Pope Francis is Time's Person of the Year + Religious and Cultural news headlines of the day

• Pope Francis is Time's Person of the Year 
• Pope Francis Credits Nun With Saving His Life  
• Satanic Temple Monument in Okla. May Include 'Interactive Display' for Kids 
• Mormon church explains defunct ban on blacks in priesthood 
• Leap From Faith: Warren Jeffs’ Nephews Helping Young Women Leave Polygamist Group
• Obama says Mandela 'moved a nation toward justice' 
• Police: Archbishop Desmond Tutu's home robbed same day he attended a memorial honouring Nelson Mandela. 
• Photo gallery: Mandela memorial honours 'a giant of history' 
• Special Report: World says goodbye to Nelson Mandela … 
• UK Woman Wins Right to Marry in Scientology Chapel 
• Women’s Voices Go Unheard Within Walls of Ahmedabad Ghetto nytimes.com
• BJP comes out of the closet, continues to persecute minorities #Sec377 Truth Of Gujarat

While speaking to Telegraph, Party Chief Rajnath Singh said:
We will state that we support Section 377 because we believe that homosexuality is an unnatural act and cannot be supported.

• Indian top court says gay sex is an offence

Supreme Court upholds law criminalising gay sex, setting aside lower court decision legalising homosexuality.Extract: 

Gay activists reacted with dismay and anger at the apex court verdict. Anand Grover, the counsel for Naz Foundation which was the original petitioner in the high court, was quoted as saying they were disappointed with the verdict. Stating it was not correct in law, he said they would appeal for a review of the judgment. 

Popular historian Ramachandra Guha tweeted that the verdict was a step backward towards "barbarism and medievalism".

On the same shelf:

• Rome: Sex & Freedom, by Peter Brown, Review in NYTimes. From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality in Late Antiquity (Revealing Antiquity) Kyle Harper, Harvard University Press, 304 pp., $33.95