Former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence will both address groups gathered in Indianapolis during the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting next week.

Trump, who is seeking a second term, will virtually address attendees on Monday during a “Life and Liberty Forum” free event and luncheon presented by the ...Read more

ATLANTA — Southern Baptists attending the denomination’s annual meeting in Indianapolis next week will consider a variety of resolutions, such as affirming support for Israel, reproductive technologies, religious liberty and integrity in leadership.

The nation’s largest Protestant denomination will also elect a new president from a field ...Read more

There's a clear divide in how Americans view the influence of LGBTQ+ people in society.

Three out of four Democrats who said LGBTQ+ people have had an impact on the U.S. see that as positive, according to a nationwide poll conducted for The Times by NORC at the University of Chicago.

Nearly the same share of Republicans, 77%, said the ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Hundreds of people who were sexually abused as children by employees of the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore filed in the church’s bankruptcy case ahead of Friday’s deadline for claims, but the exact figure remains unclear.

“Right now there are over 700, but the claims that were uploaded on Friday are still being counted,�...Read more

BALTIMORE — Born into a family of devout Catholics, Marc Floto was almost destined to be an altar boy at his local church, the former Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baltimore County.

So when he was 5 or 6 years old, his parents “pretty much pushed” him to do just that. But they had no idea about the life-altering consequences ...Read more

Pope Francis has apologized for using a homophobic slur during a recent closed-door meeting with more than 200 Italian bishops, the Vatican said.

The leader of the Catholic Church was heavily criticized on Monday after multiple Italian news outlets reported he had used the Italian term “frociaggine” when discussing the admission of gay men ...Read more

The legal battle between the Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity and Bishop Michael Olson may be over after a second lawsuit was dismissed on Wednesday, but another fight involving orders from the Vatican over who has authority over the nuns is brewing.

On Wednesday and Thursday, a representative appointed by Rome was ...Read more

DETROIT — Attorney General Dana Nessel released the third of seven reports Wednesday related to a years-long investigation into clergy sexual abuse within Michigan's Catholic dioceses.

The report on the Diocese of Kalamazoo indicated there were 19 priests accused of sexual misconduct between the diocese's founding in 1971 and 2024; 12 of ...Read more

BALTIMORE — The 58-year-old woman couldn’t bear to share the details of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child, but its effect on her came across loud and clear Monday in a Baltimore courtroom as she faced the leader of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“Do you see me now?” she cried toward Archbishop William Lori, who was seated across ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Eight people who survived sexual abuse committed by Catholic clergy in Maryland are set to testify in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case.

Their statements in court will bring to 14 the number of abuse victims who testified in the case about their torment. Monday’s hearing is the second such proceeding scheduled by ...Read more

California has long had a hard ban preventing public school funding from going toward any sectarian instruction or sectarian schools.

But now families in at least two federal lawsuits in California, encouraged by a Supreme Court that has been friendly to many religious liberty cases, are challenging that prohibition, which they argue ...Read more

VATICAN CITY — Gov. Gavin Newsom accused former President Donald Trump of “open corruption” in a speech Thursday at a climate summit of Catholic officials and international leaders, elevating his criticism of the Republican leader in the hallowed halls of the Vatican.

The California governor referenced news stories alleging that Trump ...Read more

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Vatican City on Thursday to hear a climate address from Pope Francis and deliver one of her own.

Hochul, who is Catholic, sat in the first row as Francis spoke in the Clementine Hall, a luminous chamber with walls adorned by intricate Renaissance frescoes, and was invited to greet the pope after his speech.

...Read more

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday appointed former Rep. Vicky Hartzler — a conservative Christian who was once brought to tears speaking out against a bill to provide federal protections to same-sex marriages — to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Her appointment to the commission, a bipartisan federal agency ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — After it says it is being blocked by a Henderson ordinance from building a Hindu temple on a 5-acre patch of land in a rural neighborhood, a local Hindu group accuses the city of discrimination.

The association is now appealing to the federal government to intervene on its behalf.

The American Hindu Association says a city ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — When Erika Brunwasser needed help picking up her daughter from preschool, her friend was shocked to find two security guards posted outside the synagogue that housed the school.

“She thoughtfully asked how it feels as a parent to leave my child every day at a place that is targeted by hate,” Brunwasser said. “Sadly, ...Read more