Latest Christianity News
Maine church to celebrate centennial with bishop in October
LIMERICK, Maine (AP) — The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland will preside over the centennial of a Maine church next month. St. Matthew Church in Limerick is turning 100. The diocese said Bishop Robert Deeley will preside over an anniversary mass at the...
Probe of Southern Baptist sex abuse response moves forward
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — The Rev. Marshall Blalock feels the weight of his new responsibility. The South Carolina pastor serves as vice chair of a recently formed Southern Baptist Convention task force charged with overseeing an investigation into how a top...
Access, travel rules influence missionary vaccine policies
COVID-19 vaccine refusal rates may be high among white evangelical Christians, but the International Mission Board — which deploys thousands of missionaries — is not hesitant about the shot. The global agency of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest...
Pope to bishops: Listen to abuse victims for sake of church
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis urged European bishops on Saturday to listen to survivors of clergy sexual abuse and consider them partners in reform, warning that their failure to do so risks the very future of the Catholic Church. Francis issued a videomessage to Central...
Paddling the Susquehanna in search of adventure, history
MANHEIM, Pa. (AP) — Mark Heller, of Manheim, wanted to paddle 444 miles down the Susquehanna River for a sense of adventure. A year of COVID-19 claustrophobia and a similar yearning for exploration did it for the Rev. John Laughlin, a Millersville resident and pastor of...
Many faith leaders say no to endorsing vaccine exemptions
As significant numbers of Americans seek religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates, many faith leaders are saying: Not with our endorsement. Leaders of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America said Thursday that while some people may have medical reasons for...
Clarence Thomas criticizes judges for veering into politics
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Thursday criticized some in the judiciary for veering into the role of legislators and politicians, saying it is not the role of judges to make policy or to base decisions on their personal feelings or religious beliefs. ...
NY governor vows to fight lawsuit over vaccine mandate
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed this week to fight a lawsuit launched by a group of Christian health care practitioners who argue that New York’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for many health care workers is unconstitutional because it lacks a religious exemption. ...
Lawsuit: Defrocked Cardinal McCarrick abused man in 1980s
Three sex abuse lawsuits filed against a New Jersey diocese and announced Thursday include claims that defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick abused a young man in the 1980s. The lawsuit accuses McCarrick of sexual battery against the man, who was in his late teens and...
Chicago-area priest back under scrutiny for possible abuse
CHICAGO (AP) — A suburban Chicago priest cleared last week of of allegations he sexually abused children 25 years ago is back under scrutiny because new information has become available, Cardinal Blase Cupich said Thursday. Cupich wrote a letter to parishioners of St....
