A.  Priests in Ill. diocese call for bishop's resignation
BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — In an unusual show of defiance, 45 priests in Belleville's Roman Catholic diocese are calling for Bishop Edward Braxton to step down amid a financial scandal and other conflicts.
The priests sent a letter calling for Braxton's resignation to Cardinal Francis George in Chicago, the region's top church authority, and Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican's U.S. ambassador. George also is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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B.  Pastor whose church was attacked recommends armed guards
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The senior pastor at a megachurch where a gunman killed two teenage sisters before being shot by a church volunteer recommends that all churches have armed guards.
The Rev. Brady Boyd, pastor of New Life Church, made the comments just before convening a free forum on church security that drew participants from about 120 Colorado churches.
"We've had contemporary experience that can help others," Boyd said, referring to the Dec. 9 shootings at the church. "We just don't want this to happen anywhere else."

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C.  Robertson scales back plan for development near Regent University
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson is scaling back a plan to build upscale shops, offices and homes on 500 acres along the border of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.
In 2006, consultants for Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network unveiled plans for the complex.
The plan hinged on an Interstate 64 interchange that the federal government has repeatedly rejected, so CBN is developing portions of the project on a smaller scale.