http://www.earthtimes.org The Earth Times online newspaper, serving the planet with general news and current affairs that matter en-us PHP/4.4.4 http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/293574,construction-of-frances-largest-mosque-set-to-begin.html Paris - The construction of France's largest mosque, with room for some 7,000 visitors, was officially launched Friday when Marseille Mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin handed over the construction permit. The mosque will cost 22 million euros (32.6 million do... Religion,General Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:22:17 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/293574,construction-of-frances-largest-mosque-set-to-begin.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/293384,reconstructed-hymens-are-forbidden-saudi-religious-scholars-say.html Riyadh - Saudi religious scholars remain firm in their position that hymen-reconstruction surgery was haram, or religiously forbidden, contradicting Egyptian clerics, the Saudi daily Okaz reported Thursday. It is not permissible to repair a hymen ... Religion,General Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:04:25 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/293384,reconstructed-hymens-are-forbidden-saudi-religious-scholars-say.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/293362,around-5480-people-convert-to-islam-through-mobile-hotline.html Riyadh - Around 5,480 people converted to Islam in Saudi Arabia through the Bring me to Islam cell phone hotline service, media reports said on Thursday. The service, provided in 12 languages, was launched to raise awareness among foreign communiti... Religion,General Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:40:17 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/293362,around-5480-people-convert-to-islam-through-mobile-hotline.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/292669,anti-communist-hungarian-catholic-bishop-beatified.html Budapest - The late Hungarian bishop Zoltan Meszlenyi - who was persecuted by the country's then communist rulers - was beatified by the Catholic Church in a ceremony in the city of Esztergom on Saturday. Born in 1892 and considered by Hungary's Stal... Religion,General Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:52:40 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/292669,anti-communist-hungarian-catholic-bishop-beatified.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/292291,vietnam-criticizes-us-religious-rights-report.html Hanoi - Vietnam called a US State Department report on religious freedom in the country biased and misleading, the official Vietnam News reported Thursday. The State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2009, released Monday, said ... Religion,General Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:04:38 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/292291,vietnam-criticizes-us-religious-rights-report.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/292190,female-bishop-elected-leader-of-german-protestants.html Ulm, Germany - The Evangelical Church in Germany, the country's main Protestant umbrella body, Wednesday elected a female bishop as its leader. Bishop Margot Kaessmann, 51 is the first woman to lead Germany's 25 million Protestants. She takes over fr... Religion,General Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:16:39 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/292190,female-bishop-elected-leader-of-german-protestants.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291830,vatican-begins-talks-with-ultra-traditionalist-rebel-group--summary.html Vatican City - The Vatican held talks Monday with representatives of the rebel ultra-traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), nine months after Pope Benedict XVI controversially pardoned four of the group's bishops, including one who is a Holoc... Religion,General Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:43:47 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291830,vatican-begins-talks-with-ultra-traditionalist-rebel-group--summary.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291807,vatican-begins-talks-with-ultra-traditionalist-rebel-group.html Vatican City - The Vatican began talks Monday with representatives of the rebel ultra-traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), nine months after Pope Benedict XVI's controversially pardoned four of the group's bishops, including one who is a Ho... Religion,General Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:19:44 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291807,vatican-begins-talks-with-ultra-traditionalist-rebel-group.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291736,former-papal-bodyguard-camillo-cibin-dies.html Rome - Camillo Cibin, the former chief bodyguard of the late Pope John Paul II, died in Rome on Sunday at the age of 83, Italy's ANSA news agency reported. Cibin had spent nearly six decades in the Vatican's security services before he retired in Jun... Religion,General Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:16:47 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291736,former-papal-bodyguard-camillo-cibin-dies.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291703,pope-calls-africa-to-take-courage-stand-up-as-synod-ends.html Rome - With a call to courage, Pope Benedict XVI ended a three-week long synod on Africa Sunday, telling attendees to seek the courage to find peace. Coraggio, Afrika, stand up! appealed the pope, telling the continent to seek a peace that opens e... Religion,General Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:10:51 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291703,pope-calls-africa-to-take-courage-stand-up-as-synod-ends.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291678,israeli-police-clash-with-rioters-in-flashpoint-jerusalem-holy-site.html Jerusalem - Israeli police clashed with Palestinian rock throwers in the flashpoint Noble Sanctuary/Temple Mount compound Sunday morning, arresting at least 12, Palestinian and Israeli accounts said. According to the Israelis, police accompanying a g... Religion,General Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:17:01 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291678,israeli-police-clash-with-rioters-in-flashpoint-jerusalem-holy-site.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291621,taiwan-christians-hold-protest-against-homosexual-lifestyle.html Taipei - Hundreds of Christians marched through Taipei Saturday to protest what they called the expanding influence of homosexuals in Taiwan. Holding placards denouncing homosexuals, some 300 Christians marched from the presidential office building t... Religion,General Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:40:52 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291621,taiwan-christians-hold-protest-against-homosexual-lifestyle.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291542,malta-nuns-acquitted-of-vilifying-religion.html Valletta, Malta - Six people who dressed up as nuns for Malta's carnival earlier this year did not vilify the Catholic religion, the chief justice ruled Friday. In his ruling Vincent De Gaetano upheld a previous acquittal won by the six and against w... Religion,General Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:04:42 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291542,malta-nuns-acquitted-of-vilifying-religion.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291283,church-of-sweden-approves-same-sex-marriage.html Stockholm - The general synod of the Church of Sweden Thursday voted to allow the church to wed same-sex couples. The decision was effective November 1, according to the decision carried by a majority of the 251 delegates meeting in Uppsala, north-we... Religion,General Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:04:57 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291283,church-of-sweden-approves-same-sex-marriage.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291275,jordan-seeks-popes-help-on-jerusalem-holy-sites.html Amman - Jordan has sought assistance from Pope Benedict XVI to stop what it calls Israel's unilateral measures in East Jerusalem, which the Jewish state captured from the Hashemite Kingdom in the 1967 War, an official statement said Thursday. The r... Religion,General Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:22:45 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291275,jordan-seeks-popes-help-on-jerusalem-holy-sites.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291146,commentators-vatican-ruling-on-anglicans-stuns-church-of-england.html London - The Church of England has been stunned by the announcement by the Vatican that disaffected Anglicans would be welcome in the Roman Catholic Church, press commentators in Britain said Wednesday. The Times newspaper described the move by Pope ... Religion,General Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:52:48 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/291146,commentators-vatican-ruling-on-anglicans-stuns-church-of-england.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/290983,vatican-moves-to-ease-anglicans-entry-into-catholic-church.html Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI has created a new structure to allow Anglican church congregations to effect wholesale transfers into the Catholic church, the Vatican announced Tuesday. The move targets members of the Anglican church disaffected wit... Religion,General Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:16:43 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/290983,vatican-moves-to-ease-anglicans-entry-into-catholic-church.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/290907,vietnam-government-legalizes-pentecostal-church.html Hanoi - The Vietnamese government has granted recognition to the Assemblies of God after considering it an illegal Christian denomination for 20 years, a government official said Tuesday. The Vietnamese branch of the world's largest Pentecostal churc... Religion,General Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:28:41 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/290907,vietnam-government-legalizes-pentecostal-church.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/290882,lodz-jewish-cemetery-the-biggest-in-europe.html Lodz, Poland - Lodz' Jewish cemetery is an impressive sight, with its long avenues, old trees, mausoleums that look like ancient temples and thousands of headstones. Some are badly weathered and it is impossible to read the inscriptions on many. Grav... Religion,General Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:11:02 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/290882,lodz-jewish-cemetery-the-biggest-in-europe.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/290669,pope-recalls-persecution-of-missionaries.html Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI recalled Sunday the dangers faced by Catholic missionaries around the world, citing the recent murder of an Italian priest in Brazil and the abduction of an Irish priest in the Philippines. Benedict spoke before deliv... Religion,General Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:16:48 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/290669,pope-recalls-persecution-of-missionaries.html