This shoemaker seldom peeks above his sandals, but I wonder whether Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio to open a Latin academy is a Gradus ad Parnassum or a case of spes vincit thronum.

Thus concludes my knowledge of high-school Latin.

Activists are targeting Oregon as the next state to legalize same-sex marriage.

The Vatican, by the way, says it hasn't yet lost the gay marriage battle.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Frederico Lombardi said that if societies legalize gay marriage, why not polygamy or polyandry?

Australia's PM ordered a federal inquiry into allegations of child sex abuse in state and religious institutions following a string of sexual abuse accusations against Catholic priests.

A plurality of Protestant pastors (47%) view Fox News as the most accurate and fair news channel, according to LifeWay Research.

Ahead of their semiannual meeting, the U.S. Catholic bishops got a crash course in social media. "I'm afraid of making a fool of myself," said Archbishop Roger Schwietz of Anchorage, Alaska.

Can the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez save the GOP? Maybe not, says our own Mark Silk.

Religious leaders and military chaplains are urging their flock to find ways to minister to recently returned veterans.

In what the LA Times calls an unprecedented move, an AME church rejected the troubled Los Angeles pastor assigned to it by the denomination.

Egyptian reformist and former IAEA head Mohamed el-Baradei called Islamists pushing for a Shariah-compliant constitution "clowns of religion."

An exiled Tibetan political leader said his community has a "sacred duty" to support the wave of self-immolations protesting Chinese rule.

An elderly Australian priest bit off the ear of another elderly Australian priest.

The Case of the Weeping Icon is mystifying Orthodox Christians in Utah.

Asking people to pray before donating time or money leads to more generous responses, says a philanthropist.

So please pray (or meditate) about receiving our Daily Religion News Roundup. We're not asking for time or money - just your readership. You can sign up below.

Yr hmbl aggrgtr,

Daniel Burke