Rift over gay clergy reaching critical point

Louisville, Ky. — The rift in the Presbyterian Church (USA) over actively homosexual clergy has reached another critical point, with developments in two important cases.

In one, the Permanent Judicial Commission — or supreme court — of the 3.5 million-member denomination has overruled protests against the ordination of the Rev. Kathleen Morrison, a lesbian who is open about her sexual orientation.

In a separate case, the commission ordered an unusual trial Monday in Kansas City, Mo., on whether the denomination’s two top officials acted properly in scuttling a special national assembly. Conservatives had filed a petition for the assembly to discipline those defying the church’s ban on actively homosexual clergy.

In the Morrison case, the commission said sexual orientation does not warrant special scrutiny of a clergy candidate or make anyone ineligible for ordination. It said the church can only act upon “direct and specific knowledge” of individual conduct that violates church policy.

Morrison, who was ordained in California, has moved to Massachusetts and lives with a partner. She is field organizer for an independent caucus of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Presbyterians.

College students become more liberal on abortion

Falls Church, Va.– Students become more liberal on abortion and other matters while attending Roman Catholic colleges and universities, according to the president of a Falls Church-based group that says schools should strictly follow church teaching.

Patrick Reilly of the Cardinal Newman Society wrote an article for Catholic World Report magazine citing data from 38 Catholic campuses in standard surveys by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles.

While the views of all students generally became more liberal during their college career, the surveys found, the study adds to the long-running debate over Catholic colleges’ relation to the church.

Among freshman entering the Catholic colleges, 38 percent supported legalized abortion; four years later 52 percent of the same students held that view. Non-Catholics attending Catholic colleges moved from 63 percent to 72 percent support.

Two American Muslim groups announce merger

Washington — The American Muslim Council and American Muslim Alliance, which have both sought more Muslim involvement in U.S. politics, plan to merge into the new National American Muslim Federation.

The announcement came from Yahya Mossa Basha, chairman of the Washington-based council, and Agha Saeed, chairman of the alliance, which has offices in Newark, Calif., near San Francisco.

Saeed predicted the federation would be “a far more effective vehicle” with “a broader agenda for activism.”

The day the agreement was reached, Basha announced the resignation of Eric Erfan Vickers after less than a year as the council’s executive director.