Religion
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Saying the stakes could not be higher, Newsom to speak at Vatican climate summit
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking his climate change advocacy overseas next month to the epicenter of Catholicism, where he was invited to speak at a summit of mayors and governors hosted by Pope Francis at the Vatican.
State and local leaders will gather at the summit from May 15 to 17 to discuss the effects of rising ...Read more
Tensions with insurers mount in Archdiocese of Baltimore bankruptcy case
BALTIMORE — Tensions are growing in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case around the role of the church’s insurers.
Baltimore’s arm of the Catholic Church, America’s oldest archdiocese, has sued its insurers for alleged breach of contract in one legal battle. In another argument, the insurers sought to block the committee of ...Read more
Legislation to restructure United Methodists moves forward
United Methodist delegates have overwhelmingly endorsed a constitutional amendment many say could defuse debates over the role of LGBTQ people in the church. The amendment, approved Thursday at the denomination’s gathering in Charlotte, N.C., gives each region of the international church the ability to make their own decisions on divisive ...Read more
COUNTERPOINT: Bible blasphemy or act of godliness?
Donald Trump was recently accused of “Bible blasphemy” for selling a version of the Bible, which prompted me to write this article on his motivations for such an act. Is this truly blasphemy? Or is it a way to encourage his followers to study the Holy Scriptures to “Make America Great and Godly Again”?
In a court of law, I believe this ...Read more
POINT: Perverting God's word for politics is a sin
In March, former President Donald Trump began hawking a “God Bless the USA” Bible online for $59.99, a King James Version that also includes the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance.
“Let’s make America pray again,” he said. “We must defend God in the public square and not allow the media or the...Read more
Archdiocese of Chicago sued over priest accused of sexually abusing altar boy at elementary school and parish on Lower West Side in '90s
CHICAGO — The Archdiocese of Chicago is facing a lawsuit in connection with a former priest accused of sexually abusing and exploiting an altar boy at a now-closed elementary school and parish on the city’s Lower West Side.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges that the Rev. John Keehan repeatedly ...Read more
'Self-annihilation?' LA rabbi wants to heal a 'world on fire'
LOS ANGELES — She was a clever girl, a daughter of retailers, who thought she had been born too late. The civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s inspired her. But Sharon Brous grew up in the age of Reagan, hedge funds and indifference. By the time she reached rabbinical school, Brous had many questions. All of them big and centering ...Read more
Pope Francis invites Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and other Bay State leaders to speak at Vatican Climate Summit
BOSTON — According to scientists at the Vatican, “the Climate Crisis is upon us” and it will get worse before it gets better.
In light of that disconcerting finding and at the invitation of the Pope, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Bay State Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer, and UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suá...Read more
Suspected Rutgers University Islamic center vandal arrested
An arrest has been made nearly two weeks after an Islamic center at Rutgers University was broken into and vandalized.
Jacob Beacher, 24, of New Brunswick, N.J., has been arrested and charged with one count of damage to religious property and one count of making false statements to federal authorities, the Rutgers University Police Department ...Read more
Dunleavy lays out efforts to preserve ability to spend public funds at private and religious schools
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In the wake of a court decision that struck down key statutes governing Alaska's public homeschooling programs, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said Wednesday that he would not immediately seek to advance new statutes or regulations ensuring the programs can continue.
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman ruled last week that the ...Read more
This church, floor to ceiling in religious art, offers a portal to the past
MIAMI -- On the outside, the Miami Lakes church looks like any other house of God, perhaps plainer than most.
The unassuming white exterior, topped by a tall bronze dome that peeks over the Palmetto Expressway, offers no hint that stepping into Christ the Saviour Orthodox Cathedral is like entering a glorious gallery of religious art — but ...Read more
NY Attorney General Letitia James, Diocese of Brooklyn reach settlement on clergy sex abuse reforms
NEW YORK — The Diocese of Brooklyn and state Attorney General Letitia James reached a settlement Tuesday on a host of reforms to address accusations of years of mismanaging allegations into priests who were accused of sexual abuse.
Those reforms include the installation of a secular monitor to oversee how the diocese will handle allegations ...Read more
LA synagogue's invite to Muslims on Ramadan ends in tears and resignations. Can they heal?
LOS ANGELES — It started with good intentions.
When a Jewish temple in the San Fernando Valley opened its doors to Muslims for the holy month of Ramadan, its rabbis hoped to offer a model of interfaith outreach.
“There is more that unites us than divides us,” Rabbis Stewart Vogel and Richard Camras wrote in an email to Hamakom L.A.’s ...Read more
'Soul murder': Clergy abuse survivors testify about torment during Baltimore archdiocese bankruptcy case
BALTIMORE — As a young girl, Eva Dittrich sought forgiveness during confession at her Catholic church in Baltimore County because her grandfather was molesting her at home.
Her priest, Father Joseph Maskell, responded by telling her she was “a whore,” but that he would “try to cleanse me of my sins in private counseling sessions,” ...Read more
Muslim women push Chicago community to join green Ramadan: 'We are the caretakers of the Earth'
CHICAGO — On a recent Sunday evening, a group of Muslim women huddled around a hot beverage dispenser. They watched as one woman mixed cardamom tea, anise seed, cinnamon, ginger and different kinds of milk.
It would be easier to offer hot water and tea bags, Sam Bawamia said as she stirred the warm beverage. But she had recently read that tea...Read more
Religious workers face US immigration backlog
TAMPA, Fla. — For over four years, Andrés Arenas has been serving as a spiritual leader and musical director at Iglesia Vida Nueva, a Pentecostal church in West Tampa, where the congregation mainly consists of families from Latin America.
In 2019, Arenas came from Bucaramanga, in north-central Colombia, accompanied by his wife, to support ...Read more
'Muslim-ish': For less observant Muslims, Ramadan remains a cherished ritual
PHILADELPHIA -- Candlelight flickered across Maham Rizvi’s face as she adorned a chestnut-brown coffee table with different mementos: "A River Dies of Thirst," the collection of writings by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish; "Moon and Sun," a poetry book by the Sufi Muslim poet Rumi; a bowl of colorful Turkish soft candies surrounded by ...Read more
Faithful flock to Shrine of Christ's Passion in Indiana for Stations of the Cross
ST. JOHN, Ind. — Frank Schilling stood at the highest point at the Shrine of Christ’s Passion in St. John on Good Friday overlooking the prayer trail where the Stations of the Cross were being led by the Most Rev. Bishop Robert J. McClory.
Schilling was trying to count the sea of people who packed the winding prayer trail almost from the ...Read more
NYC Mayor Adams, Rikers Island detainees baptized by the Rev. Sharpton on Good Friday
NEW YORK — It was a very Good Friday for Mayor Eric Adams, who was baptized with inmates at the Rikers Island jail in what he said was a recommitment to the city and to his faith.
“This is Resurrection Sunday coming up,” Adams told the New York Daily News just two days before Easter, the holiest day on the Christian calendar. “We should...Read more
Faithful flock to Shrine of Christ's Passion in Indiana for Stations of the Cross
ST. JOHN, Ind. — Frank Schilling stood at the highest point at the Shrine of Christ’s Passion in St. John on Good Friday overlooking the prayer trail where the Stations of the Cross were being led by the Most Rev. Bishop Robert J. McClory.
Schilling was trying to count the sea of people who packed the winding prayer trail almost from the ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Saying the stakes could not be higher, Newsom to speak at Vatican climate summit
- POINT: Perverting God's word for politics is a sin
- Legislation to restructure United Methodists moves forward
- Tensions with insurers mount in Archdiocese of Baltimore bankruptcy case
- COUNTERPOINT: Bible blasphemy or act of godliness?