The Christian Century

Geneva, December 6 (ENInews)--The world needs to act more proactively to promote and protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, said United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a keynote address delivered at the European headquarters of the United Nations.

Church leaders from ecumenical councils in the U.S. and Cuba wrapped up a five-day meeting in Havana on December 2 with a call for "normalized relations" between the two countries. A joint statement said that the long U.S. embargo against Cuba and "a half century of animosity between our countries" must end.

A  list of the Episcopal Church's 75 commissions, committees, agencies and boards spilled over eight PowerPoint slides during a recent presentation by its new chief operating officer, Bishop Stacy Sauls. By his count, there are also nearly 50 departments and offices in the church's New York headquarters and 46 committees in its legislative body, the General Convention.

c. 2011 Religion News Service (RNS) A quick glimpse at a calendar is one way to see how religiously diverse the United States has become.

This year, December, a month that encompasses the Christian and Jewish celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah, includes spiritually significant days for Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans and Zoroastrians.