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 Mother Teresa and Princess Diana together in New York in 1997, months before they died.
April 28th, 2011
05:10 PM ET
Strange confluence of Catholic and royal events continues this weekendBy Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor (CNN) - Have you heard about the historic event this weekend that's drawing hundreds of thousands to one of Europe’s leading capitals for a long day of pageantry? No, not Friday’s royal wedding in London. I’m referring to Sunday’s beatification of Pope John Paul II in Rome. It’s hard to deny that international media coverage of William and Kate’s nuptials is overshadowing preparations for Sunday’s beatification, the last step before sainthood. A spokesman for the BBC said he didn't know how many of its personnel will be on hand for Sunday’s beatification but estimated that 550 BBCers are covering Friday’s wedding festivities: "It's likely to be the most watched event of the century so far.”  Thousands of Coptic Christians protested outside the Egyptian state broadcasting office for nine consecutive days in March.
April 28th, 2011
03:33 PM ET
Religious freedom watchdog group adds Egypt to violator listBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor Washington (CNN) - Egypt has been added to a list of countries named as the worst violators of religious freedom for the first time, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom announced Thursday in releasing its annual report. "The Egyptian government engaged in and tolerated religious freedom violations before and after President Hosni Mubarak stepped down on February 11, 2001," the commissioners wrote in the report. They cited violence toward religious minorities in Egypt including Coptic Christians and non-majority Muslim groups. "Since February 11, religious freedom conditions have not improved and attacks targeting religious minorities have continued," the report said.  Workers set up a giant photo of John Paul II at Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City on Wednesday, April 27.
April 28th, 2011
03:26 PM ET
Rome prepares for beatification of John Paul II(CNN) - More than a million people are expected in Rome this weekend for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, the biggest event in Vatican City since his death six years ago. Hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful will gather in St. Peter's Square to witness the ceremony, the penultimate step towards John Paul II's sainthood.
April 28th, 2011
10:46 AM ET
Underground Christians fear China crackdownBy Jo Ling Kent, CNN Beijing, China (CNN) - This calm denim-clad 28-year-old identifies herself only as Water, based on the Chinese characters that make up her first name. She has been deemed an enemy of the state, an unlikely label for a petite and well-educated woman who eschews violence and confrontation. Here in China, Water is living her life in fear, under the close watch of the Chinese government for practicing Christianity at Beijing's underground Shouwang Church. She requested her Chinese name not be published for safety reasons. Read the full story From left, Tony Hall, Ritu Sharma, David Beckman and Jim Wallis at the announcement of their hunger strike.
April 28th, 2011
09:09 AM ET
As faith coalition for the poor grows, so does conservative oppositionBy Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor Washington (CNN) - A coalition of Christian groups opposing budget cuts for the poor is growing - and so is the conservative media’s backlash against the group. It began a few weeks ago when a group of Christians took out a full-page advertisement in Politico asking, “What would Jesus cut” as it relates to the federal budget. The movement grew to include a hunger strike during Lent spearheaded by Jim Wallis of Sojourners, David Beckmann of Bread for the World, Women Thrive Worldwide co-founder Ritu Sharma and former congressman Tony Hall.  Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez congratulates Pope John Paul II after his election on October 16, 1978.
April 28th, 2011
01:00 AM ET
An insider remembers shocking election of Pope John Paul IIBy Richard Allen Greene, CNN (CNN) - John Paul II reigned as pope for so long, travelled so widely, spoke so many languages and stamped his personality and theology so firmly on the throne of St. Peter that it takes a very long memory to remember just what a shock it was when a secretive group of men in red robes selected the Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, to replace the short-lived Pope John Paul I. Cardinal Luis Aponte Martinez has such a memory. Now 89 years old, the archbishop emeritus of San Juan de Puerto Rico is one of only five men still living from the 1978 meeting of cardinals in Rome that elected John Paul II. Looking back as the Vatican prepares to declare John Paul II "Blessed" on Sunday - the last step before sainthood - Aponte is certain he and his fellow cardinals made the right choice. "I always thought he was a genius, a man who could speak 10 or more languages, a poet, a theologian, a philosopher, a great sportsman," Aponte told CNN. |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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