Religion PR

For both critics and fans of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has proven a compelling figure. Opponents cheer every time the pontiff says anything that could be somewhat construed as contradictory to previous church teaching, while church leaders, though obviously not entirely comfortable, have, to date, found ways to connect with his preachments. With each new pronouncement, the pope reignites the firestorm, but this latest statement may just be the tipping point. In what the Associated Press called a “sweeping document on family life,” the pope reportedly opened the door for divorced and remarried Catholics to rejoin the church and... Read More >

Sixth Annual Survey Finds Consumers Prefer Ease-of-Use even over Trust The Sixth Annual Makovsky PR /Kelton "Pulse of Online Search" Survey sent to 1,035 Americans ages 18 and older revealed even though the doctor-patient relationship remains paramount to healthcare, patients seek information online to better understand conversations held with healthcare professionals – particularly regarding treatment options. Tom Jones, SVP and Practice Director at Makovsky Health, said, "Online search is an essential part of consumer self-care and health education, but the way in which consumers leverage these resources continues to evolve. In this year's survey, we saw significant shifts in consumer... Read More >

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital who has recently apologized for how they handled Ebola has hired Burson-Marsteller. According to the New York Times today, “For Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, the last two and a half weeks have been a nightmare without end. And with the announcement early Wednesday that a second nurse who cared for Mr. Duncan had been infected, scrutiny of the hospital intensified as officials sought to calm both workers and patients. Long regarded as one of the finest hospitals in Texas, Presbyterian has faced continuing criticism — first for its initial misdiagnosis of Mr. Duncan, which delayed his... Read More >

The giving (and getting) communities are abuzz right now with the latest Giving USA report on the state of American philanthropy. The research and analysis behind the report is conducted in collaboration with Indiana University and is supposed to generate an overall picture of charitable giving. This is an important report largely because charitable giving has steadily represented 2% of the total gross domestic product (GDP) over the years, not an insignificant figure by any account. The report tells us that it bases annual estimates for giving “on econometric models using tax data, government estimates for economic indicators and information from... Read More >

In a world full of startups, how will yours stand out? How can you make yours successful? The key to success is productivity. Here are some tips to making your startup more productive: Create a Creative Company Culture Having a company culture that your employees enjoy being a part of is essential. Not only does it attract new talent but also helps to retain these great employees. Create a culture that is both casual yet business oriented. It should be a fun environment. Your employees will be both happy to be there, and happy to work if they enjoy where... Read More >

A new social network has been launched, this time one that has several similarities with Facebook, but is dedicated to people seeking the truth about Catholicism. This social network addresses the critical mass of Catholic people and it is called Aleteia.org, a name inspired by the Greek word for truth. "More than a thousand partners have already joined and many more are expressing their support," declared Jesus Colina, the Spanish journalist, president of the new venture. The platform, AdEthic, is currently available in six languages - Italian, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Arabic - and has a staff of 45... Read More >

It has become the rallying call of petitions, a new cause for celebrities, the subject of late night jokes, and has now finally found its way into technology news. The Florida Family Association (FFA) found its website had been hacked Tuesday. In its place was a message purportedly from the famous hacker group Anonymous stating that the group’s site “destroys free speech”. [caption id="attachment_31668" align="aligncenter" width="410"] Anonymous supporters in Guy Fawkes masks[/caption] The controversy began with the FFA opposing a new show on TLC called “All-American Muslim”, a reality show that follows the lives of a Muslim family being ordinary.... Read More >

The past decade has brought tremendous changes in how the Muslim Community is perceived in Britain. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in New York and 7/7 in London, adepts of the second largest faith in the world have been associated by British citizens with killings, aggression and terrorist activity. The dire image of the British Muslim community has been revealed by a YouGov poll conducted at the end of May 2010 commissioned by a relatively new foundation, the Exploring Islam Foundation (EIF), founded by a group of young British Muslim professionals deeply concerned about the public perception of their... Read More >

Vatican expressed great surprise at the news that broke today involving Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, the head of the Vatican Bank, being placed under investigation by Rome magistrates under suspicions of money-laundering by the bank. The Vatican Bank, or Institute for Works of Religion as it is called, had one if its accounts containing 23 million euros (or 30 million USD) frozen by the Italian police earlier today while Rome prosecutors probe the accusations against the head of the bank. “It is well known that the authorities of the Holy See have frequently manifested a clear desire for full transparency regarding... Read More >

In news from Senegal, a statue commissioned by that country's President Abdoulaye Wade is at the center of heated controversy. Supposedly commissioned to increase tourism to Senegal, the statue is now at the center of what could be a rift between the country's Christian and Muslim citizens. Wade having just apologized for insinuating the statue resembled Jesus apparently being too little too late, people there question the spending and intent now. According to a BBC report, Wade has said that he would keep one third of the tourist revenue generated by the statue for himself prior to his "Jesus" comparison.... Read More >