Monday’s round up
As the Senate takes up the health-care reform bill, an influential Catholic bishop says "we're going to work very hard to speak to senators." One ear the bishops may be bending belongs to Sen. Bob Casey of Pa., one of the country's most prominent anti-abortion Democrats. Right now, though, Casey wants to talk about anything but abortion, according to the NYT. After

Govs to DC church: “I think it’s wrong”
As the Archdiocese of Washington steps up its campaign against (all but certain) same-sex marriages in the District of Columbia, the Catholic governors of Maryland and Virginia, both Democrats, are crying foul. Virginia's Tim Kaine, a former missionary and head of the Democratic National Committee, and Maryland's Martin O'Malley said it would be "wrong" for the archdiocese to yank its social service contracts in the city if same-sex marriage becomes legal. Kaine:

Wednesday’s roundup
Yesterday marked the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species," and in the spirit of the holidays, it's the gift that keeps on giving (kind of like fruitcake, I suppose). And while this is a time of giving thanks and taking stock, there seems to be a lot of downer news out there: A Georgia church has been robbed for the 4th time in two years; the thief left a note this time:

Tuesday’s round up
 Hate crimes targeting people because of their religion were at their highest since 2001, according to a new report based on FBI data. President Obama will name Hannah Rosenthal as the State Depart.'s special anti-Semitism envoy. The

Twilight: Bigger than Jesus?
Actress Kirsten Prout, who stars in the upcoming third installment of the Twilight series, has dismissed a Vatican official's criticism of its just-released predecessor. "The Vatican pretty much condemns everything," she told the Canadian sit