Top Religion News
Trump boosts school prayer, faith groups as he rallies base
In a bid to solidify his evangelical base, President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed to protect prayer in public schools and took new steps to give religious organizations easier access to federal programs. Speaking at an Oval Office event and joined by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Trump unveiled the federal...
Muslim millennial's site dispels stereotypes for millions
NEW YORK (AP) — Today she travels the world, attends a red-carpet movie premiere and sits on panels with astronauts, former presidents and feminist icons. But in the years after 9/11, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh was just a New Jersey teenager, writing a blog from her bedroom. She used the blog to connect with...
Two popes -- one retired, one reigning -- cause a furor
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Ever since Benedict XVI announced he would become the first pope in 600 years to resign, Catholic theologians, canon lawyers and others warned of the potential confusion in having two popes living side by side in the Vatican, one reigning, the other retired but calling himself...
French priest recounts how he abused boy scouts over decades
LYON, France (AP) — A former priest detailed Tuesday how he systematically abused boys over two decades as a French scout chaplain, and said his superiors knew about his “abnormal” behavior as far back as the 1970s. The shocking testimony of Bernard Preynat is likely to further shake up the...
Experts advise synagogues on use of armed security personnel
NEW YORK (AP) — Jewish congregations opting to deploy armed security personnel in the wake of deadly attacks on synagogues should — if possible -- use uniformed law enforcement officers rather than private guards or volunteers from the community, a group of security experts recommended Wednesday....
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Leader of St. Louis black police union says racial bias real
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The president of a predominantly black St. Louis police union said Wednesday that the city prosecutor’s lawsuit is correct in pointing out racial concerns in St. Louis, including biases within the police department itself. Ethical Society of Police President Heather Taylor stopped...
Officials: Iraq's top cleric discharged from hospital
KARBALA, Iraq (AP) — Iraq's most powerful cleric was discharged Friday from a hospital following a risky surgery for a fractured bone and returned to his home in southern Iraq, medical officials said. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who turns 90 later this year, fractured a thigh bone when he slipped...
Far-right Bolsonaro fires latest round in Brazil culture war
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil's government has drawn criticism after launching a project that aims to revamp the country's arts scene, with a focus on nationalism and religion. The project is part of the far-right administration's answer to what it sees as decades of leftist hegemony in the cultural sphere...
Protests against citizenship law continue unabated in India
NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of demonstrators perched themselves on the steps of an iconic mosque in the Indian capital on Friday to protest against a new citizenship law that excludes Muslim immigrants. Demonstrators carried placards and shouted slogans accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu...
Germany: Ugly anti-Semitic remnant at center of court battle
WITTENBERG, Germany (AP) — High on the wall of a German church where Martin Luther once preached, an ugly remnant of centuries of anti-Semitism is now at the center of a court battle. The so-called “Judensau,” or “Jew pig,” sculpture on the Town Church in Wittenberg dates back...
Trump campaign tries robust outreach to expand his appeal
WASHINGTON (AP) — Selfies on a “Women for Trump” bus tour through Iowa. Volunteer training at a “Black Voices for Trump” organizing session in Philadelphia. A vice presidential headliner at a "Latinos for Trump” event in Florida. President Donald Trump's surrogates fanned...
Additional charge filed in threats to Maryland synagogue
BALTIMORE (AP) — A man who prosecutors say made threatening telephone calls to a Maryland synagogue is facing an additional charge. The office of the U.S. Attorney in Maryland said a federal grand jury on Thursday returned a superseding indictment against Stephen Lyle Orback. Prosecutors accuse him of...
Ex-Attorney General Lynch speaking at NC King Day service
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper top the list of notables attending the annual observance by state employees of the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Lynch was the scheduled keynote speaker at Friday's event at First Baptist...
Pakistani court hands down 55-year sentences to 86 Islamists
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court has sentenced 86 members of a radical Islamist party to 55-year prison terms each for taking part in violent rallies in 2018 over the acquittal of a Christian woman in a blasphemy case, a party official said Friday. The verdicts, unusually harsh for Pakistan, were...
Bangladesh says once-submerged island ready for Rohingya
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A Bangladeshi island regularly submerged by monsoon rains is ready to house 100,000 Rohingya refugees, but no date has been announced to relocate people from the crowded and squalid camps where they've lived for years, officials said Thursday. Flood protection embankments, houses,...
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