Catholic order says founder committed misconduct

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- A staunchly conservative religious order favored by Pope John Paul II said Wednesday that there had been unspecified misconduct by its founder.

Legionaries of Christ's founder Marcial Maciel was a Mexican priest who was disciplined by the Vatican several years ago after allegations from former seminarians about sexual abuse.

In a report on its Web site, the National Catholic Reporter cited four unidentified former Legionaries or supporters of the order in the United States and Mexico as saying that the order had recently told members and supporters privately that Maciel "apparently" fathered a child out of wedlock.

Chicago-based Legionaries spokesman Jim Fair declined to comment on specific allegations but said the order had learned "surprising" things about Maciel that were "not appropriate for a Catholic priest."

Maciel died last year in Texas at age 87.

"We've learned some things that are surprising and difficult to understand, and in fact there are aspects of his life that obviously were not appropriate for a Catholic priest," Fair said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

"God does good sometimes through really flawed people," Fair said, insisting that the work of the order would continue.

Maciel founded the order in 1941 in Mexico City.

The Legionaries' conservative view, strict loyalty to Vatican teaching and its success in enrolling recruits won the admiration of John Paul. The order has been one of the fastest-growing religious orders in the Catholic church, which has been hit by a general drop in priestly vocations in many parts of the West.

But Maciel spent the last years of his life fending off the accusations by former seminarians that he had sexually abused them.

In 2006, a year after Benedict was elected pope, the Vatican said it had decided against a full-fledged church trial because of Maciel's age and poor health. Instead, Maciel was asked to lead a "reserved life of prayer and penance," meaning the priest could not celebrate Mass in public.

Turkish PM vows to fight anti-Semitism

ISTANBUL (AP) -- Turkey's leader said Tuesday that criticism of Israel's offensive in Gaza should not be regarded as anti-Semitism, even as his country's small Jewish community looked to police and lawmakers for protection.

Last week, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly scolded Israeli President Shimon Peres over casualties among Palestinian civilians and walked off a stage during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Many Turks hailed him as a hero. But the Turkish government, which has been an important Israeli ally in the Muslim world, is campaigning hard to reassure its Jewish citizens that they are safe.

"There has been no anti-Semitism in the history of this country," Erdogan told ruling party lawmakers. "As a minority, they're our citizens. Both their security and the right to observe their faith are under our guarantee."

There are 23,000 Jews in the predominantly Muslim country of more than 70 million. Most live in Istanbul, and many have prominent roles in banking and education. Their ancestors arrived five centuries ago, and a recent comment by the prime minister that the Ottoman Empire welcomed Jews bothers some today who feel they are viewed as guests, not citizens.

In a statement, the Jewish community welcomed statements by Erdogan and other Turkish officials that anti-Semitism will not be tolerated, and noted a decrease since the Jan. 18 Gaza cease-fire of what it called "anti-Semitic manifestations" during protests against Israel.

"Numerous sensible and impartial journalists and intellectuals have accentuated that this is not a war of religions," said Musevi Cemaati, which means Jewish Community in Turkish. But the group, which has links to Turkey's rabbis, said "at present there are unfortunately several TV programs with messages embedded with harshly anti-Semitic rhetoric."

The group appeared to be referring to some current affairs programs and other news shows in which comments deemed anti-Jewish were made.

Haberturk television reported that Mustafa Cagirici, the chief Islamic cleric in Istanbul, instructed clerics to avoid statements in weekly sermons on Friday that would disturb the Jewish community.

Demonstrators fear anti-Semitism in Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Dozens of demonstrators waving banners reading "Hate Only Sows Hate" and "Coexist" gathered Tuesday in front of the United Nations' local offices to protest an attack on a Jewish synagogue and to warn against what some fear is a growing tide of anti-Semitism.

Roughly 100 protesters condemned the Jan. 30 attack on a Caracas synagogue that has raised concerns of religious intolerance.

"We're in shock because nothing like this occurred in Venezuela before," said Mercedes Benmoha, 28, a teacher who helped organize the protest. "We all have the right to practice our religion in peace and tranquility."

An armed group vandalized the capital city's oldest synagogue last week, shattering religious objects, throwing Torah scrolls on the floor and spray-painting walls with anti-Semitic messages amid Venezuela's diplomatic spat with Israel over its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Venezuelan authorities are investigating the incident, but no suspects have been arrested.

Leaders of Venezuela's estimated 15,000-member Jewish community have complained that vocal denunciations of Israel by President Hugo Chavez and Venezuela's state and pro-government news media may have encouraged the attack.

Chavez has condemned the attack, and suggested that government adversaries eager to portray his socialist administration as anti-Semitic could have been behind it.

Venezuela's Jews also are concerned about Chavez's increasingly close relationship with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

Carter speaks on racial cooperation to Baptist covenant meeting

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Former President Jimmy Carter addressed a packed Sixteenth Street Baptist Church with a message of racial reconciliation and cooperation on social issues.

Some 1,200 people filled the historic Birmingham church where four black girls died in a 1963 Ku Klux Klan bombing.

Carter told a regional meeting of the New Baptist Covenant, which he helped found last year, that there's "no way for us to ignore Jesus' emphasis on the poor, the brokenhearted."

He said the evolution of the covenant is the "highlight of my religious life."

Carter recalled a time when racial prejudice was rampant in Baptist churches, and theologians defended separate worship.

"The Baptist church was a stalwart defender of segregation," he said. "It was ingrained in our conscience."

Carter said the meeting will help churches work better together.

"We don't know whether we have a meeting or a movement," said the Rev. Jimmy Allen, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and co-organizer of the New Baptist Covenant. "What we're after is a movement."

The Rev. Arthur Price, pastor at Sixteenth Street Baptist, said, "Can you imagine that 45 years ago, people used to gather here to strategize on how to put an end to racial inequality?"

Recalling the church bombing, he said, "Imagine that 45 years ago this window to my left where Jesus is knocking on the door, the face of Christ was blown out. I believe that God was telling us back then, as he is telling us now, that we are more united than we are divided."

Christian school barred from sports league revisits legal challenge

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A Christian school in Texas that was barred from joining the state's athletic league for public schools has asked a federal appeals court to revive the lawsuit it filed over its exclusion, accusing the league of religious discrimination.

A federal judge last year dismissed the suit that Cornerstone Christian Schools in San Antonio filed against the state's University Interscholastic League in February 2007.

Now, a lawyer for Cornerstone has asked a three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn that ruling by U.S. District Judge Fred Biery.

Cornerstone accuses the league of discriminating against parents who choose to send their children to a religious school.

The league says it has admitted two of the state's largest religious private schools but excluded Cornerstone because it was eligible to join another league.

"There is nothing in this rule that says you have to give up your religion to join UIL," Jim Todd, an assistant Texas attorney general, said during Monday's hearing in New Orleans.

Cornerstone was a member of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, but TAPPS refused to let the school continue to participate in its league. UIL lawyers say TAPPS denied membership to Cornerstone due to its "ongoing problem with illegal recruiting of foreign students for athletic purposes."

The school has said that rules violations weren't a factor in the private league's decision not to renew Cornerstone's membership. Cornerstone Christian Schools is connected with the Cornerstone megachurch founded by televangelist John Hagee.

Palin's church reopens after building damaged by arson

WASILLA, Alaska (AP) -- Hundreds of worshippers flocked to the reopening of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's home church, which was badly damaged in an arson fire in December.

"We have been blessed by people's response to us, far beyond anything we deserved," Pastor Larry Kroon told worshippers at Wasilla Bible Church. "God's grace is the one true renewing resource, and it will never run out."

Palin, the former Republican vice presidential hopeful, was in Washington, D.C., over the weekend and did not attend either of the two Sunday morning services.

Damage to the church from the Dec. 12 blaze was estimated at $1 million. Five people were in the building at the time of the fire but escaped unharmed.

Investigators say they have no evidence that Palin's link to the church was a motive for the fire.

Kroon made no mention of Palin during the service. However, he said later that the governor attends occasionally when she is in Wasilla, her hometown. He said Palin is not a member, but her ties to the church brought widespread publicity and an outpouring of support and donations.

Letters from well-wishers were displayed in a loose-leaf notebook at the back of the sanctuary. Many came from individuals and religious groups who identified themselves as supporters of Palin in her vice presidential bid.

Religious discrimination lawsuit over D.C. transit uniform policy settled

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department has settled a lawsuit accusing Washington's transit agency of religious discrimination.

The complaint filed in federal court accused Metro of discriminating against a woman of the Apostolic Pentecostal faith because she was unable to comply with Metro's uniform policy. She declined to wear pants, which are part of the uniform but are forbidden by her beliefs.

Gloria Jones said she wasn't hired as a bus driver because her religious beliefs.

The Justice Department announced Tuesday that Metro has agreed to pay more than $47,000 to Jones and $2,500 each to two others who say Metro didn't accommodate their beliefs.

Metro also must implement a policy to reasonably accommodate employees' religious practices and train its supervisors on religious discrimination. The agreement still must be approved by the court.

Orthodox Jewish Vegas cop settles with department over beard, yarmulke dispute

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- An Orthodox Jewish police detective will receive a $350,000 settlement from the city police department after he was prohibited from having a beard and wearing a yarmulke.

Liesl Freedman, the department's attorney, said Monday that plainclothes Detective Steve Riback will be allowed a neatly trimmed beard no longer than one-quarter inch. Riback will also be allowed to wear a baseball hat without a logo or with the department's logo, Freedman said.

Under the settlement, Riback, who had sued over the policy, agreed not to seek a promotion or transfer for at least two years. If Riback transfers in the future to a section that doesn't allow hats or beards, he will have to file a new religious accommodation request, Freedman said.

Ala. church offers prayers to counter recession

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- A Tuscaloosa church used part of its Sunday service to anoint and pray over 40 pieces of business stationery as members asked God to help those companies and their employees.

"During these hard times, so many businesses are closing down, and people are being laid off," said Jennifer Allen, a church member who brought a letterhead from her employer, Sealy Management. "I believe in the power of God, and I believe he listens to people's prayers, and he will help us through these difficult times."

George Birmingham, student pastor at Tuscaloosa Church of God, asked members who brought letters on company stationery, brochures and business cards to Sunday's service to join him at a table in the center of the sanctuary.

He then placed sweet-scented olive oil on their hands and anointed each piece of stationery. The prayer requests came from employees and business owners, most from the Tuscaloosa area but some from farther away.

"I am a firm believer in the blessings of the Lord," said Eric White, who runs a quality-management consulting firm in Tuscaloosa.

White said his prayer was to ask God to bless not only his business, but all the businesses in Tuscaloosa and their employees, because his firm can't succeed unless they do, too.