• N.J. Clergy Not Required to Perform Civil Unions

  Clergy in New Jersey cannot be required to unite gay couples in civil unions, the state attorney general announced Thursday in a decision that quelled the fears of some religious groups opposed to sam

• Navy Discharging Dissident Chaplain

  The U.S. Navy is discharging the chaplain who staged public fasts and prayers for the right to pray in Jesus' name in uniform wherever and whenever he wished.

• Appeals Court to Hear S.D. Abortion Case

  A federal appeals court has agreed to rehear a challenge of a 2005 South Dakota law that would require doctors to tell women seeking abortions that the procedure ends a human life.

• Church Sex Abuse Victims Can Sue Vatican

  Sex abuse victims can pursue damages from the Vatican in a lawsuit alleging top church officials failed to report known or suspected cases of child abuse, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

• Report: Pastor Raided Charity Accounts for Personal Expenses

  A pastor who formed a charity to build group homes for HIV-positive substance abusers has raided its accounts for personal expenses.