Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland, a self-declared sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, in a decision that was immediately condemned by Somalia and other nations.
Movie Review: Ralph Fiennes shines in ‘The Choral,’ a heartfelt WWI drama about the power of music
The best parts of the “Ocean’s Eleven” movies aren’t the big heists. They’re when the crew, that motley assortment of raw talent, is being put together. And that’s perhaps the best bit in “The Choral,” if you substitute George Clooney with Ralph Fiennes and…
The Last Christian Boarding Houses of New York
At Christmas, the Hephzibah House on the Upper West Side looks like something out of a movie. The first level of the historic brownstone has a cozy parlor with a Christmas tree, fireplace, twinkle lights, garland running up the wooden…
Santa Claus or the ‘red rabbi’? How Christmas lost its taboo for some Jews in Israel.
Decades ago, the notion that a store in predominately Jewish West Jerusalem would conspicuously sell Christmas-themed merchandise would have caused discomfort, perhaps even outrage, especially among Eastern European Jews who throughout history experienced antisemitic attacks timed to the Christmas season.
Pope Leo summons world’s cardinals for a key assembly to help him govern the church
Pope Leo XIV has summoned the world’s cardinals for two days of meetings to help him govern the church, the Vatican said Saturday, in the clearest sign yet that the new year will signal the unofficial start of his pontificate.
A Time of Moral Indignation
The passage of President Lyndon Johnson’s landmark civil rights bill did not end Black Americans’ struggle for civil rights. In 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. led a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to demand the right to vote. CT’s…
Pope names pro-immigrant pastor bishop of Florida diocese where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago is located
Pope Leo XIV on Friday named the Rev. Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, currently pastor of a predominantly Hispanic church in the Queens borough of New York City, as bishop of Palm Beach, Florida.
NFL players urge Trump, Congress to address religious persecution in Nigeria
A group of NFL players sent a letter to Capitol Hill on Friday (Dec. 19), urging U.S. leaders to take steps to curb violence against religious groups in Nigeria, including Christians.
What 12 Denominations Tell Us About American Christianity
For the last seven or eight years, I’ve been keeping a spreadsheet that has a whole bunch of membership data from every denomination that has a consistent track record of keeping good data and releasing (at least some of it)…
Jesus Enters The World In Humility And Changes Everything
The most magical and mystical parts of the Christmas story reinforce the unique and elevated status of Jesus of Nazareth. When we read about the angels, the magi, the virgin birth, etc., we understand them to be signs of Christ’s…
Pope blasts ‘irrationality’ of military deterrence in first annual peace message
Pope Leo XIV insisted Thursday that peace was not only possible but necessary, as he blasted the “irrationality” of nuclear deterrence and the weaponization of faith in modern political discourse.
Can Zohran Mamdani Reverse Ultra-Orthodox Jews’ Drift Towards the Far Right?
If you looked at the diversity of New Yorkers present at Zohran Mamdani’s November 4 victory party, Haredi rabbis Moshe Indig and Moshe Hoffman didn’t look too out of place. Having endorsed Mamdani just two days before the election, Indig—a prominent Williamsburg,…