Pastor Charged With Killing Disabled Man

Vatican dismisses assassination outlined in letter

(NEWSER) - A bizarre plot to assassinate the Pope made headlines in Italy yesterday and may signal a new turn in a Vatican power struggle , the Guardian reports. A cardinal from Colombia notified Pope Benedict XVI's inner circle about the plan by delivering a letter from Cardinal Paolo Romeo, the archbishop of Palermo. In the letter, Romeo claims to have heard about the murder plot during several conversations with Italian businessmen in Beijing last November. More»

Company is following Satan, says USA Christian Ministries chief

(NEWSER) - A pastor is calling on Christians to shun Starbucks because of its support of gay marriage in Washington state , reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer . "Starbucks is no longer fashionable," says USA Christian Ministries head Steven Andrew in a statement. He makes the case that the chain would lose 80% of its clientele if Christians united in the cause. "Starbucks can follow Satan if they want to," he says. (They're also "haters of God.") More»

Sandra Sohn helped troubled teenagers

(NEWSER) - Sonja Sohn couldn't leave Baltimore behind after The Wire. So the actress who played Det. Shakima “Kima” Greggs on the HBO show started a program for troubled teens called ReWired for Change, the Washington Post reports. Meeting in a university classroom, she urged thugged-up teenagers to reconsider their life decisions and relationships. Wire writer David Simon said pityingly: "There was a part of me who wanted to put my arm around her and say, you are about to go on a journey." More»

Mark Stewart Bullock arrested, removed from church duty

(NEWSER) - Father Mark Stewart Bullock went from priest at the Church of the Immaculate Conception to creepy guy standing around pants-less in a porn shop, Baltimore cops say. Police say they responded to complaints of indecent exposure and found Bullock, nude from the waist down, inside a movie theater at the store. He has since been removed from duty at his church, the Sun reports. More»

God's work can apparently bring in a lot of cash

(NEWSER) - You probably wouldn't think of "religious leader" as a job that would bring in big bucks, and for the most part, you'd be right: Catholic priests make just $25,000 to $30,000 per year, and the average Protestant pastor brings in $40,000. But get a big enough following, and you can certainly live the good life, as the Huffington Post points out in its list of the 10 best-paid pastors in America. Some of the highlights:

• Kenneth Copeland: This televangelist's campus includes a private airstrip and hangar, both of which it needs because the ministry also owns a $17.5 million jet and unspecified "other aircraft." The most recent salary information, from 1995, puts his annual wages at $364,577 and his wife's at $292,593.