Ohio offers a new way to use public money for Christian schools. Opponents say it’s unconstitutional

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Around the country, advocates for Christian education have been finding legal ways to tap taxpayer money used more typically for public schools. One new approach in Ohio is benefiting schools tied to a burgeoning conservative political group and facing objections from...

From 'The Exorcist' to 'Heretic,' why holy horror can be a hit with moviegoers

In the new horror movie, “Heretic,” Hugh Grant plays a diabolical religious skeptic who traps two scared missionaries in his house and tries to violently shake their faith. What starts more as a religious studies lecture slowly morphs into a gory escape room for the two...

Court temporarily limits scope of ruling that Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law is unconstitutional

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court in New Orleans on Friday temporarily limited the scope of a ruling that Louisiana’s law requiring public schools to post the Ten Commandments in all classrooms next year is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles’...

Federal appeals court temporarily limits scope of ruling that Louisiana's Ten Commandments law is unconstitutional

Oklahoma schools superintendent mandates students watch announcement of new religious department

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma’s education superintendent has sent an email to public school superintendents requiring them to show students his video announcement of a new Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism within the state Department of Education. Ryan Walters, a...

Virgin Mary statue, a symbol of resilience, returns to Notre Dame Cathedral 5 years after fire

PARIS (AP) — A medieval statue of the Virgin Mary and Child, known as “The Virgin of Paris,” returned to Notre Dame cathedral Friday evening, five years after surviving the devastating 2019 fire that engulfed the landmark. The nearly six-foot-tall stone sculpture, a symbol of...

Pope asks Church of Rome to help address housing crisis ahead of Holy Year in 2025

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Friday called on the diocese of Rome to respond to a growing housing crisis in the Eternal City, wading into the debate about rising rental prices that has only grown more acute with Holy Year celebrations in 2025. Francis has written to the city's...

Italian hotel manager rejects Israeli couple's reservation, accusing Israeli people of 'genocide'

ROME (AP) — The manager of a small hotel in northern Italy refused a reservation made by an Israeli couple, accusing Israeli people of being “responsible for genocide.” Jewish groups decried the incident as an example of antisemitism. The couple had booked two nights for the...

Stewart leads Presbyterian against Kennesaw State after 26-point showing

Presbyterian Blue Hose (2-2) at Kennesaw State Owls (2-1) Kennesaw, Georgia; Saturday, 11 a.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Presbyterian plays Kennesaw State after Kobe Stewart scored 26 points in Presbyterian's 71-68 victory over the Wofford Terriers. Kennesaw...

AP PHOTOS: Once-traditional camel trading fair in India transformed into tourist attraction

PUSHKAR, India (AP) — It’s early morning in Pushkar, a city at the edge of the Thar desert in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, and a herd of about a dozen camels led by two men is returning, raising a golden sand cloud. The camels had been out grazing in the night at...