News

Pope Francis says he’s doing better but again skips his window appearance facing St. Peter’s Square
By Frances D'emilio — December 4, 2023
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Thousands of people in the square followed his words from giant screens set up outdoors.

Recordings show how the Mormon church protects itself from child sex abuse claims
By Jason Dearen and Michael Rezendes — December 4, 2023
HAILEY, Idaho (AP) — Nondisclosure agreements have been used frequently by the Mormon church and other organizations to keep sex abuse allegations secret.

Photos of the Week: Sikh anniversary; Rosalynn Carter services
By Kit Doyle — December 1, 2023
(RNS) — This week’s photo gallery includes the birth anniversary of the first Sikh guru, the services for former first lady Rosalynn Carter and more.

Warren Throckmorton takes on David Barton and ‘Christian nationalists’ revisionist history’
By Bob Smietana — December 1, 2023
(RNS) — Despite past controversy, Barton’s influence has found an eager audience with the rise of Christian nationalism in the age of Trump.

The Episcopal Church reckons with tangled protocol on clergy abuse and accountability
By Kathryn Post — December 1, 2023
(RNS) — As the denomination evaluates its Title IV clergy misconduct policy, abuse survivors say the process needs to be trauma-informed.

US prosecutors say plots to assassinate Sikh leaders were part of a campaign of planned killings
By Larry Neumeister — December 1, 2023
NEW YORK (AP) — The attack plans were foiled, prosecutors said, because the hitman was actually an undercover U.S. agent.

What to know about the Sikh independence movement following US accusation that activist was targeted
By Sheikh Saaliq — December 1, 2023
NEW DELHI (AP) — India's Sikh independence movement eventually became a bloody armed insurgency that shook India in the 1970s and 1980s.R

Pilgrims yearn to visit isolated peninsula where Catholic saints cared for Hawaii’s leprosy patients
By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher — December 1, 2023
KALAUPAPA, Hawaii (AP) — The pilgrimage to Kalaupapa, defined by its natural isolation in northern Molokai, is logistically challenging and restricted under normal circumstances.

Influential Detroit pastor the Rev. Charles Gilchrist Adams dies at age 86
By Associated Press — December 1, 2023
DETROIT (AP) — Adams spent a half-century as pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church before retiring in 2019.

‘Jesus’ film producers plan release of new animated version in 2025
By Adelle M. Banks — November 30, 2023
(RNS) — Josh Newell, executive director of Jesus Film Project, said he views animation as a fitting means to speak to younger generations about the life of Jesus.

Amid war in Israel and polarization in America, the Telos Group seeks peace
By Bob Smietana — November 30, 2023
(RNS) — For years, the Telos Group has worked on peacemaking in the Holy Land — and imagining a world where Israelis and Palestinians can both flourish. Their work continues despite the war in Gaza. And they've also begun to apply the principles of peacemaking to America’s polarization.

Adeena Sussman’s new cookbook, an ode to Shabbat and its food traditions
By Yonat Shimron — November 30, 2023
(RNS) — With her latest book, she turns back to her roots in a Modern Orthodox home where her mother cooked dishes typical of the Ashkenazi tradition.

Pope Francis asks theologians to ‘demasculinize’ the church
By Claire Giangravé — November 30, 2023
(RNS) – ‘Women have a way of reflecting on theology that is different from us men,’ Francis told the International Theological Commission.

Leading African ecumenical group elects first female president
By Fredrick Nzwili — November 30, 2023
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — The Rev. Lydia Chituku Neshangwe, a Presbyterian minister, became the first woman to lead the ecumenical All Africa Conference of Churches.

What to know about Hanukkah and how it’s celebrated around the world
By Giovanna Dell'orto — November 30, 2023
(AP) — On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra.