Religion news in brief
Trinity Broadcasting's Jan Crouch dies days after stroke
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Televangelist Jan Crouch, who co-founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network with her husband in 1973, has died just days after suffering a stroke.
Crouch, instantly recognizable for her mountain of blonde hair, was 78. Her family made the announcement Tuesday on TBN's website.
Pope Francis walks as he leaves after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, June 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Jan Crouch and her husband, Paul, who died in 2013, started the network by renting air time on an independent California station. Trinity officials say its programming is now carried by over 5,000 television stations. TBN bills itself as the world's largest Christian television network.
The family statement says, "Jan Crouch loved many things, but most of all she loved Jesus, and now has seen Him face to face and has experienced His grace in fullness."
The Crouches faced criticism for what critics say was their extravagant lifestyle. In 2013, their granddaughter and her husband's uncle sued, alleging financial improprieties.
The Crouches dismissed the allegations, and their attorney said the network's spending was in line with its mission to spread the gospel throughout the world.
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Providence diocese eliminating fees for marriage annulments
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island's diocese is eliminating all fees for marriage annulments in light of comments by Pope Francis that the Catholic church should streamline the annulment process.
The Diocese of Providence said in a statement Tuesday that it hopes eliminating the fees will make it easier for divorced and remarried Catholics to "fully participate in the life of the Church."
The $500 cost for marriage annulments in the diocese will be completely eliminated effective July 1, although the diocese says nobody has ever been turned away because of the inability to pay. The diocese says its marriage tribunal reviews more than 100 cases each year.
Annulments declare a marriage invalid and treat it as though it never happened. Without an annulment, Catholics cannot remarry in the church.
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Gallup diocese nears $25 million in abuse settlement
GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — As its bankruptcy case wraps up, the Catholic Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico, has allocated millions of dollars to compensate victims of clergy sex abuse.
The Gallup Independent reports that the diocese's bankruptcy confirmation hearing is scheduled for June 21.
The diocese is creating a fund of between $21 million and $25 million to be used for professional fees and settlements with the 57 abuse survivors who led claims in bankruptcy court. Professional fees are now listed at more than $3.6 million and some settlements for abuse claimants are expected to approach $300,000.
There are also several non-monetary provisions in the settlement, including letters of apology to be sent to abuse claimants.
The Gallup Diocese is also expected to take measures to help prevent clergy sexual abuse in the future.
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EU court adviser: Employers can ban Muslim headscarf
LUXEMBOURG (AP) — A senior adviser to the European Court of Justice says a European Union business may prohibit an employee from wearing a Muslim headscarf on the job as long as the ban is based on a general company rule prohibiting visible political or religious symbols in the workplace, and not on prejudice against a particular religion.
Advocate General Juliane Kokott issued the opinion Tuesday after a Belgian court asked for clarification on what is prohibited by EU anti-discrimination laws.
In the Belgian case, Samira Achbita was fired as a receptionist by a security company after she insisted she should be allowed to work wearing an Islamic headscarf.
Achbita has lost her discrimination lawsuit in two Belgian courts and is now before the country's Court of Cassation, which sought the EU court's opinion.
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Parents thank God and zoo for retrieving boy from gorilla
CINCINNATI (AP) — The parents of a 4-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla habitat at the Cincinnati Zoo are thanking God for his safety.
The male western lowland gorilla was killed Saturday by a special zoo response team that feared the boy's life was in danger. Video taken by zoo visitors showed the gorilla at times appeared to be protective of the boy but also dragged him through the shallow moat.
In a statement released Monday, the family says, "We are so thankful to the Lord that our child is safe." The boy's parents add, "He is home and doing just fine."
Dozens of animal rights advocates and others held a Memorial Day vigil at the zoo in remembrance of the 17-year-old gorilla.
In the family statement, the boy's parents say, "We extend our heartfelt thanks for the quick action by the Cincinnati Zoo staff. We know that this was a very difficult decision for them, and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla."
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Thai authorities carry on removal of tigers from temple
BANGKOK (AP) — Thai authorities say they have removed more of the 137 tigers kept in a Buddhist temple that operated as an admission-charging zoo and is suspected of illegally trafficking in the beasts.
The director of Thailand's Wildlife Conservation Office said Tuesday that 40 tigers were tranquilized and removed in two days. They are being taken to government animal shelters elsewhere in the country.
She said the temple is still admitting tourists, but her personnel are warning them of the possible dangers of being present during the moving process.
Animal rights activists have long accused the temple of mistreating the tigers. Thailand's government suspects the monks have been involved in illegal breeding and trafficking of the animals.
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FILE - This June 20, 2015 file photo provided by the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden shows Harambe, a western lowland gorilla, who was fatally shot Saturday, May 28, 2016, to protect a 3-year-old boy who had entered its exhibit. The boy's breach of a gorilla exhibit at the zoo, leading authorities to fatally shoot the gorilla to protect the child, has focused attention on zoo enclosures and security. (Jeff McCurry/Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden via The Cincinatti Enquirer via AP, File)
In this Monday May 30, 2016 photo, a sedated tiger lies in a cage at the "Tiger Temple" in Saiyok district in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, Thailand. Wildlife officials in Thailand on Monday began removing some of the 137 tigers held at a Buddhist temple following accusations that the monks were involved in illegal breeding and trafficking of the animals. (AP Photo) THAILAND OUT
