Most Recent
Religious leaders to invoke Frederick Douglass on July 4th
Russell Contreras, Associated Press | Posted Jul 3rd - 2:47pm
About 150 preachers, rabbis and imams are promising to invoke Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass on July 4th as they call for the U.S. to tackle racism and poverty.
Russian Orthodox Church defrocks coronavirus-denying monk
Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press | Posted Jul 3rd - 9:38am
The Russian Orthodox Church on Friday defrocked a coronavirus-denying monk who has defied Kremlin lockdown orders and taken control of a monastery.
Kansas legislators seek investigation into former detective
Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press | Posted Jul 2nd - 2:27pm
A coalition of Kansas lawmakers, religious leaders and racial justice advocates called Thursday for an investigation into a retired white police detective accused of preying on Black women for sex over decades and framing for murder the son of one of them.
Supreme Court agrees to hear Nazi art case
The Associated Press | Posted Jul 2nd - 11:44am
The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a case involving the descendants of a group of Jewish art dealers from Germany who say their ancestors were forced to sell a collection of religious art to the Nazi government in 1935.
Priest sues to stop federal execution over coronavirus risk
Michael Balsamo, Associated Press | Posted Jul 2nd - 9:08am
A Zen Buddhist priest, who is a spiritual adviser to one of three federal death row inmates scheduled to be executed this month, filed a lawsuit Thursday arguing the Bureau of Prisons is putting him at risk for the coronavirus by moving forward with executions during a nationwide pandemic.
Funeral planned Wednesday for retired pope's elder brother
The Associated Press | Posted Jul 2nd - 4:56am
A funeral is to be held in Germany next week for the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, the older brother of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI who died Wednesday at the age of 96.
Old times not forgotten: Mississippi furls rebel-themed flag
Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press | Posted Jul 1st - 12:35pm
Mississippi officials held a ceremony Wednesday to retire the former state flag and send it to a history museum, a day after Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a law stripping official status from the last state banner in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem.
Death Cafes help ease grief, loss in the time of coronavirus
Leanne Italie and Emily Leshner, Associated Press | Posted Jul 1st - 9:24am
Panic attacks, trouble breathing, relapses that have sent her to bed for 14 hours at a time: At 35, Marissa Oliver has been forced to deal with the specter of death on COVID-19′s terms, yet conversations about her illness, fear and anxiety haven’t been easy.
Museum or mosque? Turkey debates iconic Hagia Sofia's status
Suzan Fraser and Ayse Wieting, Associated Press | Posted Jul 1st - 9:07am
In its more than 1,400-year existence, the majestic domed structure of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has served as the Byzantine Empire’s main cathedral, a mosque under the Ottoman Empire and a museum under modern Turkey, attracting millions of tourists each year.
Zoom got big fast. Then videobombers made it rework security
Michael Liedtke, Associated Press | Posted Jul 1st - 9:05am
Back in March as the coronavirus pandemic gathered steam in the U.S., a largely unheralded video-conferencing service suddenly found itself in the spotlight.
Maine, Vermont next in fight over aid to religious schools
David Sharp and Wilson Ring, Associated Press | Posted Jul 1st - 7:45am
A U.S. Supreme Court decision that says states can’t cut religious schools out of programs that send public money to private education could breathe new life into efforts to force Maine and Vermont to help fund religious educations.
AP Exclusive: Hair weaves from Chinese prison camps seized
Martha Mendoza, Associated Press | Posted Jul 1st - 7:06am
topped with “Haolin Hair Accessories” in big red letters — was ringed with barbed wire fencing and surveillance cameras, and the entrance was blocked by helmeted police. Across the street, what appeared to be an educational facility was topped with political slogans declaring “the country has power” and urging people to obey the Communist Party. It was unclear whether the factory was part of a detention center, but former detainees in other parts of Xinjiang have described being shuttled to work in fenced, guarded compounds during the day and taken back to internment camps at night.
The Latest: South Korea worries as virus resurgence spreads
The Associated Press | Posted Jul 1st - 12:19am
South Korea says it has confirmed 54 more COVID-19 cases as the coronavirus continues to spread beyond the capital region and reach cities like Gwangju, which has shut schools and tightened social restrictions after dozens fell sick this week.
Interfaith group: No Buddhist or Hindu statues in nightclubs
William J. Kole, Associated Press | Posted Jun 30th - 11:19pm
America’s nightclubs are largely closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that isn’t stopping an interfaith coalition from launching a campaign to stop what organizers call the “disrespectful” use of sacred Buddhist and Hindu statues as decor.
Asia Today: Thailand lets in some foreigners, opens schools
The Associated Press | Posted Jun 30th - 8:43pm
Thailand has begun a fifth phase of relaxations of COVID-19 restrictions, allowing the reopening of schools and high-risk entertainment venues such as pubs and massage parlors that had been shut since mid-March.
Protesters back Indiana pastor who called activists maggots
The Associated Press | Posted Jul 6th - 6:14pm
Supporters of an Indiana minister who was suspended for calling organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement “maggots and parasites” walked out of a service and shouted at a bishop who ended his remarks with the words, “Black lives matter.”
Bishop: North Carolina priest kept on leave on abuse claims
The Associated Press | Posted Jul 2nd - 6:39am
A Catholic priest in North Carolina will remain on administrative leave after allegations of sexual abuse against him were revealed last year, the Charlotte diocese's bishop said.
Catholic priest suspended for comparing BLM to 'maggots'
The Associated Press | Posted Jul 1st - 3:34pm
A bishop suspended a suburban Indianapolis Catholic priest from public ministry on Wednesday for comparing the Black Lives Matter movement and its organizers to “maggots and parasites” in a recent church bulletin.
