Tom Heneghan
Tom Heneghan is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Tom Heneghan
Bavarian leader puts crosses in state offices
By Tom Heneghan — June 7, 2018
(RNS) —The governor of Bavaria in southern Germany has ordered that Christian crosses be displayed at the entrances to government buildings across his state. The measure, designed to woo conservative voters away from the burgeoning anti-immigrant AfD party, has drawn criticism from church and state alike.
Europe: Not as secular as you think
By Tom Heneghan — May 29, 2018
PARIS (RNS) — Sixty-four percent of adults across Western Europe still identify as Christians, even if only 18 percent of them say they attend church at least once a month, a Pew survey found.
Hindus chant to ‘purify’ former Nazi concentration camps
By Tom Heneghan — March 30, 2018
PARIS (RNS) — Should they be embraced as allies against racism or condemned for trying to whitewash and deny history?
Saudi-backed interfaith center boosted by crown prince’s surprising reforms
By Tom Heneghan — March 9, 2018
VIENNA (RNS) — Change in the Desert Kingdom has helped establish it as a serious player in interfaith dialogue.
Jews and Muslims invited to celebrate Carnival in Germany
By Tom Heneghan — February 13, 2018
(RNS) — The age-old Christian background to the festivities is mostly forgotten, but religion came up in a new way this year as organizers faced an interesting question. Can Jews and Muslims join in the merrymaking?
Top German cardinal signals cautious support for blessing same-sex couples
By Tom Heneghan — February 5, 2018
(RNS) — His comments made clear that he is open to approving such benedictions in private ceremonies.
What would Jesus say? European Catholics grapple with Lord’s Prayer translations
By Tom Heneghan — January 31, 2018
Paris (RNS) — Welcome to the confusing world of Catholic translations, where linguistics, theology, ecumenism and power politics clash despite the church’s claim to universalism.
In Germany, Catholic Church grapples with blessings for gay marriage
By Tom Heneghan — January 23, 2018
(RNS) — Though presiding at a gay marriage remains out of the question, some church officials have suggested that priests should be allowed to bless gay unions.
Germany worried about ‘imported anti-Semitism’ after immigrant protests
By Tom Heneghan — January 9, 2018
(RNS) — By adding Jews to the immigration debate, last month’s anti-Israel and anti-Jewish protests touched Germany’s most sensitive wound and prompted politicians to ask how to counter a new 'Islamic anti-Semitism.'
German law takes initiative in countering hate speech on social media
By Tom Heneghan — December 8, 2017
PARIS (RNS) — Under a new law that takes effect Jan. 1, Germany will impose fines of up to 50 million euros for any major online service that fails to take down illegal content — religious or otherwise — within days of a complaint.
Morocco goes digital to counter radical Islam online
By Tom Heneghan — November 21, 2017
(RNS) — The Mohammadia League of Islamic Scholars, a government research institute leading Morocco’s extensive campaign against violent Muslim extremism, is producing videos and reaching out on Facebook and YouTube to those in their teens and 20s.
‘Neo-Protestant’ challenge seen in France’s political upheaval
By Tom Heneghan — September 12, 2017
PARIS (RNS) — A leading French commentator sees a 'neo-Protestant' challenge to France’s traditional 'Catholic/secular' political culture, transforming politics from behind-the-scenes battling among elites to more open and transparent governance.
Scientists, theologians ponder if latest biological findings are more compatible with religion
By Tom Heneghan — July 28, 2017
OXFORD, England (RNS) — Exciting progress in biology in recent decades may be building up a third new phase in the scientific explanation of life, according to thinkers gathered at a University of Oxford conference last week.
Reformed churches endorse Catholic-Lutheran accord on key Reformation dispute
By Tom Heneghan — July 6, 2017
PARIS (RNS) Five hundred years after the Reformation, one of Protestantism’s leading branches has officially said it now agrees with the Vatican on the main issue at the root of its split from the Roman Catholic Church.
Haunted by its history, Berlin debates whether to restore the kaiser’s gilded cross
By Tom Heneghan — June 7, 2017
(RNS) The reconstruction of the City Palace (Stadtschloss), the central Berlin winter residence of kings and kaisers, is raising all kinds of questions about Berlin's relationship to its past.
