When St. Anthony's coffin was opened at the first transfer, some 30 years after his burial, most of his body was found to have returned to dust. However his tongue remained fresh, seen as a sign of his gift of preaching.  Anthony's relics were last displayed in 1981, marking the 750th anniversary of his death.

Francis Cardinal George is President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and holds the highest position in the Catholic Church in the United States. He addressed three main points: the fight for religious freedom as defined by Catholic views, managing current threats in society, and ways in which Catholics and the LDS church have stood together.

I thought it was really cool that someone from the Catholic Church would make these comments after something like prop 8 in defending morals and family, said Connor Clark, BYU student from Minnesota. Its what we need in society; to come together and defend whats right even with our religious differences.

His final point regarding the relationship between Catholics and the LDS Church as defenders of religious freedom was one of great hope and thanksgiving.

I thank God for the harmony that has grown between us, George said. We can and should stand as one in defense of religious liberty.

The defense of religious liberties affirms what is deepest in our beliefs. Its going to take good people making good choices and commitments that will in turn benefit the good of society and make a kinder world.

We become true blessings to one another, George said. Our collaborative efforts will, if we stay together, in the end bear much fruit.

Though mainline denominations already welcome LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) persons, the multifaith group Intersections says it's not enough. "[W]e must sing their welcoming as loudly as we sing the hymns," the group declares.

The "Believe Out Loud" campaign was launched on Valentine's Day and seeks to increase acceptance of LGBT persons in religious communities  mainly the collective body of some 40 million Americans who attend Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal and other mainline churches. Specifically, the initiative is aiming to move believers from privately believing in the full inclusion of homosexuals to speaking out publicly.

A 2008 survey of clergy from mainline Protestant denominations revealed that a majority of ministers (79 percent) agree that "homosexuals should have all the same rights and privileges as other American citizens." Most (65 percent) also support either same-sex marriage (33 percent) or civil unions, according to Public Religion Research's Mainline Protestant Clergy Voices Survey.

A Pew Research Center's survey also found wide support for homosexuality among lay people in mainline Protestant churches. More than half of members of the United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Anglican Church, the United Church of Christ and The Episcopal Church say homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society.

Mainline denominations have been wracked by division over homosexual matters for decades. Their increasing liberalization of policies on homosexuality, including the ordination of sexually active gays and blessing of same-sex unions, has forced many conservative members to find more orthodox or evangelical homes. While conservatives welcome gays and have urged believers to love them and offer pastoral support, they do not support their behavior. Membership across the mainline groups, meanwhile, has continued to decline.

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 25, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is Part 2 of the "lectio divina" delivered by Benedict XVI to the parish priests of Rome upon receiving them in audience at the Vatican on Feb. 18.

If the divine response in John says: "I will glorify" you, it means that this glory transcends and passes through the whole of history over and over again: from your Cross, present in the Eucharist, it transforms death into glory. This is the great promise that is brought about in the Blessed Eucharist which ever anew opens the heavens. Being a servant of the Eucharist is, therefore, a depth of the priestly mystery.

Another brief word, at least about Melchizedek. He is a mysterious figure who enters Sacred History in Genesis 14. After Abraham's victory over several kings, Melchizedek, King of Salem, of Jerusalem, appears and brings out bread and wine. The Fathers stressed that he is one of the holy pagans of the Old Testament and this shows that even from paganism there is a path that leads to Christ. The criteria are: worshipping God Most High, the Creator, fostering righteousness and peace and venerating God in a pure way. Thus, with these fundamental elements, paganism too is on its way to Christ, and in a certain way, makes Christ's light present.

This means that Christ is the absolute newness of God and at the same time is present in the whole of history, through history, and history goes to encounter Christ. And not only the history of the Chosen People, which is the true preparation desired by God, in which is revealed the mystery of Christ, but also in paganism the mystery of Christ is prepared, paths lead from it toward Christ who carries all things within him.

Let us take another step: the true Jerusalem, God's Salem, is the Body of Christ, the Eucharist is God's peace with humankind. We know that in his Prologue, St John calls the humanity of Jesus the tent of God, eskènosen en hemìn (cf. Jn 1: 14). It was here that God himself pitched his tent in the world, and this tent, this new, true Jerusalem is at the same time on earth and in Heaven because this Sacrament, this sacrifice, is ceaselessly brought about among us and always arrives at the throne of Grace, at God's presence.

All this is constantly brought about anew in the Eucharist. We, as priests, are called to be ministers of this great Mystery, in the Sacrament and in life. Let us pray the Lord that he grant us to understand this Mystery ever better, that he make us live this mystery ever better and thus to offer our help so that the world may be opened to God, so that the world may be redeemed. Thank you.

 

The magnitude-8.8 quake was felt as far away as Sao Paulo in Brazil  1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) to the east. The full extent of damage remained unclear as scores of aftershocks  one nearly as powerful as Haiti's devastating Jan. 12 earthquake  shuddered across the disaster-prone Andean nation.

Saturday's quake matched a 1906 temblor off the Ecuadorean coast as the seventh-strongest ever recorded in the world.

"I really don't think God cares what you wear when you worship," said Richard Foley, a member of the congregation. "The thing is worship." Churchgoers like Foley have no problem getting the word of God from a pastor in his birthday suit.

"Some of the biggest moments in Jesus' life he was naked," Pastor Allen Parker said. "When he was born he was naked, when he was crucified he was naked and when he arose he left his clothes in the tomb and he was naked. If God made us that way, how can that be wrong?"

Visitors say being a nudist is about being free from societal judgments.  They say it's a stress-free environment where everyone is equal and there's no pressure to be anything than who you really are. The pastor agrees.

"I consider this a gift and a privilege God has given me," said Pastor Allen. "They're caring, they're understanding, and they're community and family oriented. We have one of the most involved chapels anyplace around. I'll put our church up against others around."

The microchips - which are implanted under the skin - allow the wearer's movements to be tracked and store personal information about them. They could be used by companies who want to keep tabs on an employee's movements or by Governments who want a foolproof way of identifying their citizens - and storing information about them.

The report, drawn up by a team of respected academics, claims that Britain is a world-leader in the use of surveillance technology and its citizens the most spied-upon in the free world.

The reports editors Dr David Murakami Wood, managing editor of the journal Surveillance and Society and Dr Kirstie Ball, an Open University lecturer in Organisation Studies, claim that by 2016 our almost every movement, purchase and communication could be monitored by a complex network of interlinking surveillance technologies.

The most contentious prediction is the spread in the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The RFID chips - which can be detected and read by radio waves - are already used in new UK passports and are also used the Oyster card system to access the London Transport network. For the past six years European countries have been using RFID chips to identify pet animals.

However, its use in humans has already been trialled in America, where the chips were implanted in 70 mentally-ill elderly people in order to track their movements.

And earlier this year a security company in Ohio chipped two of its employees to allow them to enter a secure area. The glass-encased chips were planted in the recipients' upper right arms and 'read' by a device similar to a credit card reader.

"There is a rather scary underlying feeling that people may worry that these microchips are less about being a human being than becoming a barcoded product."