Religion Hub The Religion Hub is a feature of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative – a collaborative effort of Religion News Service, the Associated Press and The Conversation US. Made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Obstacles remain as women seek more leadership roles in America’s Black Church

By Darren Sands — April 29, 2024
(AP) – In the Black Church as a whole, male pastors predominate, though there’s no comprehensive gender breakdown.
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Pope visits Venice to speak to the artists and inmates behind the Biennale’s must-see prison show

By Nicole Winfield and Paolo Santalucia — April 29, 2024
VENICE, Italy (AP) —Francis traveled to the lagoon city to visit the Holy See’s pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show and meet with the people who created it.

Muslim groups claim double standards in police handling of two high-profile stabbings in Sydney

By Keiran Smith — April 26, 2024
NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — The boys, who are accused of following a violent extremist religious ideology, appeared in a Sydney children’s court on Thursday, with only the 14-year-old being granted bail.

Philippine police kill an Abu Sayyaf militant implicated in 15 beheadings and other atrocities

By Jim Gomez — April 26, 2024
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Abu Sayyaf and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters are among a few small armed groups still struggling to wage a separatist uprising in the southern Philippines.

United Methodists endorse change that could give regions more say on LGBTQ and other issues

By Peter Smith — April 26, 2024
(AP) — The plan would create multiple regional conferences — one for the United States and others covering areas ranging from the Philippines to Europe to Africa.

With graduation near, colleges seek to balance safety and students’ right to protest Gaza war

By Steve Leblanc and Jocelyn Gecker — April 25, 2024
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — This is commencement season 2024, punctuated by the tension and volatility that has roiled college campuses since Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.

United Methodists open first top-level conference since breakup over LGBTQ inclusion

By Peter Smith — April 25, 2024
(AP) – Thousands of United Methodists are gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, for their big denominational meeting, known as General Conference.

A Russian Orthodox priest who took part in services for Navalny is suspended by the patriarch

By The Associated Press — April 24, 2024
(AP) – Dmitry Safronov held a memorial service by Navalny’s grave in Moscow on March 26 to mark 40 days since the politician’s death, an important ritual within Russian Orthodox tradition.

Australian police arrest 7 alleged teen extremists linked to stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church

By Mark Baker and Rod Mcguirk — April 24, 2024
SYDNEY (AP) —The seven, aged 15 to 17, were part of a network that included a 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing a bishop in a Sydney church on April 15, police said.

Gender-nonconforming ancient Romans found refuge in community dedicated to goddess Cybele

By Tina Chronopoulos — April 24, 2024
(The Conversation) — In ancient Rome, male followers of the goddess Cybele, known as Galli, some of whom surgically removed their testicles, were often considered feminine.

Passover: The festival of freedom and the ambivalence of exile

By Nancy E. Berg — April 24, 2024
(The Conversation) — The Passover Seder commemorates the escape from slavery in Egypt. But then came the 40-year wandering in the desert – a story that resonates with much of Jewish history.

The Rev. Cecil Williams, who turned San Francisco’s Glide Church into a refuge for many, has died

By Olga R. Rodriguez — April 24, 2024
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Williams and his wife, Janice Marikitami, who passed away in 2021, appeared in Will Smith’s film “The Pursuit of Happyness,” which was based on the life of a homeless father and son who once found help at Glide Memorial Church.

Spain approves plan to compensate victims of Catholic Church sex abuse. Church will be asked to pay

By Associated Press — April 24, 2024
MADRID (AP) — The project will include free legal assistance for all victims of sexual abuse and it will reinforce the prevention supervision in schools.
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