High-ranking Catholics from across the globe have converged on the Vatican, where a landmark initiative is underway that will shape the future of the Catholic Church.
Texas Prisoner Who Leads Death Row Worship Faces Execution
The first death row prisoner to help lead a death row ministry in Texas’s Allan B. Polunsky Unit, a state prison with maximum security units, is scheduled to be executed on Thursday, October 26. On Tuesday, Texas denied Will Speer’s…
Documentary on Black millennials depicts wide range of religion, rebellion
A new documentary from the National Museum of African American History and Culture explores the range of faith and spiritual expressions of Black millennials and the choices they have made to reject — or embrace — the religious rituals of…
How ‘La Catrina’ became the iconic symbol of Day of the Dead
On April 13, 1944, thousands of people clashed with police on the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The pope’s absolute power, and the problems it can cause, are on display in 2 Vatican trials
Two Vatican trials are coming to a head this week and posing uncomfortable questions for the Holy See, given they both underscore Pope Francis’ power as an absolute monarch and the legal, financial and reputational problems that can arise when…
Appeals court says ‘preserving neighborhood character’ is not a sufficient justification for denying meditation center zoning request
For the second time, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has weighed in on a property use dispute between the city of Mobile, Alabama, and the Thai Meditation Association of Alabama (TMAA), which – since 2015 – has sought…
In tough times, churches can’t afford to go it alone, new book advises
America’s congregations are in trouble these days.
Argentina Legalized Abortion in 2020. Will This Impact Evangelicals’ Presidential Vote?
Libertarian upstart Javier Milei claimed 30 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, running on a platform that would dramatically cut state services, swap the Argentine peso with the US dollar and put the country’s abortion laws to a referendum.
COVID-19 vaccine mandates have come and mostly gone in the US – an ethicist explains why their messy rollout matters for trust in public health
Ending pandemics is a social decision, not scientific. Governments and organizations rely on social, cultural and political considerations to decide when to officially declare the end of a pandemic. Ideally, leaders try to minimize the social, economic and public health burden of removing…
Spain-Israel tensions flare and multiple Spanish synagogues are hit with anti-Israel graffiti
Political tensions escalated between Israel and Spain this past week as Spanish Jews reeled from a series of incidents outside synagogues.
Pope Francis Calls For Immigration Reform By Putting ‘Most Vulnerable At The Center’
Pope Francis led a prayer vigil at the Vatican on Thursday to recall the plight of migrants and refugees, saying everyone is “called to be neighbors” and to “save their lives, to heal their wounds and to soothe their pain.”
A Detroit synagogue president was fatally stabbed outside her home. Police don’t have a motive
A Detroit synagogue president was found stabbed to death outside her home Saturday, police said. The motive wasn’t known.