First Syrian jet in over a decade transports Muslim worshippers to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage
For the first time in over a decade, 270 Syrians have traveled on a direct flight from Damascus to Saudi Arabia for the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, according to the Syrian Transportation Ministry.
Christian group temporarily opens beaches it has closed on Sunday mornings as court fight plays out
For the first time in generations, beachgoers were out on the sand in a New Jersey shore community on the Sunday morning before Memorial Day as a Christian religious group fights the state over its regular beach closures there during Sunday services.
Unknown bust of the architect who designed the Florence cathedral dome found after 700 years
A previously unknown terracotta bust of the famed early Renaissance architect who designed the Florence Cathedral dome has been unveiled in the Tuscan capital, where it will be displayed permanently following restoration.
Landslide forces closure of iconic Southern California chapel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's son
A decades-old landslide thatโs rapidly accelerating has forced the dismantling of an iconic Southern California chapel known for its glass frame built among soaring redwoods and sweeping Pacific Ocean views.
Why the speech by Kansas City Chiefs kicker was embraced at Benedictine College's commencement
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker may have stirred controversy for his proclamations of conservative politics and Catholicism, but he received a standing ovation at the May 11 commencement ceremony at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.
The Rev. William Lawson, Texas civil rights leader who worked with Martin Luther King Jr, dies at 95
The Rev. William โBillโ Lawson, a longtime pastor and civil rights leader who helped desegregate Houston, Texas, and worked with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, has died.
A milestone reached in mainline Protestant churches' decades-old disputes over LGBTQ inclusion
The fight to allow same-sex marriage and gay clergy has defined much of the last half-century for major mainline Protestant denominations in the U.S. Within these theologically moderate-to-progressive Protestant groups, the decades of wrestling over whether to reaffirm or overturn longstanding anti-LGBTQ+ church policies sowed deep divisions.
Methodists end anti-gay bans, closing 50 years of battles over sexuality for mainline Protestants
When the United Methodist Church removed anti-gay language from its official rules last week, it marked the end of a half-century of debates over LGBTQ inclusion in America's mainline Protestant denominations.
Expanding clergy sexual abuse probe targets New Orleans Catholic church leaders
Authorities are expanding their investigation of clergy sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans to include church leaders suspected of shielding predatory priests and failing to report crimes to law enforcement.
Why Israel is so determined to launch an offensive in Rafah. And why so many oppose it
Israel is determined to launch an offensive against Hamas in Rafah, Gazaโs southernmost town, a plan that has raised global alarm because of the potential for harm to more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there.
United Methodists prepare for votes on lifting LGBTQ bans and other issues at General Conference
United Methodist delegates are heading into the homestretch of a legislative gathering that appears on track to make historic changes in lifting their churchโs longstanding bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy.
London police to meet with Jewish leaders as protests spark concerns about the safety of Jews
Londonโs police commissioner will meet with senior members of the Jewish community on Monday after the force bungled its apology for suggesting an โopenly Jewishโณ manโs presence along the route of a pro-Palestinian march risked provoking the demonstrators.
Sydney teen accused of stabbing 2 clerics showed no signs of radicalization, Muslim leader says
A Muslim community leader says a 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing two Christian clerics during a Sydney church service might have โanger management and behavioral issuesโ and a โshort fuseโ but had shown no signs of being radicalized.
Tensions rise in Australia after a bishop and priest are wounded in a knife attack in a church
A teenager has been accused of wounding a Christian bishop and priest during a church service in a second high-profile knife attack to rock Sydney in recent days, leaving communities on edge, leaders calling for calm and a besieged church urging against retaliation.
Vatican complains after French court rules in favor of nun dismissed from religious order
The Holy See has formally protested to France after a court there ruled that a former high-ranking Vatican official was liable for what the court determined to be the wrongful dismissal of a nun from a religious order.
Trump assails Jewish voters who back Biden: 'Should have their head examined'
Donald Trump has stirred religious controversy again in his presidential comeback bid, lashing out at Jewish voters who back President Joe Biden and framing Election Day as a referendum on Christianityโs strength in America.
Desperate young Guatemalans try to reach the US even after horrific deaths of migrating relatives
In the small town of Comitancillo in Guatemalaโs mostly Indigenous highlands, two murals memorialize the nearly two dozen local migrants who died in mass tragedies en route to the United States recently.