Lutheran church to host Family Sunday School
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 2611 Junction St., will hold Family Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. Sunday.
Family Sunday School is a once-a-month program for children and their parents. Parents will receive suggested home activities and resources to use during the month.
Sunday’s lesson will focus on this Bible passage: “The people living in darkness saw a great light” (Matthew 4:16).
For more information, call 247-0357.
Dharma center to offer beginning meditation
The Durango Dharma Center is offering a beginning meditation class.
Bill Ball, who has been practicing meditation for more than 20 years, will lead the five-week class.
Classes will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays from Feb. 5 through March 5 at Durango Dharma Center, 208 East Animas Road (County Road 250).
The entire five-week class registration cost is $20.
For more information and to register, visit www.DurangoDharmaCenter.org.
Pentagon OKs policy for religious clothing
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Pentagon has approved a new policy that will allow troops to seek waivers to wear religious clothing, seek prayer time or engage in religious practices.
Defense officials say the waivers will be decided on a case-by-case basis and will depend on where the service member is stationed as well as whether the change would affect military readiness or the mission.
Until now, there has been no consistent policy across the military to allow accommodations for religion. Now, for example, Jewish troops can seek a waiver to wear a yarmulke, or Sikhs can seek waivers to wear a turban and grow a beard.
Others can request specific prayer times or ask that they be allowed to carry prayer beads or other items.
Obama to meet with Pope Francis in March
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican as part of a European trip scheduled for March.
The White House says Obama “looks forward to discussing with Pope Francis their shared commitment to fighting poverty and growing inequality” during their meeting.
Obama had an audience with the previous pope, Benedict XVI, in 2009. At that time, the Vatican underscored the deep disagreement between them on abortion.
The March 27 meeting with Francis will come after a nuclear security summit hosted by the Netherlands and an economic summit in Belgium.
Chicago archdiocese hid child sexual abuse
CHICAGO (AP) – Internal documents reveal how the Archdiocese of Chicago tried for decades to contain a mounting scandal about child sexual abuse by priests.
That includes moving accused priests from parish to parish and assigning others to watch them around children. Many went on to abuse again.
Former Cardinals John Cody and Joseph Bernardin often approved the reassignments.
The documents were turned over to victims’ attorneys and were posted online this week. They cover only 30 of the at least 65 clergy for whom the archdiocese says it has substantiated claims of child abuse.
Victim attorneys say the papers show the archdiocese concealed the abuse for decades.
Cardinal Francis George says the disclosures are an attempt at transparency and a means to help victims heal. He also has apologized to victims and area Catholics.
Herald Staff & Associated Press
