Police say gunmen open fire on vehicles in Pakistan's restive northwest, killing at least 14 Shiites

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen opened fire on passenger vehicles carrying Shiite Muslim civilians in restive northwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 14 people and wounding 30 others in one of the deadliest such attacks in recent years in the region, police said. The...

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff brings touchdowns and Jewish teachings to predominantly Mormon school

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Shortly after sunset on Saturday, Rabbi Chaim Zippel clasped an overflowing cup of wine and a tin of smelling spices as he marked the end of the Sabbath with a small Jewish congregation at his home near Provo, which doubles as the county’s only synagogue. The...

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...

Bishops and bankers meet to help Catholics seeking to ethically invest

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Religious communities are increasingly seeking to invest in companies that match their faith values and ethical concerns, but experts say the financial market lags in providing the appropriate options. A conference in London on Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 11-12)...

Archbishop of Canterbury will end official duties in early January amid sex abuse scandal

LONDON (AP) — Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, will wrap up his official duties in early January amid an abuse scandal in the Church of England, his office said Wednesday. Welby resigned last week after an investigation found...

Pope approves new papal funeral rites to simplify ritual, allow for burial outside the Vatican

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has revised the funeral rites that will be used when he dies, simplifying the rituals to emphasize his role as a mere bishop and allowing for burial outside the Vatican in keeping with his wishes. The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano on Wednesday...

Pope to make late Italian teenager Carlo Acutis the first millennial saint on April 27

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis said he will canonize Carlo Acutis next April, setting the eagerly awaited date for the late teenager to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial and digital-era saint. Francis made the announcement at the end of his weekly general audience on...

Pope Francis approves new papal funeral rites for when he dies to simplify rituals, allow for burial outside the Vatican

Texas board advances plan to allow Bible material in elementary school lessons

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas' education board on Tuesday advanced a new Bible-infused curriculum that would be optional for schools to incorporate in kindergarten through fifth grades, one of the latest Republican-led efforts in the U.S. to incorporate more religious teaching into classrooms. ...

Sean Rowe wants to realign the Episcopal Church

(RNS) — Sean Rowe, the newly installed presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, knows a thing or two about austerity. As a boy, growing up in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, he saw Westinghouse Electric Corp. shutter its plant. Later, Sharon Steel went bankrupt, laying off thousands of...