Religion News

Pope meets relatives of Israeli hostages and Palestinians in Gaza and sets off firestorm over words

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis met separately Wednesday with relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinians living through the war and set off a firestorm by using words that Vatican diplomats usually avoid: “terrorism” and, according to th

Nov 22, 2023 4:56 PM Read more >

New AP analysis of last month's deadly Gaza hospital explosion rules out widely cited video

___ Editor's note: The Associated Press is publishing an updated visual analysis of the Oct. 17 explosion at Gaza’s Al-Ahli Hospital.

Nov 22, 2023 12:34 PM Read more >

Closing arguments in Vatican trial seek to expose problems in the city state's legal system

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Lawyers for a once-powerful cardinal accused Vatican prosecutors of being “prisoner to their completely shattered theory” on Wednesday in the latest round of closing arguments of a trial that has raised fundamental questions about

Nov 22, 2023 11:45 AM Read more >

Maryland hate crime commission member suspended for anti-Israel social media posts

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland's attorney general suspended a member of the state’s new commission aimed at addressing hate crimes this week after she posted on social media criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza.

Nov 22, 2023 10:18 AM Read more >

Timekeepers no more, rank-and-file Jehovah's Witnesses say goodbye to tracking proselytizing hours

Jehovah's Witnesses are well-known for proselytizing door-to-door and handing out their literature on city streets.

Nov 22, 2023 5:13 AM Read more >

China is expanding its crackdown on mosques to regions outside Xinjiang, Human Rights Watch says

The Chinese government has expanded its campaign of closing mosques to regions other than Xinjiang, where for years it has been blamed for persecuting Muslim minorities, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday.

Nov 22, 2023 3:42 AM Read more >

How a massive all-granite, hand-carved Hindu temple ended up on Hawaii's lush Kauai Island

KAPAA, Hawaii (AP) — It is the only all-granite, hand-carved Hindu temple in the West built without power tools or electricity, and it's nestled on one of the smaller islands in Hawaii surrounded by lush gardens and forests.

Nov 21, 2023 5:50 PM Read more >

Founder of far-right Catholic site resigns over breach of its morality clause, group says

The founder of a far-right, unofficial Catholic media group has resigned for an unspecified violation of the organization's morality clause, the group said in a statement Tuesday. Michael Voris stepped down as president of St.

Nov 21, 2023 4:09 PM Read more >

Carlton Pearson, influential Oklahoma megachurch founder who rejected hell, dies at age 70

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The founder of a former megachurch in Oklahoma who was branded a heretic and lost one audience — but gained a new one — after he rejected the idea of hell and supported gay rights has died, his agent said Monday.

Nov 20, 2023 6:36 PM Read more >

A French bishop is accused of attempted rape in latest scandal to hit Catholic Church in France

PARIS (AP) — A French bishop has been given a preliminary charge of attempting to rape an adult man a decade ago, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Monday. It is the latest of a growing number of accusations of sexual abuse by clergy in France.

Nov 20, 2023 11:31 AM Read more >