A “circular letter” from the Vatican to all bishops conferences around the world was released May 16, 2011, and presents guidelines for bishops in developing policies on dealing with clergy who molest children. The Vatican also released a summary of the circular letter and a note from American Cardinal William Levada, head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the […]

Read a copy of the John Jay College report, titled “The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010.” The report’s analysis received a great deal of criticism from all sides and continues to generate debate. The report also called on the bishops to develop further uniform and transparent […]

Read a Feb. 19, 2010, article published on CBSNews.com about Tiger Woods’ return to Buddhism after his extra-marital affairs leaked to the press.

Read a June 21, 2013, interview with Tim Tebow about his football career and his faith. The NFL quarterback well-known for his game day face paint inscribed with Bible verses.

Read a March 1, 2012, article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about a study that suggested changes to Missouri’s system of capital punishment.

Paul J. Litton is associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law. His specialties include capital punishment, criminal law and morality, and bioethics.  

Read remarks made Feb. 24, 2006, (scroll halfway down the page) by Mark Everson, who was IRS commissioner at the time, about his agency’s role in monitoring charitable groups’ election activities. The IRS stepped up its education and oversight efforts “to address what we saw as increasing political intervention” by tax-exempt groups in 2004, he said. […]

Read IRS rules for charities on political and lobbying activity.

Read a background page about churches, charities and politics on the Internal Revenue Service website.