Latest Religion News
Missouri lawsuits allege abuse by Catholic priests, nuns. Archdiocese leader in Omaha among them
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Sixty people allege in new lawsuits filed in Missouri that they were abused as children by dozens of Catholic priests, nuns and others, and the man who now leads the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, is among the accused. Five separate lawsuits seeking unspecified...
US promises $240 million to improve fish hatcheries, protect tribal rights in Pacific Northwest
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. government will invest $240 million in salmon and steelhead hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest to boost declining fish populations and support the treaty-protected fishing rights of Native American tribes, officials announced Thursday. The departments...
Kamala Harris: A Baptist with a Jewish husband and a faith that traces back to MLK and Gandhi
WASHINGTON (AP) — Black clergy who know Vice President Kamala Harris, now the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, marvel at the fusion of traditions and teachings that have molded her religious faith and social justice values. A Baptist married to a Jewish man,...
UN cultural agency decides against placing Lumbini, Buddha's birthplace in Nepal, on endangered list
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — The United Nations' cultural agency decided Thursday against putting the Buddhist pilgrimage destination of Lumbini on its list of heritage sites in danger, instead giving authorities in Nepal more time to help restore the famous gardens and temple that are falling into...
Church sues Colorado town to be able to shelter homeless in trailers, work 'mandated by God'
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — Behind a church surrounded by rolling prairie on the outskirts of this Colorado town sits a donated RV that Joe Ridenour called home for a year after he lost his job during the pandemic. Being able to live in the RV, he said, allowed him to avoid returning...
Judge's ruling temporarily allows for unlicensed Native Hawaiian midwifery
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii judge has temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a law requiring the licensing of practitioners and teachers of traditional Native Hawaiian midwifery while a lawsuit seeking to overturn the statute wends its way through the courts. Lawmakers enacted...
As Venezuela holds a presidential election Sunday, what does its religious landscape look like?
The majority of Venezuelans are religious — just like parts of the country's political history. But as they prepare for the upcoming presidential election, it's hard to say exactly how religious Venezuelans are and what specifically they believe. The government has not released...
Inquiry finds 200,000 people were abused in care in New Zealand over decades in 'national disgrace'
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s independent inquiry into decades of abuse of children and vulnerable adults released a blistering final report Wednesday finding the country’s state agencies and churches failed to prevent, stop or admit to the mistreatment of those in their care....
Judge's order shields Catholic Charities from deposition as Texas investigates border aid groups
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A judge on Wednesday rejected Texas' attempts to compel a deposition from one of the largest migrant shelters on the U.S.-Mexico border, dealing a new legal setback to a widening Republican-led investigation into migrant aid groups. The ruling by state...
A prominent Myanmar Christian leader is released from prison for a second time in 4 months
BANGKOK (AP) — A prominent Christian church leader and human rights advocate from Myanmar’s Kachin ethnic minority was released from prison earlier this week, a member of a Kachin peace organization said Wednesday. The Rev. Hkalam Samson was first arrested in December 2022. In...
