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Washington cardinal entangled in two sex-abuse scandals
By The Associated Press — August 16, 2018
(AP) — The two scandals represent a stunning turn for the 77-year-old leader who, over the decades, earned the respect of fellow bishops and prided himself in taking tough steps to combat clergy sex abuse.
Muslim women poised to change the next Congress
By Yonat Shimron — August 16, 2018
(RNS) — With their two primary wins, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan have made history not only for their faith but also their gender.
Aretha Franklin started with gospel, ended with soul at age 76
By Adelle M. Banks — August 16, 2018
(RNS) — At age 14 and much later in life, the R&B singer recorded gospel songs at her father's Detroit church.
Questions remain for faith-based agencies as border crisis passes
By Emily McFarlan Miller — August 15, 2018
(RNS) — Providing support to separated families is one way faith-based agencies normally tasked with welcoming refugees got involved in the crisis at the border.
Clergy divided as Kenya moves to save forest, evict 40,000 settlers
By Fredrick Nzwili — August 15, 2018
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — Churches, schools and crops have been burned in a clearing process that government officials say will save the main water supply.
Colorado baker who refused to make cake for gays sues again
By Yonat Shimron — August 15, 2018
DENVER (AP) — Lawyers for Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips allege in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday (Aug. 14) that Colorado is on a "crusade to crush" Phillips because of his religious beliefs.
Vigil held at Detroit church for Aretha Franklin
By Yonat Shimron — August 15, 2018
DETROIT (AP) — The Queen of Soul is seriously ill.
Dodging dangers, mission groups weigh risks and rewards
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald — August 15, 2018
(RNS) — This year's many pitfalls, from fuel price riots in Haiti to violent unrest in Nicaragua, have forced a fresh reckoning with thorny questions: How much risk is too much?
Australian’s Parliament speech on ‘final solution’ condemned
By Yonat Shimron — August 15, 2018
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Fraser Anning called for a complete ban on Muslim immigration and linked Muslim communities to terrorism and being on welfare programs.
Pennsylvania grand jury report is a new low for Catholic Church
By Thomas Reese — August 15, 2018
(RNS) — The Pennsylvania grand jury report on child sex abuse is a wake-up call for bishops who thought that the past could be forgotten as long as they did the right thing in the future.
Report alleges decades of child sex abuse by Pennsylvania priests, cover-up by bishops
By Jack Jenkins — August 14, 2018
(RNS) — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has released a more than 1,300-page grand jury report detailing allegations of widespread sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by Catholic priests in the state, naming hundreds of clerics accused of misconduct over 70 years and accusing church officials of a “systemic” cover-up. Shapiro unveiled the report […]
Billy Graham drew less from Old Testament as years went by, new exhibit shows
By Menachem Wecker — August 14, 2018
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Poring over some 1,300 sermon notes from 'America’s pastor,' Museum of the Bible associate curator Anthony Schmidt has tracked Graham's evolution as a preacher from the Cold War into the 2000s.
In central Africa, a cathedral shelters Muslims amid sectarian violence
By Doreen Ajiambo — August 14, 2018
BANGUI, Central African Republic (RNS) — In Bangassou, St. Peter Claver Cathedral has opened its doors to some 2,000 Muslims. But Muslims and their protectors live in constant fear of attack amid threats from Christian militia.
Labor Department bolsters religious exemptions from nondiscrimination laws
By Yonat Shimron — August 14, 2018
(RNS) — The directive is yet another sign of the Trump administration’s determination to accommodate people of faith, even if it means letting them refuse to hire LGBT people.
Why Native Americans struggle to protect their sacred places
By The Conversation — August 14, 2018
(The Conversation) — Despite the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, passed by the US Congress 40 years ago, Native Americans still struggle to protect public lands where they practice their religions.
