Latest Religion News
Things to know about the Vatican's big meeting on the future of the Catholic Church
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Wednesday is opening a global gathering of bishops and laypeople to discuss the future of the Catholic Church, including some hot-button issues that have previously been considered off-limits for discussion. For the first time, women and...
Pope suggests blessings for same-sex unions possible in response to 5 conservative cardinals
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has suggested there could be ways to bless same-sex unions, responding to five conservative cardinals who challenged him to affirm church teaching on homosexuality ahead of a big meeting where LGBTQ+ Catholics are on the agenda. The Vatican on...
Book Review: Poet recalls stormy life growing up Rastafari in Jamaica and her struggle to break free
It’s not unusual for an autobiography to chart a person’s passage from rags to riches, ignorance to enlightenment, or bondage to freedom. It is unusual to find one as powerful and disturbing as Safiya Sinclair’s debut memoir, “How to Say Babylon,” which has already drawn comparisons to...
Clergy abuse survivors propose new 'zero tolerance' law following outcry over Vatican appointment
ROME (AP) — Clergy sexual abuse survivors on Monday unveiled a proposed new church law calling for the permanent removal of abusive priests and superiors who covered for them, as they stepped up their outrage over Pope Francis’ choice to head the Vatican office that investigates sex crimes. ...
Women's voices and votes loom large as pope is set to open a Vatican meeting on church's future
VATICAN CITY (AP) — A few years ago, Pope Francis told the head of the main Vatican-backed Catholic women's organization to be “brave” in pushing for change for women in the Catholic Church. Maria Lia Zervino took his advice and in 2021 wrote Francis a letter, then made it...
Iraqi Christian religious leaders demand an international investigation into deadly wedding fire
BAGHDAD (AP) — Christian religious leaders in northern Iraq called for an international investigation Monday into a deadly wedding fire that killed more than 100 people last week and slammed the government’s probe, which had blamed the blaze on negligence and lack of precautionary measures. ...
Federal agency sues Chipotle after a Kansas manager allegedly ripped off an employee's hijab
A federal agency has sued the restaurant chain Chipotle, accusing it of religious harassment and retaliation after a manager at a Kansas location forcibly removed an employee's hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the Equal Employment...
Pope Francis creates 21 new cardinals who will help him to reform the church and cement his legacy
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals at a ritual-filled ceremony Saturday, including key figures at the Vatican and in the field who will help enact his reforms and cement his legacy as he enters a crucial new phase in running the Catholic Church. On a crisp...
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, trailblazer and champion of liberal priorities, dies at age 90
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a centrist Democrat and champion of liberal causes who was elected to the Senate in 1992 and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90. Feinstein died on Thursday...
Baltimore Archdiocese files for bankruptcy before new law on abuse lawsuits takes effect
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Archdiocese of Baltimore on Friday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization days before a new state law goes into effect removing the statute of limitations on child sex abuse claims and allowing victims to sue their abusers decades after the fact. The...
