Latest Religion News

Famine is said to be imminent in northern Gaza as Israel raids the main hospital again

Mar. 19, 2024 02:11 AM EDT

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Famine is imminent in northern Gaza, where 70% of people are experiencing catastrophic hunger, according to a report Monday that warned escalation of the war could push half of Gaza's total population to the brink of starvation. The report, by the...

The first outside legal analyses of Vatican's 'trial of the century' are in, and they're critical

Mar. 19, 2024 01:19 AM EDT

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Several prominent lawyers have published stinging academic critiques and legal opinions about the Vatican’s recently concluded “trial of the century,” highlighting violations of basic defense rights and rule of law norms that they warn could have consequences for the...

Notre Dame Cathedral's restoration has been a 5-year journey of dedication and recovery

Mar. 19, 2024 01:18 AM EDT

PARIS (AP) — The restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following a tragic blaze in April 2019 is a story of dedication and recovery. The iconic medieval monument immortalized in history, film and literature has been gradually rebuilt over the past five years, through...

Arsonist sets fire to Florida Jewish center, but police do not believe it was a hate crime

Mar. 18, 2024 18:27 PM EDT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida Jewish center suffered severe damage in a weekend arson fire that police believe was set by a mentally ill homeless man who previously confronted the rabbi and others. Rabbi Chaim Slavaticki said Monday that the man accused of setting...

Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism after being accused of losing his way on Gaza

Mar. 17, 2024 23:40 PM EDT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed Sunday against growing criticism from top ally the United States against his leadership amid the devastating war with Hamas, describing calls for a new election as “wholly inappropriate.” In recent days,...

Victims of Catholic nuns rely on each other after being overlooked in the clergy sex abuse crisis

Mar. 16, 2024 20:46 PM EDT

On Wednesdays, the support group meets over Zoom. The members talk about their lives, their religious families and their old parochial schools. But mostly, they are there to talk about the sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of Catholic nuns. The topic deserves more attention,...

Bulgarians line the streets of the capital to bid farewell to Orthodox Patriarch Neophyte

Mar. 16, 2024 12:29 PM EDT

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarians lined the streets of Sofia on Saturday to bid farewell to the late Orthodox Patriarch Neophyte. The spiritual leader of Bulgaria’s Orthodox Christians died on Wednesday at the age of 78 after a long illness. Neophyte, who became...

Fasting at school? More Muslim students in the US are getting support during Ramadan

Mar. 16, 2024 08:04 AM EDT

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — While Muslim students remain a rarity in many U.S. school districts, they are a major presence in some communities, prompting public schools to be more attentive to their needs during the holy month of Ramadan when dawn-to-sundown fasting is a duty of Islam. ...

From 4-leaf clovers to some unexpected history, all you need to know about St. Patrick's Day

Mar. 16, 2024 00:11 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — If it's March, and it's green, it must be St. Patrick's Day. The day honoring the patron saint of Ireland is a global celebration of Irish heritage. And nowhere is that more so than in the United States, where parades take place in cities around the country and all...

Jurors weigh fate of Afghan refugee charged with murder in a case that shocked Muslim community

Mar. 15, 2024 21:09 PM EDT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors on Friday wrapped up their case against an Afghan refugee on charges that he gunned down a man in 2022 in what turned out to be the first of three ambush-style killings involving members of the Muslim community in New Mexico's largest city. ...