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Youth leader at Texas megachurch charged with child porn

Religion / Religious News /

A youth leader at an Evangelical megachurch in west-central Texas has been arrested and charged with child pornography, authorities said.

Charles Goff, who served as a youth volunteer at the Beltway Park Church in Abilene for approximately three years, reportedly told a member of the church he was struggling with his desire to watch child ...Read more

Marcus Yam/Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Ruling revives lawsuit to allow state funding for special education to go to religious schools

Religion / Religious News /

A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel revived a lawsuit this week filed by Orthodox Jewish families that sued California education officials over the state’s policy of refusing to fund special education programs at religious schools.

Two religious schools and three Orthodox Jewish parents whose children have autism filed the lawsuit against ...Read more

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS

'Stay in that loneliness:' In Chicago, monks study, work and pray seeking God

Religion / Religious News /

CHICAGO -- A siren screamed down 31st Street as six men faced one another in a dim church and began to chant.

They chanted standing up. They chanted bent over. Above a thumping bass from a passing car, they prayed to the holy trinity through St. Benedict that travelers would arrive at their destinations and for seasonable weather. They prayed �...Read more

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS

101 indigent, unknown people buried with dozens of strangers there to mourn them; 'We're going to walk that last walk with them'

Religion / Religious News /

CHICAGO -- When 101 people were laid to rest at Chicago's Mount Olivet Cemetery last Wednesday afternoon, no family or friends were there to mourn them. Yet they were certainly not alone.

As cold sunshine flooded the cemetery, around 20 Catholic high school students stood sentinel in their uniforms by the wooden caskets, holding yellow roses ...Read more

Megan Varner/Getty Images North America/TNS

Kamala Harris brings her Georgia campaign to church as candidates vie for religious votes

Religion / Religious News /

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church was awash in pink Sunday morning, a stark contrast to the reds and blues that have dominated the 2024 presidential campaign.

It was Pink Sunday to bring attention to breast cancer. But the distinctly feminine shade also seemed a fitting backdrop for the day’s guest: Kamala Harris, who, if she is elected ...Read more

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

LA Catholic Church covered up molesting priests for decades. The price: $1.5 billion and so much pain

Religion / Religious News /

LOS ANGELES — Clergy sex abuse scandals have rocked Catholic churches across the world, but few places have seen the financial toll of the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

With a record $880 million settlement with victims announced this week, the Los Angeles Archdiocese has now paid out more than $1.5 billion.

The bill reflects its rank as the ...Read more

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

LA Catholic Church to pay record settlement over clergy abuse; cumulative payouts top $1.5 billion

Religion / Religious News /

LOS ANGELES — In what could be the closing chapter in a landmark legal battle, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades in the largest settlement involving the Catholic Church.

Attorneys for 1,353 people who allege that they suffered horrific abuse at the hands of ...Read more

Karl Merton Ferron/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Attorney: 900 to 1,000 filed sex abuse claims in Archdiocese of Baltimore bankruptcy case

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — Somewhere between 900 and 1,000 people have filed claims in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case, alleging they were sexually abused as children by people in the Catholic Church’s employ, an attorney said in court.

Edwin Caldie, a lawyer for a committee of abuse survivors tasked with representing the interests of all...Read more

Ben Goode/Dreamstime.com/TNS

Does theology impact Black churches' involvement in elections? What experts say

Religion / Religious News /

For many who grew up in predominantly Black church congregations, the importance of public involvement was intertwined with historical and theological teachings.

“Part of the importance to me about civic engagement was absolutely passed down as a young person,” said Valerie Cooper, associate professor of Black church studies at Duke ...Read more

Ventura County district attorney’s office/Ventura County district attorney’s office/TNS

Former LA Archdiocese priest pleads no contest to possession of child pornography

Religion / Religious News /

LOS ANGELES — A former Catholic priest with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has pleaded no contest to possession of child pornography and several related special allegations, authorities said.

Rodolfo Martinez-Guevara, 39, who was a member of the archdiocese at the time of the allegations, admitted to possessing over 600 images of child sexual...Read more

After Helene, a Baptist congregation looks for answers and solace and ways to help

Religion / Religious News /

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. -- First Baptist Church returned to its pews Sunday morning for the first time since Helene devastated Western North Carolina.

Before the service, parishioners gathered in small groups, checking in on each other, asking how they’d fared.

“Did you lose power?” one woman asked another.

“Four days,” came the response....Read more

Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Church sues Maryland arguing for right to discriminate in employment based on religion

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — The Seventh-day Adventist Church is suing Maryland, arguing that its fair employment law prevents religious organizations from being able to hire — and fire — people based on their beliefs, bridging those groups’ constitutional right to religious independence.

The church said in its lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. ...Read more

Christina House/Los Angeles Times/TNS

LA police ramp up patrols around synagogues during Rosh Hashana

Religion / Religious News /

LOS ANGELES — Police departments in the Los Angeles area are ramping up patrols around synagogues during Rosh Hashana this week — though authorities say they have not received any specific reports of threats or planned demonstrations.

The Beverly Hills Police Department has partnered with private security and increased patrols around ...Read more

John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Do Americans think the US should be based on Christian values? What new survey finds

Religion / Religious News /

Americans are split down the middle on their perceptions of the country’s religion, new research finds.

Fifty percent of Americans surveyed say they think the U.S. is a Christian nation and should be based on Christian values, according to a Sept. 24 analysis by Public Religion Research Institute fellows.

The research is based on a national ...Read more

Joe Sohm/Dreamstime/TNS

God is mentioned in every state constitution but not the US Constitution. Why?

Religion / Religious News /

A majority of U.S. adults say they believe the U.S. Constitution is inspired by God, but apart from a colloquial expression of the date, there is no mention of a higher being throughout the document.

That’s not the same for the nation’s state constitutions, where there’s at least one reference to God or the divine in each and nearly 200 ...Read more

How the 'God gap' is shaping Washington State votes in presidential election

Religion / Religious News /

WHITE CENTER, Wash. — An outdoor Spanish-language Mass and festival might not seem the best place to look for supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Democrats have traditionally enjoyed a strong advantage among Hispanic voters, including those of faith.

But Democrats' hold on Hispanic Catholics, as well as other religious...Read more

Christy Thompson/DREAMSTIME/TNS

Do US Catholics agree with the church's stance on birth control? What poll found

Religion / Religious News /

Most U.S. Catholics disagree with the church’s stance on a number of issues, including the use of contraceptives, according to a new poll.

The latest Pew Research Center poll, released Thursday, finds that 83% of U.S. Catholics say the church should allow the use of birth control, while 15% say it should not.

The poll surveyed 2,021 U.S. ...Read more

Clarence Tabb Jr./The Detroit News/TNS

Detroit pastor urges other Black faith leaders to support Trump for president

Religion / Religious News /

DETROIT — A prominent pastor in Detroit has called for other Black faith leaders to support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying any concerns about the former president's character should not deter them.

"God uses people who we may question their character," said Pastor Lorenzo Sewell of 180 Church at a Trump campaign-...Read more

Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS

From Project 2025 to Evangelicals for Harris: How Wheaton College grads are involved in presidential politics

Religion / Religious News /

CHICAGO — As a chief architect of Project 2025, Russell Vought has risen into the national spotlight for co-authoring the controversial conservative blueprint designed to radically overhaul the federal government under the next Republican president.

But years ago, the Wheaton College graduate made headlines for another written work — one ...Read more

MATIAS J. OCNER/Miami Herald/TNS

Catholic church pours big bucks into fight to defeat Florida abortion rights amendment

Religion / Religious News /

MIAMI — Catholic churches and other religious institutions in Florida are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the campaign to defeat an amendment intended to overturn the state’s controversial restrictions on abortion access.

Defeating the Amendment 4 proposal has become a major goal for the state’s Republican leadership, with ...Read more