Conservative Christians were skeptical of mail-in ballots. Now they are gathering them in churches

MENIFEE, California (AP) — With Election Day just a few weeks away, longtime church members Lucky Hartunian and Janie Booth sat outside the Revival Christian Fellowship's sanctuary in Menifee, California, inviting congregants to register to vote. The women urged those streaming...

What is ballot gathering? And what are the laws around this controversial practice?

Ballot gathering or ballot collecting is a practice in where a voter completes an absentee ballot, places it in a sealed, signed envelope and entrusts it to another person who then drops it off at a mail center or a designated ballot drop-off location. This practice is also sometimes known as...

Pope wraps troubled visit to Belgium by praising victims and demanding abusers be judged

BRUSSELS (AP) — Pope Francis demanded Sunday that sexually abusive clergy be judged and their bishops stop covering up their crimes as he ended a troubled visit to Belgium by responding to the outrage over the scandal here that has devastated the church’s credibility. “Evil...

Pope in Belgium Mass demands clergy abusers be judged and their bishops stop covering up their crimes

Belgian Catholic university denounces visiting pope's views on women after he digs in on their role

BRUSSELS (AP) — Pope Francis’ burdensome trip through Belgium reached new lows on Saturday when defiant Catholic university women demanded to his face a “paradigm change” on women’s issues in the church and then expressed deep disappointment when Francis dug in. The...

Pope gets an earful from Belgian king and abuse victims over scandals and failures to respond

BRUSSELS (AP) — On a brutal day for the frail and aging Pope Francis, the king of Belgium, its prime minister and the rector of the Catholic university that invited him here all ripped into the institution he heads for a spectrum of sins: for covering up cases of clergy sex abuse and being far...

Jews and Catholics warn against Trump's latest loyalty test for religious voters

Former President Donald Trump recently reissued his loyalty test to religious Americans, declaring that he can best protect their freedoms while preemptively blaming members of certain faiths should he lose the presidential election in November. Jews and Catholics can vote for him...

Abortion-rights groups are courting Latino voters in Arizona and Florida

PHOENIX (AP) — When Lesley Chavez found out she was pregnant at age 16, she saw her daughter as a blessing from God and never considered an abortion, a view reinforced by her devout Christian mother. If she could have voted at the time, Chavez would have opposed expanding abortion access. ...

Belgium PM blasts Pope Francis in welcome speech for church sex abuse and cover-up, demanding church put victims first

Dozens of children drown while bathing during 3-day Hindu festival in eastern India

PATNA, India (AP) — Dozens of children drowned while bathing in rivers and ponds in rituals that were part of a three-day Hindu festival in eastern India's Bihar state, officials said. Heavy monsoon rains recently had raised the levels of waterways across the state. ...