(Veterans Day) 

Lord, thank You for the courage displayed by those who have defended our nation. Amen.

A Germany-based website now allows parishioners to rate their priest.

Rate as in share opinions about how he performs at church services, protects youths and the elderly and how up to date he is, among other things.

Apparently the site was launched in April.

Read the full  story here: Yahoo.com: “Rate Your Priest on New Website”

What would happen if priests and clergymen could rate their parishners? I wonder. 

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

The shortage of priests has brought the priests’ celibacy requirement to the fore again. Catholic priests are forbidden to marry but the USA Today report ponders whether the pope (pictured) would consider eliminating that prohibition to solve the priest shortage.

The Sunday Oklahoman features a story about the priest shortage in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. In the story, the Rev. William Novak, vocations director for the archdiocese, shares his thoughts about the impact the celibacy requirement may be having on men considering the priesthood.

Check out the Sunday Oklahoman for his comments.

To read the USA Today story, click here: Might Pope Benedict Consider Married Priests Again?

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

No start date has been set as yet, according to the magazine.

I predit that folks interested in this touchy topic will be waiting in anticipation of how the cable channel will  approach the subject.

One tidbit that EW writer James Hibbard included in his Inside TV column did catch my eye. Hibbard writes that people involved with the new show, to be called “The Exorcist Files,” have had access to the Vatican’s case files on exorcism.

The column made me think back to last fall when I was researching information for my Oct. 15 story about exorcism. The topic came up when a Satanist church rented a public room at the Civic Center Music Hall where they performed what they called a “satanic exorcism.”

I do believe I’m going to watch this new show since my curiousity has now been piqued.

Read EW’s Inside TV column for more information: “Exclusive: Discovery, Catholic Church team for exorcism series.”    

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor 

Religious leaders and representatives of faith-based organizations are weighing in on the election of Sen. Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president.

The National Council of Churches has responded today with a letter to the new president elect:

Dear Mr. President Elect,

Blessings on you, and congratulations. Now that the electorate has made its decision, we at the National Council of Churches urge all Americans to come together to uphold you with our hands, our hearts and our prayers.

Only rarely in our history has a president-elect faced immediate challenges of such fierce magnitude. The leaders of this Council pledge to you our unstinting support in the difficult days to come. All of us are dependent on God’s loving mercy, and we will regularly pray for you and others elected to high leadership. May your wisdom and discernment serve you well, and may your health never wane.

To read the complete letter, click here: Letter

The Rev. Billy Graham, who is nearing his 90th birthday on Friday, also has a statement, shared through a news release sent today:

“President Elect Barack Obama faces many challenges, and I urge everyone to join me in pledging our support and prayers as he begins the difficult task ahead.”

Meanwhile, The Associated Press is reporting that the Vatican said today that it hopes that Barack Obama will work to promote peace and justice in the world.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, chief spokesman for the Vatican and for Pope Benedict XVI told The Associated Press that the Vatican hoped Obama would “work for the cause of rights and justice, finding suitable ways to promote peace in the world, fostering people’s development and dignity while respecting essential human and spiritual values.”   

Other statements come from leaders that are not as conciliatory:

The Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, released the following statement regarding the Presidential election:

“Americans have made a grave mistake in electing Barack Obama to the presidency. He said during the campaign that he does not know when a human being starts to have human rights.  How can one govern from that starting point of ignorance?   Governing is about protecting human rights; to do it successfully, you have to know where they come from, and when they begin.  The President-elect has already failed that test miserably.”I’ll post more comments and statements as they arrive.Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

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An Italian priest recently found himself in trouble with his superiors because of his beauty pageant for nuns.

The Rev. Antonio Rungi reportedly created the pageant by announcing it on his blog.

The unconventional — and short-lived — pageant has lit up the blogosphere over the past day or so as news has spread about Rungi’s idea.

According to MSNBC News Services, Rungi’s online pageant drew his superiors’ attention and they were not thrilled with his project.

“My superiors were not happy. The local bishop was not happy, but they did not understand me either,” Rungi told Reuters by telephone from his convent in southern Italy on Tuesday, MSNBC reported.

The news agency reported that Rungi claimed he did not plan on nuns strolling the catwalk. Rungi said his vision for the pageant included nuns having a month to vote for themselves on his blog, listing their attributes such as social awareness, charity and spirituality.

He told the news agency that the nuns could choose whether or not they would be pictured with the traditional veil or with their head uncovered.

The priest said he has received some supportive correspondence and some not-so-supportive feedback.

Hollywood has had a field day (no pun intended) when portraying the vocation (see TV’s “The Flying Nun” above), but nuns, by and large, are well respected for their dedication to the Lord, His church and their service to the community. Therefore, I’m not surprised that some folks did not appreciate Rungi’s pageant.   

Well, no one can ever say that Rungi lacks imagination.

Earlier this month he debuted a 98-foot-long blow-up church on the Adriatic coast.

The so-called “beach-convent” simply followed many Italians who head to the beach for the summer. According to news accounts, the beach church was staffed with priests ready to take confession.  

Read MSNBC’s story about Rungi’s ill-fated beauty pageant for nuns by clicking here: “No nuns on catwalk as priest stops ‘pageant’. 

What do you think about Rungi’s idea?

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor