Briefly

Conservative leaders question investigation

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Nearly two-dozen conservative Christian leaders have signed a letter to the Senate Finance Committee questioning an investigation into six large ministries that preach a gospel of prosperity.

The letter argues that the 6-month-old inquiry sets a dangerous precedent. It also suggests that the ministries were targeted for sharing “the same branch of evangelicalism” and promoting “socially conservative public policy positions such as support for the traditional definition of marriage.”

The most prominent figures who signed the letter are Moral Majority co-founder Paul Weyrich, American Family Association chairman Don Wildmon, and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

“The six ministries in question — led respectively by Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Eddie Long, Joyce Meyer and Paula and Randy White — have denied wrongdoing. Some have pledged full cooperation and others have either refused or provided limited information.

Washington archbishop: communion is up to bishops

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Washington Roman Catholic Archbishop Donald Wuerl, responding to questions about the pro-abortion rights Catholic politicians who accepted Holy Communion during Pope Benedict XVI’s American visit, said any decision about denying the sacrament to those politicians should be made in their home dioceses.

Wuerl wrote in his archdiocesan newspaper column that he does not believe the Washington Archdiocese should intervene when such a public figure is taking Communion in the nation’s capital. He suggested that doing so would supersede the authority of those politicians’ bishops in their home districts.

Wuerl’s comments came after New York Cardinal Edward Egan issued a statement saying former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, another abortion rights supporter, had broken “an understanding” the two shared by accepting Communion at a papal Mass in New York.

The former Republican presidential hopeful responded that he was willing to meet with Egan, but his faith “is a deeply personal matter and should remain confidential.”

Vatican orders records kept from Mormons

SALT LAKE CITY—The Vatican has ordered Roman Catholic dioceses worldwide to withhold member registries from Mormons who perform posthumous baptisms.

The order was issued by the Vatican Congregation for Clergy. Officials said the step was taken to prevent members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from baptizing by proxy their Catholic ancestors.

Monsignor J. Terrence Fitzgerald said the Catholic diocese in Utah already has a policy to restrict baptismal records only to those entitled to see the records.

Posthumous baptism is a rite practiced in Mormon church temples for the purpose of offering membership in the church to the deceased.

In 1995, Jewish and Mormon leaders signed an agreement aimed at preventing the names of Holocaust victims from being added to the church genealogical index, a step toward vicarious baptisms.