RELIGION BRIEFING

DISCRIMINATION SUIT

Church Fights for Downtown Zoning Permit

Yuma, Ariz., is being sued by a church that was denied a permit to turn an old J.C. Penney department store building downtown into a worship center.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court by the Alliance Defense Fund and the Center for Arizona Policy, acting on behalf of the Centro Familiar Cristiano Buenas Nuevas Church.

The suit accuses the city of discrimination by enforcing a zoning code that allows membership groups and theaters to locate in the historic district while excluding religious organizations.

The church bought the former store on Main Street to use for its services. A city use permit was needed because it is within Yuma's Old Town/Historic Zoning District.

City Attorney Steve Moore said the city has been expecting the lawsuit and has been providing information to attorneys for the church. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the city to determine whether the denial violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.

-- Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO ARCHDIOCESE

Nation's Youngest Catholic Bishop Ordained

In a sign of the changing face of U.S. Catholicism, a 41-year-old priest of Mexican descent who grew up in Houston has been ordained the nation's youngest Roman Catholic bishop.

More than 1,000 people inside St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church applauded the promotion of the Rev. Oscar Cantu as an bishop of San Antonio.