Latest Religion News
Buddha's birthday: When is it and how is it celebrated in different countries?
The birthday of the historical Buddha or Shakyamuni Buddha, known as Vesak in several countries, celebrates the birth of the child who became Prince Siddhartha around the end of the 4th century B.C. This is a holy occasion for all Buddhists, but is celebrated on different dates depending on the...
AP PHOTOS: Lotus Lantern Festival draws thousands in Seoul to celebrate upcoming Buddha's birthday
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Holding umbrellas and pink paper lotus flowers, thousands of South Koreans joyously filled the wet streets of Seoul in an annual festival anticipating Buddha’s birthday the coming week. Despite the rain, organizers expected a turnout of around 50,000...
Billy Graham statue for U.S. Capitol to be unveiled next week
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A statue of the late Rev. Billy Graham set to stand inside the U.S. Capitol to represent North Carolina will be unveiled next week in a ceremony. House Speaker Mike Johnson, other congressional members and the family of the Charlotte-born evangelist are...
Pope urges Italians to have babies as a measure of hope for future
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis pressed his campaign Friday to urge Italians to have children, calling for long-term policies to help families and warning that the country’s demographic crisis was threatening the future. “The number of births is the first indicator of the hope of a...
India says Canada has shared no evidence of its involvement in killing of a Sikh separatist leader
NEW DELHI (AP) — India said Thursday that Canada has shared no evidence to back its allegation that the Indian government was involved in the slaying of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada last year, despite the recent arrests of three Indian men in the crime. India’s External...
Shunned for centuries, Vodou grows powerful as Haitians seek solace from unrelenting gang violence
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The Vodou faithful sing, their voices rising above the gunfire erupting miles away as frantic drumbeats drown out their troubles. They pause to swig rum out of small brown bottles, twirling in unison as they sing in Haitian Creole: “We don’t care if...
Catholic church is stonewalling sex abuse investigation, Washington attorney general says
SEATTLE (AP) — The Catholic church is refusing to cooperate with a Washington state investigation into whether it unlawfully used charitable trust funds to cover up sexual abuse by priests, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Thursday, asking a court to force the Seattle Archdiocese to turn over...
Holy Year or holy mess, Vatican and Rome begin dash to 2025 Jubilee with papal bull, construction
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican crossed a key milestone Thursday in the runup to its 2025 Jubilee with the promulgation of the official decree establishing the Holy Year. It's a once-every-quarter-century event that is expected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to Rome and has already brought...
Kokomo’s Flory Bidunga tops voting on AP Indiana All-State boys basketball team
FIRST TEAM Flory Bidunga, Kokomo, 6-9, senior Jack Benter, Brownstown Central, 6-5, senior K.J. Windham, Ben Davis, 6-3, senior Keenan Garner, Fishers, 6-6, senior Evan Haywood, Brebeuf Jesuit, 6-4, senior ...
North Carolina may join other states in codifying antisemitism definition
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A bill seeking to officially define antisemitism in state law swiftly moved through the North Carolina House on Wednesday amid heated nationwide campus protests over the Israel-Hamas War. A nearly unanimous House passed the SHALOM Act, a week after the U.S....
