Religion News

Illinois man pleads not guilty to hate crime and murder charges in attack on Muslim mother and son

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A man accused of murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an attack on a Palestinian American woman and her young son pleaded not guilty Monday following his indictmen t by an Illinois grand jury.

Oct 30, 2023 1:03 PM Read more >

Suspect detained in an explosion that killed 3 people at a Jehovah's Witness gathering in India

NEW DELHI (AP) — A former Jehovah's Witness has been detained on suspicion of setting off an explosive device that killed three people and wounded 50 others at a denomination gathering in southern India, authorities said Monday.

Oct 30, 2023 12:32 AM Read more >

Anchorage's oldest building, a Russian Orthodox church, gets new life in restoration project

EKLUTNA, Alaska (AP) — The Russian Orthodox church on the outskirts of Alaska's biggest city is packed with treasures for the Christian faithful: religious icons gifted by Romanov czars, panels of oil paintings and jewel-studded incense burners.

Oct 28, 2023 11:48 PM Read more >

In Benin, Voodoo's birthplace, believers bemoan steady shrinkage of forests they revere as sacred

PORTO-NOVO, Benin (AP) — For many people in Benin, the forests empowered them before they were born, or in the first months of their lives. Barren women performed Voodoo rituals by sacred trees to get pregnant.

Oct 28, 2023 11:40 PM Read more >

Pope's meeting on church future says it's 'urgent' to guarantee governance roles for women

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis’ big gathering of Catholic bishops and laypeople said Saturday it was “urgent” to guarantee fuller participation of women in church governance positions and called for research on allowing women to be deacons to be re

Oct 28, 2023 4:08 PM Read more >

Mass graves, unclaimed bodies and overcrowded cemeteries. The war robs Gaza of funeral rites

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — It was neither the place nor the time for a proper goodbye, said Omar Dirawi. Not here, in this dusty field strewn with dead people wrapped in blankets and zipped up in body bags.

Oct 28, 2023 7:37 AM Read more >

Jewish and Muslim chaplains navigate US campus tensions and help students roiled by Israel-Hamas war

For many of the university chaplains and faith leaders caring for students angered and shaken by the Israel-Hamas war, the needs are acute, the days intense.

Oct 28, 2023 5:03 AM Read more >

Israel steps up air and ground attacks in Gaza and cuts off the territory's communications

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel knocked out internet and communications in the Gaza Strip in stepped-up bombardment Friday night, largely cutting off its 2.

Oct 27, 2023 10:40 PM Read more >

Five years later, trauma compounds for survivors marking Tree of Life massacre amid Israel-Hamas war

PITTSBURGH (AP) — In one sense, there was a feeling of closure as survivors of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S.

Oct 27, 2023 6:55 PM Read more >

West Virginia school system mandates religious training following revival assembly lawsuit

CHARLESTON, W.Va.

Oct 27, 2023 3:52 PM Read more >