Ireland’s Taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny still maintains the Vatican interfered in a government investigation of clergy sexual abuse of children.

The Irish prime minister asserted the Vatican failed to fully cooperate in the government’s Murphy commission, which was tasked to investigate charges of sexual abuse of children by 19 priests in the diocese of Cloyne, that spanned over a decade.

“[My] claim in the Dail (Irish parliament) still stands. I made the point that this is a statutory commission of inquiry, and as such nothing less than full cooperation is required and anything less than full cooperation in my view is unwarranted interference,” Kenny told Irish Times.

Vatican statement

The Vatican responded last Saturday to the Cloyne report, which was submitted in July, via a statement handed by undersecretary for state relations, Ettore Balestrero, to Ireland’s deputy ambassador to the Vatican, Helena Keleher.

The official statement noted that the Holy See is “sorry and ashamed” by the findings of the report, which investigated over 10 years of child sexual abuse by 19 clergy in Cloyne.

The Vatican admitted that the Church handled the matter poorly, but rejected accusations that it covered up or tried to hinder the government investigation.

Lack of accountability, secrecy

“The document reveals the Vatican’s efforts to continue to absolve itself of any responsibility for the cover-up of the abuse,” victim Andrew Madden, who contributed evidence to the report, told Irish Times.

Advocate Maeve Lewis of One in Four told Irish Times the Vatican “[created] a culture where secrecy and cover-ups were routinely used to maintain the reputation of the church while placing children at continued risk of sexual abuse.”

Lewis further told Irish Central, “The Vatican is completely out of touch with public outrage regarding church management of child abuse.”

The Vatican furthermore denied that it undermined Irish civil law. In July, Ireland’s parliament rebuked the Holy See for undercutting child protection laws by referring, in a letter to Irish bishops, to government guidelines on reporting child sexual abuse as “study guidelines.”

The Cloyne report, which was published in July, slammed the Church for its poor response to the plentiful claims of child abuse in the Cloyne diocese, that were filed against 19 priests from 1996 to 2009.

The report also criticized former Cloyne bishop John Magee, who served as private secretary to popes Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II successively, for shying away from daily management of cases of child abuse. Magee resigned last year.

The Cloyne report is the most recent account among a string of clergy sexual abuse scandals that have rocked the Irish Catholic Church for decades. Hundreds of claims of child sexual abuse by priests have been documented.

The report spurred Ireland’s prime minister, Kenny, to say in July that the Church had a culture of “dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism.”

Kenny reiterated his sentiments to Belfast Telegraph, adding, “As a member of the Catholic Church I want to see that the church … is absolutely above reproach.”

The Roman Catholic Church Diocese of Orange County is interested in purchasing the Evangelical Crystal Cathedral, and they are willing to pay $50 million for it.

The offer is appealing to the bankrupt megachurch.  Its board is weighing a number of other offers along with that of the Catholic Church for its 40-acre campus along with its glass-paned cathedral.

An outside view of the Crystal Cathedral

If the Diocese of Orange lands the property, it hopes to renovate the interiors to include Catholic elements including an altar, holy water bowls, and others. However the exterior, which is the work of designer Philip Johnson, will remain unchanged.

“We want to make a transition to a Catholic ministry that is appropriate and respectful of what they have created,” Alan Martin, lawyer for the diocese, told The New York Times.

The Crystal Cathedral board is planning to convene on Thursday, where it will mull over a number of other options aside from that of the Catholic diocese. It will hold bankruptcy hearings in court on Monday.

Other options

At least three other bodies have bid for the property. One of them is Chapman University, which would like to convert the grounds into a satellite campus for the health sciences. Initially, Chapman offered $46 million, but recently it raised the amount to $50 million plus an option for Crystal Cathedral to buy back its Cathedral.

Another offer was given by My Father’s House Church International, which is willing to pay $50 million. Rev. Mark A. Thomas told the LA Times that he plans to “honor the history” of the Crystal Cathedral if his bid is accepted.

Finally Greenlaw Partners, a realty investment group in Orange County, has offered $46 million. In exchange, Crystal Cathedral may lease back its core buildings and build apartments on the land.

Crystal Cathedral was founded in 1955 by Rev. Robert H. Schuller and is viewed as the first megachurch in the country. In the 1980s some two million viewed its weekly TV program, “Hour of Power,” and over 10,000 worshiped at the Cathedral.

However, after Schuller retired in 2006 there was a succession battle among the children which alienated a number of churchgoers. Today, more worshippers attend the Spanish-language Sunday service that those in English led by Schuller’s daughter.

Last year the ministry filed for bankruptcy with some $46 million owed to creditors. The Roman Catholic diocese promised to pay the debt by the end of the year, and still have money left over for the ministry.

Of concern, however, is how the Catholic diocese will raise the funds. In 2004 it paid some $100 million in settlement of a clergy sex abuse case, causing layoffs and budget cuts. Stephen R. Bohannon, spokesman of the diocese, told The NY Times in an email that they will raise the money through loans and fund raising.

Whatever choice Crystal Cathedral makes, definitely it has a strong interest in being able to continue to worship there. John Charles, spokesman for Crystal Cathedral, told The NY Times, “I think the majority of the board and all of the members of the church would like to see an opportunity to continue the ministry at the location. But, it remains to be seen how this will proceed in the court system.”

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/us/28crystal.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/crystal-cathedral-board-schuller-voting-member.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/crystal-cathedral-bankruptcy.html

Three women who were touring India were asked recently to leave the country amid accusations that they were evangelizing.

Shelly Louise Deeds, 50, daughter Katelyn Header Deeds, 15, and Diane Gean Harrington were asked by state officials in Kerala to leave India, allegedly because they were trying to convert poor people in Alappuzha, which is a coastal district in Kerala, The Times of India said.

The women had been in the country already for two weeks when they were asked to leave. Their visas were valid until November, 2011, according to The Times of India.

However, state police claim that the women were asked to leave because they violated the rules of their tourist visas when they attempted to join organized meetings and activities, The Times of India said.

Proselytizing

Activists from a number of Hindu organizations claim otherwise. They reported to local police that the three were trying to bribe poor families in order to convert them to the Christian faith, according to The Times of India.

RSS Taluk office-bearer Raghu told The Times of India, “They were targeting the poor families in the coastal area and were trying to convert them with several offers. The area had significant Hindu and Muslim population while only some recent converts were part of the Christian community. The pastors and foreigners were trying to influence the local people through the new converts. They had visited several houses in the area and conducted prayer sessions.”

The local pastors who allegedly were working with the three women are Jacob, 34, Sabu , 47, and James, 45, from the district of Kottayam. Police told The Times of India that they are continuing to investigate the case, and the U.S. Embassy in India has also been informed of the situation.

The investigation is headed by Circle Inspector J. Aanthoshkumar. The Times of India said the alleged prayer sessions created a disturbance, and right-wing Hindu organizations threatened to go to the streets in protest.

District SP Asok Kumar told The Times of India, “We have not received any evidence to indicate the three US women were engaged in conversion-related activities. However, they were about to attend religious prayer session[s]. They have come on visit visas and the law of the land doesn’t permit them to attend any organized meeting or group activities including the prayer sessions.”

Kumar also said to The Times of India, “We were not clear about their intentions. That is why we asked them to leave the country, and they agreed. There is no deportation involved. They are now waiting for their return tickets.”

A number of Indian states prohibit religious conversion, a highly controversial issue in parts of the country which, at times, can be deadly. Right wing Hindu groups believe that converting Dalits and tribals may pose a threat to the majority religion.

Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned to death in 1999 when their station wagon, in which they had been sleeping, was set on fire by Hindu extremists.

Sources:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/American-tourists-on-conversion-drive-asked-to-leave/articleshow/8850411.cms

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/bric-yard/americans-expelled-india-missionary-work

A businessman in Netherlands is building an ark that will be identical in size to the one that was built by Noah in the Bible.

Johan Huibers, 60, has for the last few years been building an ark like the one described in the Bible that Noah built and rode on with his family during the great flood.

The ark is the exact size as the one in the Bible—300 cubits (450 feet) long and 30 cubits (45 feet) high, similar to a three-story structure. It is 50 cubits (75 feet) wide.

Huibers told The New York Times that a cubit is about 18 inches (the distance from the finger tips to the elbow).

He used Swedish pine, noting that some versions of the Bible describe the wood God told Noah to use a “resin wood.”

Visitors to the ark have described ark as having a rich fresh pine smell and cavernous decks.

Dutch safety standards

There are some differences however, due to Dutch safety standards.

For now, a special anchor was installed so that the ark, which weighs 2,970 tons, could qualify for the time being as a building.

The ark is being built on 25 steel barges that were put together to serve as a basin. It is kept rigid with a heavy steel frame.

Huibers told The New York Times, “It is much easier to make a wooden ark.”

Safety standards also require a triple-coat of varnish that is fire retardant. Noah only used pitch which only served to make it waterproof, according to The New York Times.

Irony

Ironically, the site where the ark is being built, in Dordrecht city, Netherlands might be a good place for it. The city, which has a population of 118,000, has often been flooded, including the devastating 1995 flood, and falls below sea level.

Dordrecht lies at the confluence of three rivers, and with global warming, water levels have gone higher. Rather than build higher dikes, the farmlands east and south of the city, called Forest of Bulrushes, have been returned to the waters.

Alderman Piet Sleeking told The New York Times, “It’s called the room for the river project. Instead of building the dikes higher, we are giving the rivers and canals more room.”

Neighbors

Some neighbors have grumbled over the project. Gerrit Kruythoff, 65, told The New York Times, “We used to have a view all the way to the river. You could see the ships passing by.” Bas Keyzer, 46, said, “It’s not very nautical; it’s top heavy. But it certainly looks like the ark.”

But Annie van der Luytgaarden disagrees. She told International Herald Tribune, “It’s beautiful inside and out, the stairways, the doors. I’ve already asked if I can join on the maiden voyage. I’ll do the dishes.’’

Huibers had been thinking of an ark since 1992. By 2004, he built a smaller ark 225 feet in length, which sailed through the Dutch canals. People paid $7 to ride on it, and after three years he’d had some 600,000 customers making a hefty profit of $1.2 million, The International Herald Tribune said.

But Huibers said the ark goes beyond making money. He told International Herald Tribune, “It is to tell people that there is a Bible. And that, when you open it, there is a God. It’s a simple meaning. A lot of things in the boat lead you to think.’’

Usefulness

The city officials see the project as a way to generate tourism and generate employment. Alderman Sleeking told The New York Times, “There could be hundreds of thousands of tourists, so for the city it would be a good thing.”

The ark is conceived to also engender teaching, with panoramas depicting the story of Noah, and live animals on board. As of now, there are hens, roosters and birds in cages, but more animals will be added. There are also two conference rooms which can accommodate up to 1,500.

Huibers also wrote to Boris Johnson, mayor of London to request that the ark could be brought there for next summer’s Olympic Games. Visiting Texas investors have also encouraged him to bring the ark to Galveston, The New York Times said.

Christian churches and organizations in the Bible Belt are coming together to lend a hand to victims of Joplin, Mo., after it was hit recently by an F5 tornado, claiming 125 lives and leaving 900 injured.

Considered one of the most lethal tornadoes in U.S. history, the twisters left a six-mile wide path of destruction with its sweeping winds at more than 200 m.p.h. It is not yet known how many people are missing. However, 8,000 buildings, or one-quarter of Joplin’s total infrastructure, was destroyed, Crosswalk said.

Dustin Lee Sisney, whose home was spared, told Crosswalk, “It was unbelievable and hard to describe what was going on. We need prayer and help to get through this time. This is a close-knit town and resilient, but we need prayer.”

Rick Brust, pastor of Bethel Christian Life, told Journal and Courier that a couple who rented a home (which does not have a basement), almost got sucked up by the twister. “They got into a small closet in the bathroom in the center of the house. They got cushions to cover their heads.”

Brust told Journal and Courier, “The doors blew off and the man’s wife started to float up. He grabbed her and then he started to float up. The man said, ‘God, I have a hold of her, but I need you to grab hold of me.’”

Although the house was severely damaged, the couple experienced only minor injuries. But there are stories others were sucked out of houses and cars, including one young man who had his seatbelt on, but was dragged through the car’s sunroof, Journal and Courier reported.

“Praying is a constant state of being right now,” Amy Rogers told Citizen-Times. She, her husband and two-year-old boy were spared. She has since been helping with search and relief work in the neighborhood.

Another couple that survived is Richard, 87, and Joanna Green, 86. Their house was destroyed but she told Citizen-Times, “I can’t believe we rode that out. The Lord was protecting us.”

Survivors could not explain to Citizen-Times why God allowed the tornado to occur. But many expressed certainty that God has a greater plan. Definitely Christian churches and organizations are responding.

A Red Cross spokeswoman told Citizen-Times that this has been the biggest disaster season since Hurricane Katrina. It has set up shelter for up to some 350 families. Marita Wenner, a Red Cross volunteer said, “Twenty years of disaster experience, and this is the worst I’ve seen by far.”

Bethel Christian Life is also conducting relief work in collaboration with several churches including several in Tippecanoe County, Lafayette Community Church, Sunrise Christian Reformed Church and Harvest Chapel, Journal and Courier said.

They are providing shoes, tarps, underwear, children’s items, toiletries, and others. Brust, pastor of Bethel, said some of the members of his church lost their homes or were injured, the Journal and Courier reported.

However, Brust said the response has been tremendous. He told Journal and Courier, “People are calling with truckloads of things. One truckload is coming from Kansas City and the Professional Bullriders Association. A church in Colorado is sending two truckloads.”

Also working together in relief work are Central Bible College, Assemblies of God and Convoy of Hope, Crosswalk said. CBC is sending relief workers to assist in distributing food, cleaning debris and running shelters on site.

Juleen Turnage, director of AG’s public relations told Crosswalk, “The Assemblies of God and Convoy of Hope have made long-term commitments to our neighbors in Joplin as well as to churches in other states impacted by the recent string of natural disasters. Yet, without the generous support of individuals and churches throughout our Fellowship, our ability to impact hurting people and communities through compassion ministry would fall far short.”

College Heights Christian Church in Joplin set up a distribution center, and hundreds have volunteered to assist in the distribution of food and supplies. Roger Lieb told Crosswalk, “The outpouring of help is coming out of the woodwork. People’s love and concern for others is seen vividly here.”

Radio station owner Harold Camping said recently that he wasn’t wrong when he predicted that rapture would take place on May 21, but it just wasn’t obvious because the rapture took place in a spiritual sense.

Camping said on his radio program Open Forum that even though we hadn’t seen it, and nothing different seems to have taken place, God indeed bore judgment on the whole world last May 21, according to International Business Times.

Camping said, “On May 21, this last weekend, this is where the spiritual aspect of it really comes through. God again brought judgment on the world. We didn’t see any difference but God brought Judgment Day to bear upon the whole world,” International Business Times reported.

For months Camping had been predicting that 200 million Christians will be physically taken up to heaven on May 21, last Saturday. This would be followed by five months of tremendous suffering, also known as the Great Tribulation, The Washington Post said.

The suffering would end on Oct. 21, Camping said in his original prediction. Last Monday, he suggested that maybe God, in his mercy, decided to spare humanity of the five months of tribulation, The Washington Post said.

He also said he felt terrible and that last Saturday he and his wife took refuge in a motel, the AP said. But he also said that he is certain that the world will end on Oct. 21, 2011, and that his numerological timeline is accurate.

Camping said, “It won’t be spiritual on October 21^st. The world is going to be destroyed all together, but it will be very quick,” The Washington Post reported. Camping said that the globe would be taken up in a fireball, according to the AP.

Through Camping’s personal ministry, Family Radio International, millions were spent to set up to 5,000 billboards and for some 20 RVs to go around with signs announcing the May 21 apocalypse, the AP said.

Camping’s followers also put their personal funds into advertising the May 21 apocalypse. Jeff Hopkins, 52, told the AP that he spent on gas to drive his van back and forth between New York City and Long Island, so that people could see the warning sign on his van.

Hopkins, a former TV producer told the AP, “I’ve been mocked and scoffed and cursed at and I’ve been through a lot with this lighted sign on top of my car. I was doing what I’ve been instructed to do through the Bible, but now I’ve been stymied. It’s like getting slapped in the face.”

Followers Adrienne Martinez and her husband quit their jobs and spent all their savings so that they would leave nothing behind after May 21. She is pregnant with her second child, International Business Times said.

Christians believe, as the bible says, that the exact time of Jesus’ return cannot be prophesied. Tim LaHaye, a co-writer of the apocalyptic novel series “Left Behind” cited Matt. 24:36 which says, “[B]ut about that day or hour no one knows,” except God, AP said.

LaHaye wrote on his website, “While it may be in the near future, many signs of our times certainly indicate so, but anyone who thinks they ‘know’ the day and the hour is flat out wrong,” AP reported.

No responsibility

Camping said he feels no responsibility for those who left their jobs or spent their savings because of his prophecy. He said on his radio station, “They should have relied on God and not me. Family Radio is not in the business of financial advice,” International Business Times reported.

Camping implied that these people need to go on with their lives saying, “People cope,” according to International Business Times.

This is actually the second time that Camping predicted a doomsday and that failed. The first time he predicted the Apocalypse was in 1994. Camping later said that it was a mathematical error, according to the AP.

In 2009, Family Radio, which is a nonprofit endeavor, filed its IRS report stating it had assets of over $104 million (including $34 million in stocks and other securities), and received donations of $18.3 million, the AP said.

A man who abandoned his baby in front of the Archdiocese of Chicago headquarters was arrested recently on charges of child endangerment.

James Evans, 52, was arrested after he walked into the Town Hall police station last Friday, some 20 hours after he left his child in front of the Archdiocese of Chicago, to report that the child was missing, the Chicago Sun Times said.

The day before, on Thursday afternoon, Evans left his nine-month-old baby girl in her stroller in front of the Archdiocese in the Gold Coast area, ABC News said. He is charged with endangering the health and life of a child, the Chicago Tribune said.

Evans has a record of 40 previous arrests, UPI said. He told the police that he lost his daughter when he fell asleep in a McDonald’s restaurant and woke up to find that she was gone, according to Chicago Tribune.
However, video from the archdiocese shows a man pushing the girl’s stroller to the front door, and then leaving her there, Colleen Dolan, communications director of the archdiocese, told WGN News.

Witnesses also witnessed the incident. Wendy Budzynski, archdiocese administrative assistant, told ABC News she was outside when she saw the man push the stroller on the street, kneel down to touch the baby, and then walk away.

Budzynski told ABC News, “I walked around the corner and came back, and the baby was by [herself]. He was nowhere to be found.” Natasha Price, a clerk from the archdiocese who saw the baby, told ABC News, “She’s a little girl, African-American, wearing a purple dress with some leggings and orange. She looks like a nice, little, happy baby. She was comfortable. She wasn’t scared or anything.”

However, the girl wore dirty clothes, and her bottle and stroller were dirty, too. Five diapers were found under the stroller, and a prescription medication that was being used by the child was also found in a bag attached to the stroller, WGN News said.

The baby was brought to Children’s Memorial Hospital for examination and possible treatment. There were no signs of abuse on the child. She is presently in foster care, according to Chicago Tribune.

There is no information about the child’s mother, the Chicago Tribune said. However, the case is being investigated by the Department of Children and Family Services, the Chicago Sun-Times said.

Evans was allowed to go free after agreeing to a personal recognizance bond, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Illinois has a Safe Haven statute that permits parents to leave their infants, unharmed and up to 30 days old maximum, at a hospital, police station, or firehouse, WGN News said.

However, in this case the baby was too old and the archdiocese does not have 24-hour staff and does not fall under the Safe Haven statute.

Some 18 people in Egypt will be tried through an expedited criminal court in relation to a series of attacks against Coptic Christians who were holding a sit-in last May 14 outside a government building.

The 18 people have been charged with exhibiting force, thuggery, endangering lives, attacking peaceful demonstrators, disturbing the peace, disturbing public security, and destruction of public and private property, among others, Al Masyr Al Youm
reported.

The trials will be held in Cairo on May 21. A spokesman for attorney general Abdel Meguid Mahmoud said investigation is underway and the prosecution has the testimonies of police and some 36 victims, Al Masyr Al Youm said.

Last Saturday Coptic Christian protestors demonstrating at the Egyptian Radio and Television Union building at Maspero were assaulted in three successive attacks, killing one and injuring over 100 others, Assyrian International News Agency said.

Tensions have been high in Cairo since May 7, when Christians and Muslims battled through the night in Imbaba, a working class neighborhood, leaving at least 12 dead and two churches torched, The New York Times said.

Last Saturday, assailants first struck around midnight when two Muslims wearing Salafist clothes tried to force their way through the demonstrators, but were blocked by Christian youth, according to AINA.

One of the Muslims fled, while another was apprehended and brought to the police. The Muslim was identified as Ramadan Abdallah, a high school graduate of al-Ashar, AINA reported.

The second attack occurred almost simultaneously from a bridge overlooking the protest area, where a group of Muslims arrived in a minibus and threw Molotov cocktails, empty bottles and stones at the Christian demonstrators, then fled, AINA said.

The third assault took place an hour later when Muslims from Boulak, a poor neighborhood near Maspero, surrounded the Christians, threw Molotov cocktails at them and fired guns. They also torched a boat in the Nile that belonged to a TV crew, AINA reported.

One of the Muslim attackers wielding a knife injured the leg and hand of Samuel Sobhy, one of the organizers of the rally. The attacker was captured and handed over to the police, AINA said.

Threats of attack

Father Filopateer Gameel told AINA that he had received threats of a pending attack against the protesters. When he informed the police they said he should call the army as they could do nothing about it.

During the melee, Gameel read the absolution of sins for all Christian demonstrators, fearful that they may be killed, AINA said.

Gameel also told AINA that he blames Interior Minister el-Essawy for the chaos because the minister said on TV that the protests of the Christians should be ended by any means. In essence, Gameel said, this gave a green light to Muslim extremists.

Father Botros of Moqattam Church said, “These are not thugs. They are criminals hired by security authorities and the army to break up the Coptic sit-in. The army and the security should be held accountable. We have rights and we will take them.”

The Christians, who have been protesting since May 7, are seeking the release of 17 Christians who were sentenced to three years imprisonment on March 16, as well as 400 others who are also still in prison, AINA said. They also are demanding that Muslims who torched the churches in Soul, Moqattam, Abu Qorgas, Embaba and Alexandria are brought to justice.

There has been a rise in sectarian violence and crime in general in Cairo post revolution. A number of policemen have deserted the police force because they may be punished for past abuses before the revolution, The New York Times said.

There are also suspicions that a counterrevolutionary conspiracy is in the works that seeks to create disorder, and in this way bring down the military council, according to The New York Times.

Only five presidential hopefuls showed up at the recently-held first Grand Old Party presidential debate, all of them ranking 2.5 percent or lower in the Winthrop Poll that was taken last month.

The candidates who showed up were businessman Herman Cain, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, Texas congressman Ron Paul, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum and former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, according to Miami Herald.

All of those who showed up for the debate, except for Johnson, have already launched exploratory committees for their possible presidential run. Former Alabama Supreme Court justice Roy Moore has also formed an exploratory committee, but he did not attend the debate, the Presidential Prayer Team website said.

The better-known contenders, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann were no shows, according to the Miami Herald.

All the presidential hopefuls agreed on a number of things, including a desire to lower taxes, a need for a tougher foreign policy and a need to stop Obamacare, Miami Herald said.

Lower taxes

Pawlenty, a former Roman Catholic turned Evangelical Christian, expressed support for lower taxes saying that having grown up working class, he understands its value, Miami Herald said.

He also spoke of visits he often made to the Middle East lending him an understanding of the terrorist mindset. He said that “under limited circumstances” he would support “enhanced” interrogation techniques, Miami Herald reported.

Pawlenty faced tough hurdles including questions about his handling of Minnesota’s budget, leaving it in the red after he borrowed six billion dollars from local school districts, the LA Times said.

His former support in 2007 for cap and trade, a stand which conservatives dislike, was also raised. Pawlenty said, “I made a mistake. Nobody’s perfect,” the LA Times reported.

U.S. foreign policy

Herman Cain, who once told The Christian Post that his faith interplays all his decisions in life, has tied with Pawlenty in the Winthrop poll for 11^th place among potential GOP candidates, according to the Miami Herald.

Cain, a radio host and businessman, criticized U.S. foreign policy saying, “We need a real clear national security strategy with every nation on the planet, friend or foe,” noting in particular U.S. policy in Syria and Libya, Miami Herald said.

Afghanistan

Ron Paul got big cheers when he criticized U.S. nation-building efforts in Afghanistan by “borrowing 43 cents out of every dollar,” adding, “To me, that is crazy,” LA Times reported.

The Texas congressman said, “Boy, it’s a wonderful time for this country now to reassess it and get the troops out of Afghanistan,” the LA Times reported. Paul is a libertarian who is on his second GOP presidential run, Miami Herald said.

Abolish corporate tax

Gary Johnson, former New Mexico governor, is a libertarian who had vigorously opposed the military policies of both the Bush and Obama administrations. He said during the debate that the corporate tax should be abolished, stating that this would provide “literally tens of millions of jobs overnight,” Miami Herald reported.

Health care

Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, attacked the health care overhaul of 2010 saying, “What Obamacare does is shift this fundamental belief of our founders that our country was created to make sure people are free,” because it will in due time compel almost everyone to get health care coverage, Miami Herald said.

Santorum said, “To me it’s a game changer. It has to be stopped,” according to the Miami Herald.

The senior pastor of a Protestant church in San Diego, Ca., resigned recently from his church position because he will plead guilty to federal criminal charges of fraud.

Barry Minkow, former senior pastor of Community Bible Church, San Diego will plead is also charged with abusing his relationship with government as a part time “fraud buster.”

While working with the church, Minkow founded Fraud Discovery Institute and collaborated with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to uncover financial and corporate malpractices.

First prison term

Minkow, who was raised a Jew, worked with the Christian church in San Diego after he was released from jail where he initially served a seven-year prison term in 1988 for 57 counts of fraud, WSJ said.

As a pastor and fraud buster, the side job was done pro bono, but it gave Minkow an image as a crusader for financial justice who was trying to make amends for his own past and seeking to regain deliverance.

Now the federal government has filed raps against him after Minkow convinced them to investigate Lennar Corp., a giant home builder, on false charges and using his inside knowledge of the investigation to manipulate the stock market, WSJ said.

Plea bargain

This time around, things are better for Minkow. He has agreed to a plea bargain that rescues him from a potential 30-year prison term if he were convicted. Instead, he now faces just a single count of conspiracy in committing security fraud, which only carries a maximum of five years prison time, the LA Times said.

In exchange he will help the federal government pin down “Conspirator A” whom he alleges hired him to attack Lennar by spreading negative stories online. Minkow accused Lennar of fraudulent accounting and its senior executives of corruption, the LA Times said.

Lennar responded with a lawsuit charging Minkow with extortion and libel. One week later, the federal government filed criminal raps against Minkow, the LA Times reported.

Reformed pastor

Two years before, Minkow enjoyed the image of a crusading pastor. In 2009 the OC Register featured him as a pastor who was “on a crusade to render financial justice and find personal redemption.”

This is because Minkow was once a celebrated teen millionaire (who appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s show) with ZZZZ Best, a carpet cleaning company he founded. In 1988, when he was 21 years old, he was charged with swindling tens of millions of dollars through 57 counts of fraud using a shell operation ( ZZZZ Best), the LA Times said.

With Community Bible, his church work did not shine as largely as his FDI work, where he successfully uncovered phony diplomas of corporate leaders who lied about their education background, according to the OC Register.

Among those exposed were the chief executive of MGM Mirage in Las Vegas, a vice president of Broadcom Corp., and the president and CEO of Mircosemi Corp., the OC Register said.

In 2006, Minkow uncovered a Ponzi scheme that had been going on for 20 years, landing James P. Lewis Jr. of Laguna Niguel in jail. Lewis now serves a 30-year term for getting up to $156 million from mostly elderly investors, the OC Register reported.

Lennar case

The federal complaint against Minkow says he was hired by “Conspirator A” whom the LA Times identifies as San Diego developer Nicolas Marsch III, a developer who sued Lennar for malpractices in accounting over a Southern California realty venture (the lawsuit is on appeal and is also filed in California bankruptcy courts), WSJ said.

The federal complaint says “Conspirator A” hired Minkow in late 2008. Minkow released a Jan. 9, 2009 report that accused Lennar of widespread improprieties, WSJ reported.

After Minkow’s publicly-released report, Lennar’s stock tumbled 30 percent resulting in a $500 million loss in just two days, the WSJ said. Stuart Miller, chief executive of Lennar said, “The criminal activity described in the government’s filing has been a continuing assault on our company for several years. We are pleased that the government is pursuing the responsible parties. We intend to cooperate fully with the government’s ongoing investigation.”

U.S. Attorney Wilfredo Ferrer said in a statement, “In this case, Minkow’s manipulation of the market and his relationship with the FBI for his personal gain caused a severe drop in the stock prices of [Lennar]. This type of deceit and abuse of trust will not be tolerated,” the WSJ reported.

Marsch’s lawyer, Richard S. Van Dyke, told WSJ that he while “Conspirator A” seems to resemble his client in some ways, he is not aware of any investigation against Marsch and his client has not been charged with any crime.

With the plea bargain, Minkow is expected to testify truthfully and will also be required to assist federal investigations when asked. John Coffee, an expert in securities law from Columbia University told the LA Times, “Apparently, the government values his assistance in other cases.”

Minkow’s lawyer, Alvin Entin told WSJ, “Barry knows what he’s doing. He’s going forward, trying to get this episode behind him.”