Results tagged “religion” from News 24/7

In his line of work, Jack Hibbs has seen the economy's devastating effects on Inland residents.

The senior pastor at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills recently received two visitors to his church after their husbands committed suicide because of the financial crisis.

"This is real stuff," Hibbs said.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Federal prosecutors reportedly are investigating top officials of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles over their handling of alleged clergy child molestation cases.

Citing two unidentified law enforcement persons familiar with the case, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that Cardinal Roger M. Mahony is among those being investigated by a federal grand jury to determine if he failed to keep children safe from predatory priests.

Los Angeles U.S. attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek says his office has no comment on the reports.

Mahony's attorney, J. Michael Hennigan, tells the Times that federal prosecutors contacted the archdiocese and requested information on individual priests. But Hennigan says he has been informed that Mahony is not a target of the inquiry.

Hennigan and archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg did not immediately return calls by The Associated Press seeking comment.

Seeking improved worship facilities, Calvary Deaf Church is building a new sanctuary and fellowship hall.

The Planning Commission recently approved the church's expansion and remodeling plans for its 2.3-acre property on Pico Street just west of Michigan Street.

The $1.4 million project, which does not require City Council approval, will include a new 5,320-square-foot fellowship and dining hall connected to a new 4,448-square-foot sanctuary.

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Episcopal leaders in Pittsburgh went to court Thursday seeking to recover $20 million in assets they believe were wrongfully taken when the conservative branches split from the liberal diocese in October.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh, which oversees the 20 local parishes that stayed with the U.S. Episcopal Church, said the breakaway group has no legal right to the assets since it is no longer part of the denomination.

Spokesman Rich Creehan said the church petitioned the Court of Common Pleas for the assets after its requests for them were "ignored" by the breakaway parishes.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The state's high court ruled Monday that three Southern California parishes that left the U.S. Episcopal Church over its ordination of gay ministers cannot retain ownership of their church buildings and property.

In an unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court ruled that the property belongs to the Episcopal Church because the parishes agreed to abide by the mother church's rules, which include specific language about property ownership.

St. James Church in Newport Beach, All Saints Church in Long Beach and St. David's Church in North Hollywood pulled out of the 2.1 million-member national Episcopal Church in 2004 and sought to retain property ownership.

The head of the Episcopal Church addressed a crowded auditorium today at the Riverside Convention Center where religious leaders from throughout the Los Angeles Diocese had gathered to discuss church business during a two-day conference.

The Bishop, the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman to lead the church, presented a moving, and at times humorous, sermon during the Holy Eucharist. The bishop spoke of God's surpassing, all encompassing, love and urged the crowd to reach out to the poor and weak.

"That love shines like Mama's Hot Tamales in MacArthur Park," she said. "And now, Mama's is open in Pasadena."

Approximately 1,000 clergy, lay delegates and visitors are expected to attend the 113th annual meeting of the diocese, which includes the Inland Empire.

Churches from 16 cities in San Bernardino County as well as Beaumont and Claremont sent representatives to the conference. Even Needles, one of the county's most remote cities sent two representatives from St. John the Evangelist Church.

The bishop also spoke of building God's dream for the world.

"At a time when economic woes are spreading faster than fire before the Santa Anas," she said, "that good news is even more essential."

lauren.mcsherry@inlandnewspapers.com

People of faith have churches and mosques to turn to.

For at least a couple of months, agnostics and atheists can turn to the billboard on Archibald Avenue and Foothill Boulevard.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has put up a billboard with the message "Imagine No Religion," the first such advertisement for the group in the state. The organization, which advocates the separation of church and state, has a presence in nine states and has a goal of displaying its messages in every state that permits billboards.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A California gay rights activist filed a complaint today accusing the Mormon church of failing to report the value of the work it did to support the state's new same-sex marriage ban.

Fred Karger, the founder of Californians Against Hate, submitted the complaint to the enforcement division of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the agency that regulates campaign activity.

Karger alleges that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ran out-of-state phone banks, produced commercials and provided other services that must be reported as contributions to the Proposition 8 campaign.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hundreds of people protesting California's new ban on gay marriage demonstrated outside a Mormon temple in Westwood today, blocking traffic on a major boulevard.

The protesters claim the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spent millions to air deceptive advertisements in support of Proposition 8, which passed on Tuesday with 52 percent of voters casting their ballots to define marriage as a heterosexual union.

Mormon church spokesman Keith Atkinson said members were encouraged to support the ban on gay marriage, but the church made no institutional donations.

Police Department spokeswoman April Harding estimated that about 1,000 people came to the Westwood protest.

Sign-waving demonstrators spilled into the lanes of Santa Monica Boulevard, bringing afternoon traffic to a halt.

Advocates of gay marriage, which the state Supreme Court allowed in May, argue that the right to marry is a civil right. They have filed lawsuits to repeal the vote and have held rallies throughout the state.