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Quote of the Day. "This is not just a day of celebration for Germans. This is a day of celebration for the whole of Europe; this is a day of celebration for all those people who have more freedom." German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a ceremony in Berlin marking the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. (Associated Press)

FAITH IN THE NEWS

Murdered Jesuits honored 20 years after their deaths in El Salvador “Twenty years after they were killed at Central American University in San Salvador, along with their housekeeper and her daughter, six Jesuit priests are being honored by the Salvadoran government, the U.S. Congress and Jesuit institutions.”

American Muslims express fear, frustration after Ft. Hood shootings “The news that the suspect is one of their own brings up familiar feelings. Besides fears of retribution, they're tired of sensing pressure to apologize for someone else's 'maniacal brutality.'”

Complications Grow for Muslims Serving Nation “Thousands of Muslims have served in the United States military -- a legacy that some trace to the First World War. But in the years since Sept. 11, 2001, as the United States has become mired in two wars on Muslim lands, the service of Muslim-Americans is more necessary and more complicated than ever before.”

Couple's book tackles evangelicals' questions on climate change “Although the leaders of other religious groups have been calling on the world to take action to prevent climate change from spinning out of control, evangelical Christians remain divided on it.”

Guinness got it (Stephen Mansfield, USA Today) “The company's 250-year legacy of God-inspired good provides myriad lessons for today. Among them: A benevolent corporate vision is good for business, for its employees and for the world.”

Why fundamentalism will fail (Harvey Cox, Boston Globe) “The expansion of religious fundamentalism in recent decades has been notable, as people around the world have sought certainty in the face of dizzying change … However, the truth is that for all its apparent strength, the fundamentalist sun is setting on all horizons.”

NEWS AT HOME

Health Care-House Passes Bill. Sweeping Health Care Plan Passes House “Handing President Obama a hard-fought victory, the House narrowly approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health-care system on Saturday night, advancing legislation that Democrats said could stand as their defining social policy achievement.” House Democrats pass health-care bill “Hours after President Obama exhorted Democratic lawmakers to 'answer the call of history,' the House hit an unprecedented milestone on the path to health-care reform, approving a trillion-dollar package late Saturday that seeks to overhaul private insurance practices and guarantee comprehensive and affordable coverage to almost every American.” Historic healthcare overhaul passes House “The House of Representatives on Saturday approved the most sweeping healthcare legislation since the creation of Medicare 44 years ago, giving a boost to President Obama's campaign to guarantee health coverage to almost all Americans.” Health bill compromises won over holdouts “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her leadership team won a hard-fought victory on Obama's most critical domestic policy agenda item by neutralizing the most potentially toxic political issue well in advance of the final vote, siding with centrists on their preferred version of the public option.” For healthcare bill, Pelosi had to leave Left Coast behind “In the final hours before the House approved the most sweeping healthcare legislation in 40 years, Speaker Nancy Pelosi demonstrated that she had the one indispensable quality required to produce a Democratic victory: a split personality.”

Health Care-Senate. Obama Presses Senate to Act Quickly on Its Health Bill “The White House, growing concerned that the Congressional timetable for passing a health care overhaul could slip into next year, is stepping up pressure on the Senate for quick action, with President Obama appearing Sunday in the Rose Garden to call on senators to 'take up the baton and bring this effort to the finish line.'” Healthcare bill's tough sell in the House signals tougher fight ahead “With the struggle over healthcare entering an even tougher phase, President Obama has hit both a milestone and a speed bump in his dual pursuit of a major overhaul of the nation's medical system and a rebirth of progressivism in America.”

Health Care-Abortion. For Opponents of Abortion, a Victory in Health Care Vote “A restriction on abortion coverage, added late Saturday to the health care bill passed by the House, has energized abortion opponents with their biggest victory in years -- emboldening them for a pitched battle in the Senate.” Some Democrats to fight abortion amendment in health bill “President Obama and Senate Democrats sought on Sunday to generate momentum from the House's passage of health-care legislation, even as a new hurdle emerged: profound dismay among abortion-rights supporters over antiabortion provisions inserted into the House bill.” Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling “To save the health care bill she had to give in to abortion opponents in her party and allow them to propose tight restrictions barring any insurance plan that is purchased with government subsidies from covering abortions.”

Military-Mental Health. Painful Stories Take a Toll on Military Therapists “Many of the patients who fill the day are bereft, angry, broken. Their experiences are gruesome, their distress lasting and the process of recovery exhausting. The repeated stories of battle and loss can leave the most professional therapist numb or angry.” Fort Hood tragedy rocks military as it grapples with mental health issues “Thursday's attack at Ft. Hood -- as well as two other recent incidents in which military personnel allegedly turned guns on their own -- indicates an intractable problem not easily overcome.”

Afghanistan Policy. All Afghan War Options by Obama Aides Said to Call for More Troops “Advisers to President Obama are preparing three options for escalating the war effort in Afghanistan, all of them calling for more American troops, as he moves closer to a decision on the way forward in the eight-year-old war.” Allies ‘may abandon northern Helmand’ “A new strategy for Afghanistan that could lead to a British troop withdrawal from a former Taleban stronghold in northern Helmand province sparked immediate controversy yesterday.”

Nuclear Treaty. U.S. officials optimistic about new nuclear treaty with Russia “After months of negotiations with Russia, Obama administration officials are hopeful about a breakthrough -- possibly this week -- that would enable the two sides to sign a successor to their most extensive nuclear weapons treaty before it expires Dec. 5.”

NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

Nelson Mandela. In Twilight at 91, Mandela Endures as South Africa’s Ideal “To many, he is still the ideal of a leader -- warm, magnanimous, willing to own up to his failings -- against which his political successors are measured and often found wanting. He is the founding father whose values continue to shape the nation.”

China Pledges Loans to Africa. China pledges $10bn in Africa loans “Addressing hundreds of Chinese and African businessmen at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday, Wen Jiabao, China's premier, said he would also cancel debts of African countries.”

Iraq. Iraqi MPs pass delayed election law “Iraq's parliament has approved a long-delayed law governing national elections scheduled to be held next January.” Iraq parliament passes election law “Iraq's bickering politicians finally agreed on a new election law Sunday, paving the way for crucial national balloting to take place in January and for the drawdown of U.S. troops to proceed as scheduled.”

Iran. Iran may call for a nuclear fuel swap, Iranian TV reports “A state-owned Iranian television station quoted unnamed diplomats Sunday as saying Iran, in a possible compromise to a U.N.-backed proposal, is willing to send about 1,800 pounds of its enriched uranium abroad to be exchanged for fuel for a medical reactor.” Iran Said to Ignore Effort to Salvage a Nuclear Deal “The Obama administration, attempting to salvage a faltering nuclear deal with Iran, has told Iran’s leaders in back-channel messages that it is willing to allow the cuntry to send its stockpile of enriched uranium to any of several nations, including Turkey, for temporary safekeeping.”

Mideast. Ex-Israel minister in peace push “A former Israeli minister has unveiled a peace plan which offers a Palestinian state with temporary borders and the possibility of talks with Hamas.”

OPINION.

The Forever War of the Mind (Max Cleland, New York Times) “Wars are not over when the shooting stops. They live on in the lives of those who fight them. That is the curse of the soldier. He never forgets.”

Paranoia Strikes Deep (Paul Krugman, New York Times) “In California, the G.O.P. has essentially shrunk down to a rump party with no interest in actually governing -- but that rump remains big enough to prevent anyone else from dealing with the state’s fiscal crisis. If this happens to America as a whole, as it all too easily could, the country could become effectively ungovernable in the midst of an ongoing economic disaster.”

Sojourners' Daily Digest is a compilation of the top news related to our commitments of life and peace, economic and racial justice, and care of creation, with a special focus on news of the engagement of faith in public life.