Latest Religion and politics News
Nicaragua: Pro-government crowd attacks church parishioners
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Political violence broke out at a Roman Catholic church in the Nicaraguan city of Masaya on Thursday as government sympathizers attacked parishioners with clubs, machetes and metal bars. The attack came after it became known that San Juan Bautista parish priest Harving Padilla...
AP: Catholic boards hailed as fix for sex abuse often fail
Facing thousands of cases of clergy sex abuse, U.S. Catholic leaders addressed their greatest crisis in the modern era with a promised reform: Mandatory review boards. These independent panels with lay people in each diocese would review allegations fairly and kindly. And they would help bishops ensure that no...
Black Georgia lawmakers to push for state hate crimes law
ATLANTA (AP) — Black lawmakers in Georgia said Thursday that they will push for a state hate crimes law after a white 16-year-old girl was accused of plotting to attack black churchgoers. In a statement, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus said it will push for a state hate crimes law “that...
Pennsylvanians to get more time on sex abuse charges, suits
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The state where a grand jury’s groundbreaking report set off a new wave of reckoning over sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church passed legislation Thursday giving victims more time to sue and police more time to file charges. The Pennsylvania House sent the...
Religious freedom trackers chafe at congressional proposal
The federal commission that tracks global religious freedom is facing a rift with Capitol Hill over a proposal that some members warn would hurt its effectiveness. At issue is bipartisan legislation introduced two months ago to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom for four years. The...
Pope in Thailand calls for action to protect women, children
BANGKOK (AP) — Pope Francis urged more efforts to combat the “humiliation” of women and children forced into prostitution as he began a busy visit Thursday to Thailand, where human trafficking and poverty help fuel the sex tourism industry. During an open-air Mass at Bangkok’s national...
The Latest: Pope again denounces ills of human trafficking
BANGKOK (AP) — The Latest on Pope Francis’s visit to Thailand and Japan (all times local): 7 p.m. Pope Francis has denounced the “humiliation” endured by women and children forced into prostitution and migrants enslaved as fishermen and beggars. Francis told an estimated 60,000 people...
German leader Merkel to make 1st visit to Auschwitz
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning to visit the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz for the first time in her 14 years in office. The Munich daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported Thursday that Merkel has accepted an invitation to attend the 10th anniversary of the Auschwitz-Birkenau...
Suu Kyi to lead Myanmar team contesting genocide court case
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar said Wednesday its leader Aung San Suu Kyi will head the legal team contesting a genocide case filed against it in the International Court of Justice over the crackdown on Rohingya Muslims two years ago that set off their exodus to Bangladesh. Myanmar’s military has...
Bolivian interim leader proposes new elections as toll rises
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s self-proclaimed interim president sent a bill on holding new elections to congress Wednesday amid escalating violence that has claimed at least 30 lives since a disputed Oct. 20 vote and the subsequent resignation and exile of former leader Evo Morales. Officials...
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