Leaders & Institutions
Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism after being accused of losing his way on Gaza
By Tia Goldenberg and Ravi Nessman — March 18, 2024
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The U.S., which has provided key military and diplomatic support to Israel, also has expressed concerns about a planned Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Bulgarians pay their last respects to the late Orthodox patriarch
By Associated Press — March 18, 2024
Pope acknowledges criticism and health issues but says in his new memoir he has no plans to retire
By Nicole Winfield — March 15, 2024
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The British government wants to define extremism. Critics say it risks creating more division
By Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui — March 15, 2024
LONDON (AP) — The move is in response to a surge in reports of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate speech and what authorities call an increase in radicalization in Britain since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Polish Catholics get a new leader as the church struggles to reckon with sexual abuse
By Associated Press — March 15, 2024
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A number of Poland's archbishops and bishops have retired or stepped down, with the Vatican's approval, for ignoring or trying to cover up abuses cases and for downplaying the trauma of the victims.
A Wisconsin ruling on Catholic Charities raises the bar for religious tax exemptions
By Todd Richmond — March 14, 2024
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — U.S. religious institutions enjoy tax exemptions, most notably from property taxes. Debate has raged for decades over whether the exemptions are fair.
Zimbabwe police rescue 251 children used as labor and find graves in religious sect compound raid
By Farai Mutsaka — March 14, 2024
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Apostolic groups that infuse traditional beliefs into a Pentecostal doctrine are popular in the deeply religious southern African country.
Indigenous people rejoice after city of Berkeley votes to return sacred Native land to Ohlone
By Janie Har and Olga R. Rodriguez — March 14, 2024
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Before Spanish colonizers arrived in the region, the area held a village and a massive shellmound with a height of 20 feet and the length and width of a football field that was a ceremonial and burial site.
US-mandated religious freedom group ends Saudi trip early after rabbi ordered to remove his kippah
By Jon Gambrell — March 13, 2024
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Displaying any religious symbols other than Islamic ones remains criminalized in Saudi Arabia.
India’s new citizenship law excludes Muslims. Here’s what to know
By Sheikh Saaliq — March 12, 2024
NEW DELHI (AP) — The implementation of the law has been one of the key poll promises of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the run-up to the general election, which is scheduled to be held by May.
Mexico’s presidential candidates sign commitment for peace with church leaders concerned by violence
By MarÍa Teresa HernÁndez — March 12, 2024
MEXICO CITY (AP) — According to the church leaders, Mexico suffers from a “deep crisis of violence and social decomposition.”
Sex abuse survivors dispute Southern Baptist leadership and say federal investigation is ongoing
By Peter Smith — March 11, 2024
(AP) — The SBC has faced a reckoning over its handling of sexual abuse since a 2019 report by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express News, documenting hundreds of abuse cases in Southern Baptist churches.
Florida public schools could make use of chaplains under bill going to DeSantis
By Brendan Farrington — March 11, 2024
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The only requirements of a chaplain participating in a school program would be a background check and having their name and religious affiliation listed on the school website.
Baltimore to pay $275k in legal fees after trying to block far-right Catholic group’s 2021 rally
By Peter Smith — March 11, 2024
(AP) — Church Militant has been known for publishing stories against LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Catholic Church and strongly criticizing its advocates, among other controversial topics.
The Netherlands opens a Holocaust museum as protesters oppose Israeli president’s presence
By Barbara Surk and Molly Quell — March 11, 2024
AMSTERDAM (AP) — Herzog hailed the Netherlands's initiative to create a new Holocaust museum amid what he said was raising antisemitism around the world.
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