Latest Religion News
Pope seeks release of Cubans arrests during 2021 protests
HAVANA (AP) — Pope Francis hopes Cuban authorities will release and grant amnesty to people arrested and sentenced after the historic protests that took place in 2021, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, who traveled to the island as the pontiff’s special envoy, said Wednesday. During an...
EU bishops demand release of clergy detained in Nicaragua
ROME (AP) — European bishops on Wednesday demanded the immediate release of Nicaraguan clergy detained in the government’s crackdown on the Catholic Church, saying they have been falsely accused and are being subjected to unjust persecution. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich,...
Sweden: Anti-Turkish protests have increased attack threat
STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Swedish domestic security agency warned Wednesday that the threat of attacks in the Scandinavian country has increased in the weeks since a far-right activist burned a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. The agency noted that international reactions...
Faith leaders urge independent review of Alabama executions
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — More than 170 pastors and other faith leaders on Tuesday urged Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to authorize an independent review of execution procedures, as Oklahoma and Tennessee did after a series of failed lethal injections in those states. The group applauded...
5 priests sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy in Nicaragua
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Nicaraguan court has sentenced four Roman Catholic priests to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges stemming from long-standing government allegations that the church backed illegal pro-democracy protests. A human rights group in the Central American...
Dog owners tout Xolos' loyalty and sacred underworld history
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mezcal is not your ordinary pet. Hundreds of years ago the Latin American Indigenous group, the Nahuas, believed that a hairless dog like him, a Xoloitzcuintle, was a sacred creature who could guide its deceased master through the underworld. Dozens gathered on a...
States push to enshrine protections for tribal children
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Leo Thompson received plenty of love, food and shelter from the non-Native American family who raised them, but missed out on any exposure to their Indigenous culture, heritage, ancestors and community. “The only time they acknowledged my heritage was when...
Archaeologists uncover rare 14th-century Spanish synagogue
MADRID (AP) — Archaeologists in the southern Spanish town of Utrera confirmed on Tuesday they had uncovered a 14th-century synagogue hidden within a building that was later converted into a church, hospital and most recently a bar. Archaeologist Miguel Ángel de Dios told...
Wikipedia again up and running as Pakistan lifts ban on site
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan lifted its ban on Wikipedia services before dawn Tuesday, after the country’s media regulator blocked the site last week for not removing purportedly blasphemous content, claiming it hurts the sentiments of Muslims. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered...
Massachusetts diocese publishes nameless clergy abuse report
A Roman Catholic Diocese that covers central Massachusetts has published a new report about clergy sexual abuse of minors between 1950 and 2022, but unlike similar reports released by many other dioceses, the report did not include the names of the priests who were found to have committed abuse. ...
