Maoism
While the country was in turmoil, the security service used the building as a jail, saving it for future worshippers
Globe and Mail, September 25

The great failure goes on
In a century chock full of dark days, Oct. 1, 1949, stands among the worst. The bloodshed of two world wars, the horror of the Holocaust, the rise of totalitarian fascism and communism, the detonation of atomic bombs, the enslavement of half of Europe behind the Iron Curtain -- surely this was enough for the first half of history's bloodiest hundred years? Alas, no. The creation of the People's Republic of China on this day 60 years ago was a sign at the century's midpoint that the bloodshed was not about to stop.
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, October 1

Stories about Bountiful and the polygamy court case:

Back to the drawing board in Bountiful
Prosecute polygamists for their crimes, not their lifestyle
Chris Selley, National Post, September 25

Women Speak Out Against Polygamy
A woman who grew up in a polygamous family and lived for 28 years in a polygamous marriage says she's shocked and saddened to learn Canada has quashed an opportunity to put polygamy on trial.
Patricia Paddey, Holy Post, National Post, September 25

Bountiful misconceptions
Community's women not powerless, researcher says
Brian Hutchinson, National Post, September 26

Bountiful needs a critical assessment
This marriage is one of the many monogamous unions in Bountiful. While the community has always accepted monogamy, it seems to be emerging as a more popular practice among younger people. Looking around a church service on a Sunday morning (a space where most community members convene,) I saw many clusters that looked like two-spouse nuclear families. Beyond monogamous marriage, one can also find other "mainstream" conjugal practices: cohabitation, separation, divorce and, in one known case, same-sex marriage.
Angela Campbell, Full Comment, National Post, September 26

Earlier: Stories about the quashing of the polygamy court case

Stories about Anglicans and Anglicanism:

Bishops invite everyone to church
Anglican clergy extend all-welcome message outside Union Station
Toronto Star, September 25

Commuters greeted by beckoning bishops
A sight more commonly saved for Sunday, or not at all, greeted commuters leaving Union Station yesterday morning: Anglican bishops in their ecclesiastical vestments welcoming them with a smile.
National Post, September 25

Anglican Bishops at Union station
Anglican Bishops of the Toronto Diocese are seen outside Union station inviting commuters back to church.
Globe and Mail, September 25

Too much change losing the faithful
Now, far be it from me to get involved in the affairs of the Anglican Church. But some humble advice: it's not about change. It's about how much you've already changed. It's not that the Anglican Church isn't being inclusive enough, or progressive enough. It reached that point a long time ago, and it's alienated a large amount of its core base of followers in the attempt to continue along that path.
Walker Morrow, Ottawa Citizen, September 25

Earlier: Stories about Anglicans from around the world

Stories about the Dalai Lama and the Peace Summit in Vancouver:

Compassion for our fellow human beings is the key to happiness
One great question underlies our experience, whether we think about it consciously or not: What is the purpose of life? I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affects this.
The Dalai Lama, Vancouver Sun, September 25

Why a Peace Summit? Here are its three key goals
Women's advancement, social responsibility and global compassion are overlapping aims of the historic event
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, September 25

The global case for compassion
Acclaimed British religious affairs commentator Karen Armstrong has a high profile in the West. But she is even more famous in some Muslim-dominant countries. "I'm far more well-known in Pakistan than in England. In Pakistan people recognize me in the streets," said Armstrong, who will be in Vancouver on Sunday as part of the Dalai Lama's Peace Summit and to speak about her new Charter for Compassion.
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, September 25

In search of happiness and a sense of purpose
With the Dalai Lama, several Nobel Peace Prize winners and such wise women as Karen Armstrong (The Case for God) and Jane Goodall either in Vancouver or headed our way, now is a good time to consider books for the soul.
Rebecca Wigod, Vancouver Sun, September 25

Exploring the nature of reality
Given the different interests of scientists and Buddhists, then, it might be surprising to learn that some practising scientists are also practising Buddhists, and that the Dalai Lama himself has a longstanding interest in science.
Peter McKnight, Vancouver Sun, September 26

Debauchery, and the art of keeping the faith
It's easy to surmise, from the beatific smile he wears along with those comfy orange robes, that the Dalai Lama might well enjoy a glass of fine wine at the end of a long day fulfilling his duties as a peacekeeping Tibetan monk and spiritual rock star. It wouldn't be unheard of, either, because even though intoxication is technically verboten for Buddhists, there is some fine print among the basic precepts of the faith that allows a little leeway amid all that meditative deprivation.
Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun, September 26

Tibetan spiritual leader says technology gets in the way of peace
Even as he used the technology of a tiny microphone attached to his ear and watched his friend Archbishop Desmond Tutu speak from South Africa via video, the revered spiritual leader expressed concern about how technology may be eliminating compassion.
Canadian Press, September 27

Behind scenes at Peace Summit - Report 1
I had the pleasure of talking this Sunday morning with some of the most interesting and (let's face it, famous) humanitarians and spiritual teachers in the world. I have been granted special permission to hang out backstage for the next few days with the participants in the historic Vancouver Peace Summit, featuring the Dalai Lama, which begins today and runs through to Tuesday.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, September 27

Eckhart Tolle: Behind scenes at Peace Summit - 2
Well-known Vancouver spiritual writer Eckhart Tolle, author of the bestselling Power of Now, was talking about how long he had known his wife, Kim Eng. Backstage at the Chan Centre, as Tolle waited to go on stage with the Dalai Lama, Matthieu Ricard and other well-known teachers, he and Eng told me they'd they'd known each other at least 10 years, but been married not quite so long.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, September 27

Flirting Dalai Lama - behind scenes at Peace Summit (3)
The Dalai Lama, a Buddhist monk, was flirting with women at a private lunch today at the University of B.C. I swear it. At a luncheon for 120 B.C business leaders, activists, politicians and philanthropists that was closed to other media, the Dalai Lama spontaneously walked to the microphone to say a few words. It's when his mischievous side came out.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, September 27

Forcing compassion? Behind scenes at Peace Summit (4)
One of the world's most famous writers about world religions, Britain's Karen Armstrong, was sitting in the dark backstage at UBC's Chan Centre Sunday, while several female Nobel peace laureates were out in front of a full audience talking about compassion with the Dalai Lama. Minutes earlier Armstrong, author of many books on everything from Mohammed to the Crusades, had announced to the audience the upcoming Nov. 12 launch of her Charter for Compassion.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, September 27

Dalai Lama promotes compassion
Buddhist leader also calls for increased emphasis on women attaining power
Vancouver Sun, September 28

Nobel laureates' talk turns personal
Growing up in 1950s Northern Ireland, Betty Williams was a stubborn, strong-willed child, exasperating her mother so much that the elder Williams took daily notes of her daughter's misdeeds to present to her husband upon his return from work. Williams, one of three Nobel Peace Prize laureates speaking with the Dalai Lama in Vancouver Sunday, recalled her exhausted mother once pleading with her husband to discipline their child.
Vancouver Sun, September 28

Continue article >>

Be aggressive in the cause of peace
Although the Dalai Lama, Eckhart Tolle and Karen Armstrong aren't necessarily everyone's spiritual cup of tea, you wouldn't have known it Sunday as throngs of enthusiastic British Columbians and others turned out to welcome them with adoring arms.
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, September 28

BC youth rally counts governor general, Dalai Lama among celebrity crowd
A star-studded lineup more befitting an awards show than a youth empowerment festival invaded Vancouver Tuesday, as thousands of students and some influential celebrities gathered to mark We Day.
Canadian Press, September 29

Dalai Lama's message fits busy, liberal society
Private parties even more popular than tickets to the Vancouver Peace Summit
Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun, September 29

Dalai Lama, Blue Men, Mormons and red noses
It truly was a colourful moment, in the literal and metaphorical sense. It occurred backstage this Tuesday morning at the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit in the Orpheum Theatre. It was when the Dalai Lama and Matthieu Ricard, dressed in their burgundy Buddhist monk's robes, met the deeply blue Blue Man Group -- and the Nobel Prize physicist Murray Gell-Man poked into the talk circle wearing a glowing red nose.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, September 29

Dalai Lama and Blue Man Group on meaning of "blue"
I just found out at lunch why the Dalai Lama and members of The Blue Man Group were laughing so hard when they met backstage at The Orpheum Theatre during the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, September 29

When a "God-king" is late and an ex-PM pinches your cheek
With the Dalai Lama running 45 minutes late for the Tuesday afternoon Vancouver Peace Summit dialogue, the first lady of California, Maria Shriver, was growing a tad worried, along with Victor Chan and the rest backstage at the Orpheum theatre.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, September 29

'Good chemistry' between Jean, Dalai Lama
Governor-General Michaelle Jean held a private meeting with the Dalai Lama here yesterday, an event likely to rankle Chinese leaders who consider the Tibetan Buddhist leader a separatist determined to achieve the independence of Tibet from China.
Globe and Mail, September 30

Dalai Lama calls for a century of peace
Tibetan spiritual leader speaks to youthful crowd at a packed Vancouver hockey arena
Globe and Mail, September 30

Leading the way to social change
Throngs of young people hear messages of peace and ideas to improve the world
Vancouver Sun, September 30

Dalai Lama gets cowboy hat at Calgary conference
The Dalai Lama has been welcomed to Calgary with a time-honoured Western tradition -- the placing of a white cowboy hat on his head by the city's mayor.
Canadian Press, September 30

Generation Fix meets its mentors
Had you inadvertently wandered into GM Place at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, you would be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled into a rock concert. That's because We Day -- part of the Vancouver Peace Summit and presented by the Free the Children organization -- had all the makings of a raucous rock 'n' roll fest.
Shelley Fralic, Vancouver Sun, September 30

Education paves the road to women's equality
Peace summit's closing session points way to more inclusive future
Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun, September 30

Beyond the 'circus,' some serious intentions
What happens when the spiritual "circus" leaves town? That's what I was wondering after a photographer called the Dalai Lama's 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit a bit of a "circus." But he didn't mean "circus" in a negative way, which I appreciated.
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, September 30

Dalai Lama says the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are failures so far
The Dalai Lama says the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are failures so far, but it's too soon to tell if there will be positive outcomes in the end. Speaking to reporters in Calgary, the Tibetan spiritual leader said some military interventions, such as the Second World War and the Korean War, have had overall positive effects.
Canadian Press, October 1

Earlier: Stories about the Dalai Lama's upcoming visit to Vancouver

Stories about Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins:

The book itself
The "Year of Darwin" continues, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species, and 200th of the ineffable Charles himself. We have now survived three-quarters of it, and are feeling all the fitter for the experience.
David Warren, Ottawa Citizen, September 27

Dawkins' evolving defence of Darwin
He was asked, of course, about his struggle with the anti-evolutionists. Years ago, he established himself as the dedicated enemy of fundamentalists and those who promote a belief in "intelligent design," the idea that God worked out every detail of life on Earth before pushing the button that started billions of years of evolution. Mr. Dawkins isn't at the moment slanging all religionists, as he did three years ago in The God Delusion, an attack of such unrelenting vehemence that it seemed likely to arouse sympathy for Christian fundamentalists in even the coldest atheist heart. Mr. Dawkins knows that many ecclesiastical eminences, from the Pope to the Archbishop of Canterbury, accept evolution, even if they don't announce their views as often or as enthusiastically as Mr. Dawkins might like.
Robert Fulford, National Post, September 29

Earlier: Stories about science and religion

Stories about Jews and Judaism:

High time to 'wash away sins'
Jews get in the holiday spirit by flocking to city's bodies of water and performing custom of Tashlich
Toronto Star, September 26

The Jewish enemy within
Here's a first for me: a citation from the Koran in support of an historically unhappy truth about my people. Surah 59:14 says of the Jews: "There is much hostility between them: Their hearts are divided." Nothing has the power to divide Jewish hearts like Israel, daily proof of which appears in the news.
Barbara Kay, National Post, September 30

Earlier: Stories about the United Church and the controversy over Israel

Other stories from the past week:

Moscow roared ... Washington listened
Much was made last week of the decision by U. S. President Barack Obama to mark the 70th anniversary of the Red Army's invasion of Poland by announcing that the United States was scrapping the missile defence system it was deploying in Czech and Polish territory. But the anniversary -- likely overlooked by the administration rather than chosen as a deliberate provocation to staunch allies -- did usefully highlight a central question of European politics these last hundred years. Do the smaller nations of Europe somehow belong to the larger, imperial ones?
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, September 25

Food bank shelves running bare
Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank is calling on the public to help put food on the tables of people in need.
Toronto Star, September 26

Fasting is a form of worship
For the non-religious, abstaining from certain foods a way to cleanse the body
Vancouver Sun, September 26

Healing powers of prayer, spirituality
Studies show that expressions of faith, no matter what the belief system, can be therapeutic for some
Vancouver Sun, September 26

Meditation can induce long-lasting changes in brain function, scientist says
Richard Davidson believes mental exercise will be as important as physical exercise by 2050
Vancouver Sun, September 26

The New Christian
The reissuing of a biography is a rare event in the publishing industry. It may happen if there is a special anniversary or, more likely, if the subject has recently died and the author is obliged to hurriedly scribble an updated final chapter. Seldom, though, because the person is suddenly immensely popular or because they are likely to be made a saint. This, however, is the case with John Henry Newman -- a prince of the Roman Catholic Church -- and this book by Ian Ker, a prince amongst biographers.
Michael Coren, National Post, September 26

A match made in heaven
Hollywood and God have always had a passionate relationship
Katherine Monk, CanWest News Service, September 26

A compelling journey to the heart of the unseen
The movie gives viewers a glimpse of something never filmed before: The Holy Mosque from the air
Katherine Monk, Vancouver Sun, September 26

Music hath charms, but can it save the world?
Popular music and culture are rife with religious symbolism and public displays of social activism, but you have to look hard to find a legitimate spiritual message in the music or the actions of the stars. The Beatles travelled to India in their search for meaning, but their studies with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ended badly and little if any of his teaching infused their music. To find a band that does have a spiritual message, look to U2.
Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun, September 26

Elder-care images don't meet reality
Western and Eastern cultures are not as far apart as you might think in treatment of seniors
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, September 26

A Witness account
The boy was just five years old and desperately ill, but as he crouched in the back seat of Donna Ryder's car, he became more fugitive than cancer patient. Police in New Brunswick were already out looking for the child when, according to Ms. Ryder, she hid him and his mother in her Dodge Omni and drove them to Fredericton, away from children's aid officials who might have forced the son of Jehovah's Witnesses to accept a blood transfusion.
National Post, September 28
Earlier: Stories about Jehovah's Witnesses and blood transfusions

Obama should say 'No thanks, not this time'
With a little unwitting help from the Roman Catholic Church, I am going to argue in the notes that follow that President Barack Obama should say "no thanks, not this time" to General Stanley McChrystal's proposal, presented this weekend, to deploy an additional 40,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
Brian Topp, Globe and Mail, September 28

Filling the pews ... with paws
Doggy treats and bowls of water will be available at a monthly church service that will allow canines. It's to 'recognize their value,' the minister says
Montreal Gazette, September 29

Why I became a Catholic
My religious upbringing in Toronto was casually Protestant. My family was divided between atheism and agnosticism, and I followed rather unthinkingly and inactively in those paths into my 20s.
Conrad Black, National Post, September 29

Christian faith and Christian slaughter
John Wilson's novel about two young men who follow different paths is unflinching in its criticism of the Medieval Catholic Church
Mark D. Dunn, Globe and Mail, September 29

Blessing takes a back seat to flu fears
There is a new casualty in the battle to combat the spread of the H1N1 flu virus: holy water. In parishes from Edmonton to Quebec City, churchgoers are being advised that holy water fonts -- traditionally kept near the church entrance, where parishioners can dip their fingers in and bless themselves before entering a pew -- should remain empty during the flu outbreak.
National Post, September 30

Teens plead guilty to murder conspiracy
Planned shooting rampage at schools, church
Winnipeg Free Press, September 30

Wildly popular exhibit has real bodies, real issues
When the controversial Body Worlds exhibition first came to Toronto in 2005, the Ontario Science Centre expected mass demonstrations and complaints from those morally opposed to seeing dead people on display.
Toronto Star, September 30
Earlier: Body Worlds draws large crowds - and controversy

Does a Canucks' loss ruin your day? Take a time out
I'm convinced a big part of the Canucks' remarkable success in attracting fans has to do, paradoxically, with how the province is one of the most individualistic regions in North America. According to Canadian pollsters such as Reginald Bibby, British Columbians are among the most likely on the continent to distrust institutions, value individual freedom and follow a do-your-own-thing ethos. In such a fragmented culture, I believe many British Columbians yearn for some acceptable way to bond with one another.
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, October 1

October 1/2009