Tom Heneghan
Tom Heneghan is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Tom Heneghan
Russian patriarch reminds Africans of advantages in following Kremlin’s lead
By Tom Heneghan — August 2, 2023
(RNS) — Kirill's appearance underlined the importance of the soft-power influence that the Russian Orthodox Church exerts for Moscow in Africa.
Pope Benedict XVI’s cousins stand to inherit his money. None of them want it.
By Tom Heneghan — June 9, 2023
(RNS) — Any heir takes over any legal claims against the deceased, according to estate laws. 'I could get the shakes just thinking about how much I would have to pay out,' one cousin told Bavarian Radio.
French Catholic leaders mired in sexual abuse scandals dig themselves deeper
By Tom Heneghan — November 15, 2022
(RNS) — French Catholic leaders initially played down clerical abuse, but the issue has now gone far beyond the ‘few bad apples’ stage.
Insurers suddenly raise stakes on German churches’ sex abuse response
By Tom Heneghan — May 19, 2022
(RNS) — One of Germany’s biggest trade associations, representing 10 million insured people, has given victims of sexual abuse a powerful ally with deep pockets and highly paid lawyers.
French Muslims vote for ‘whoever spits in their face least’
By Tom Heneghan — April 27, 2022
PARIS (RNS) — France’s Muslim minority, estimated at about 8% of the 68 million population, became one of the main issues in the presidential election.
Russian Orthodox eye expansion in Africa, maybe Turkey as well
By Tom Heneghan — March 22, 2022
(RNS) — Sanctions that have threatened the Russian economy, experts say, could also put the brakes on any expansion by the Russian church.
Russian Orthodox parishes in Europe pressured from both sides as war rages in Ukraine
By Tom Heneghan — March 14, 2022
PARIS (RNS) — A Russian Orthodox parish in Amsterdam reportedly became the first Western Orthodox church to break ties with Moscow over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Hans Küng, the theologian who wanted to stand tall
By Tom Heneghan — April 7, 2021
(RNS) — Küng paid dearly for his independence, being stripped of his right to teach Catholic theology by St. John Paul II and repeatedly frustrated in his efforts to reform the tradition-bound Vatican.
KAICIID quits Vienna, unable to shake off negative Saudi image
By Tom Heneghan — March 10, 2021
(RNS) — The glaring divide between KAICIID’s ideals and Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations increasingly bothered its Austrian hosts.
Berlin’s debate over Pius XII has hit the streets
By Tom Heneghan — February 10, 2021
(RNS) — German historians have asked Berlin authorities to rename a street honoring Pius because he allegedly failed to denounce the Holocaust.
Wartime Vatican archive shows how much Pius knew about the Holocaust, says researcher
By Tom Heneghan — April 27, 2020
PARIS (RNS) — German researchers found that the pope, who never directly criticized the Nazi slaughter of Jews, knew from his own sources about Berlin’s death campaign early on. But he kept it from the US government.
Reform US rabbi in Dresden explains ultra-Orthodox traditions to German Jews
By Tom Heneghan — December 20, 2019
PARIS (RNS) — The story of Akiva Weingarten, an ultra-Orthodox New Yorker who was ordained in Israel and started over as a Reform rabbi in Germany, sounds like a made-for-TV movie saga.
Disputes loom as émigré church leader switches loyalty to Moscow
By Tom Heneghan — September 16, 2019
PARIS (RNS) — The fate of 118 parishes scattered across Europe is part of a larger struggle between the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul and the far larger and richer Moscow Patriarchate, whose power is linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Émigré Russian Orthodox inch toward a return to Moscow Patriarchate
By Tom Heneghan — September 10, 2019
PARIS (RNS) — A decision seemed to be made, but as with most émigré politics and disputes among Eastern Orthodox churches, it got complicated.
Notre Dame is more than a tourist attraction, says Paris archbishop
By Tom Heneghan — June 17, 2019
PARIS (RNS) — At the first mass celebrated at Notre Dame since a fire destroyed its roof and spire, Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit reminded worshipers and viewers on television that the cathedral's primary identity is as a church, rebutting some restoration plans that focus on its historical value.
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