Religion HubThe 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.
Jurors weigh fate of Afghan refugee charged with murder in a case that shocked Muslim community
By Susan Montoya Bryan — March 18, 2024
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Muhammad Syed is charged with three counts of murder and four charges of tampering with evidence.
Bulgarians pay their last respects to the late Orthodox patriarch
By Associated Press — March 18, 2024
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Neophyte, who became patriarch in 2013, was the first head of the Bulgarian church to be chosen after the fall of Communism in 1989.
Pope acknowledges criticism and health issues but says in his new memoir he has no plans to retire
By Nicole Winfield — March 15, 2024
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been battling bronchitis, the flu and a cold on and off this winter and for the past two weeks has asked an aide to read most of his speeches.
Nearly 500 victims of church sex abuse in France have received financial compensation
By Barbara Surk — March 15, 2024
NICE, France (AP) — The report described a “systemic” coverup by church officials and urged the French Catholic Church to respect the rule of law in France.
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.
As threats to Black cemeteries persist, a movement to preserve their sacred heritage gains strength
By Darren Sands and Giovanna Dell'orto — March 15, 2024
MIAMI (AP) — When sites of sacred cultural memory are desecrated, it adds additional trauma to the indignity of being segregated even in death, said the executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
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.
Israel’s army exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox are part of a bigger challenge: The Jewish state is divided over the Jewish religion
By Michael Brenner — March 15, 2024
(The Conversation) — The Israel-Hamas war has fueled tensions around military exemptions, but the issue has long roiled Israeli politics.
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.
In ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ film, what’s his faith? And why is marijuana deemed holy to the Rastafari?
By Luis Andres Henao — March 14, 2024
NEW YORK (AP) — The Rastafari message was spread across the world in the 1970s by Marley and Peter Tosh, another Jamaican reggae legend and globally known Rastafari.
Yeezy shoe sales lead Adidas to plan to donate $150 million to anti-hate groups
By Associated Press — March 14, 2024
LONDON (AP) — The company has made donations to the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change.
Virgin of Charity unites all Cubans — Catholics, Santeria followers, exiled and back on the island
By Luis Andres Henao and Giovanna Dell'orto — March 14, 2024
EL COBRE, Cuba (AP) — The cult of the Virgin of Charity became part of Cuban nationalism in late 19th century.
Spring for Amish people in Pennsylvania means ‘mud sales,’ from pitchforks to pies
By Mark Scolforo — March 14, 2024
GORDONVILLE, Pa. (AP) — In booming Lancaster, among the fastest growing counties in Pennsylvania, large Amish families and the cost of farmland has put pressure on the traditional lives they prefer.