In Jerusalem's contested Old City, shrinking Armenian community fears displacement after land deal

JERUSALEM (AP) — A real estate deal in Jerusalem's Old City, at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has sent the historic Armenian community there into a panic as residents search for answers about the feared loss of their homes to a mysterious investor. The 99-year...

Michigan lawmakers renew effort to give sex abuse victims more time to sue

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation Tuesday that would give victims of sexual abuse more time to sue for damages as the state again looks to overhaul laws following multiple sexual abuse scandals. The legislation, which appeared before a...

Pope briefly at hospital for tests two months after bronchitis, returns to Vatican

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis briefly went to Rome's main hospital on Tuesday for tests and returned to the Vatican, two months after he was hospitalized with an acute case of bronchitis. The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said the pontiff underwent "some clinical examinations and...

Oklahoma school board approves what would be the 1st taxpayer-funded religious school in US

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A state school board in Oklahoma voted Monday to approve what would be the first publicly funded religious school in the nation, despite a warning from the state's attorney general that the decision was unconstitutional. The Statewide Virtual Charter School...

State school board in Oklahoma approves what would be the first publicly funded religious school in the nation

Partisan stalemate keeps child sexual assault lawsuit window from advancing in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Child sexual abuse survivors pressed Pennsylvania lawmakers Monday to move ahead with opening a two-year window for them to file otherwise outdated lawsuits over their claims, but a partisan fight in the Legislature kept the proposal bottled up with no resolution in sight....

France's spectacular abbey Mont-Saint-Michel celebrates 1,000th birthday

PARIS (AP) — France’s beloved abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel has reached a ripe old age. It's been 1,000 years since the laying of its first stone. The millennial of the UNESCO World Heritage site and key Normandy tourism magnet is being celebrated until November with exhibits,...

Arson investigation underway after fire burns Los Angeles church for second time in 2 years

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An arson investigation was under way Sunday after fire damaged a nearly 100-year-old Los Angeles church for the second time in less than two years, authorities. Flames broke out shorty before 7 p.m. Saturday in the sanctuary of St. John’s United Methodist...

Former Archbishop of Santa Fe Michael Sheehan, who served from 1993 to 2015, dies at 83

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Retired Archbishop Michael Sheehan, who served the Archdiocese of Santa Fe for 22 years, has died. He was 83. Sheehan died Saturday, but a cause of death wasn’t disclosed, Leslie Radigan, a spokesperson for the archdiocese, said. The...

Russia's most famous icon handed over from museum to church despite protests

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian Orthodox believers celebrated Trinity Sunday with Russia's most famous icon transferred from a museum to Moscow's main cathedral despite the keepers' vociferous protests. The Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev, which was kept in Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery since the...