• What we can learn from the new pope's choice of name

    What we can learn from the new pope's choice of name

    May 06, 2025 08:15 PM EST

    ... name of St. Francis of Assisi, known for his humility, life of poverty and love of all creatures. With it, Francis signaled a papacy focused on those who are often seen as outsiders, including the poor, prisoners and the LGBTQ+ community, while promoting peace, brotherhood and care of the environment.

  • Brazilian police arrest 2 suspects over alleged plot to bomb Lady Gaga's concert in Rio

    Brazilian police arrest 2 suspects over alleged plot to bomb Lady Gaga's concert in Rio

    May 04, 2025 03:54 PM EST

    ... police said they had worked with the Justice Ministry to disrupt an attack allegedly planned by a group that was spreading hate speech against the LGBTQ community. Police said the group sought to radicalize and recruit teenagers to carry out attacks using Molotov cocktails and improvised explosives. “The plan was ...

  • News Wrap: Army plans 250th anniversary parade on Trump's birthday

    News Wrap: Army plans 250th anniversary parade on Trump's birthday

    May 02, 2025 10:50 PM EST

    ... and songwriter Jill Sobule has died. (Music) Amna Nawaz: She gained national attention in 1995 with the song "I Kissed a Girl" that became an LGBTQ anthem and was banned on several Southern radio stations. That same year, she enjoyed success with "Supermodel," which was featured in the hit film ...

  • Who will be pope? Meet some possible contenders

    Who will be pope? Meet some possible contenders

    May 02, 2025 02:45 PM EST

    ... Italian edition of “Building a Bridge,” by the Rev. James Martin, an American Jesuit, about the church’s need to improve its outreach to the LGBTQ+ community. Zuppi wrote that building bridges with the community was a “difficult process, still unfolding.'' He recognized that “doing nothing, on the other hand ...

  • African Catholics say it would be nice to see themselves reflected in the next pope

    African Catholics say it would be nice to see themselves reflected in the next pope

    May 01, 2025 09:11 PM EST

    ... 1.3 billion people. Catholic orthodoxy in Africa was at odds with Pope Francis’ pastoral vision of mercy and understanding for all marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ Catholics. The real-life situation was reflected in the fictional Oscar-nominated film “Conclave,” in which one of the four contenders vying for the ...

  • LISTEN: Supreme Court hears case involving rights of students with disabilities

    LISTEN: Supreme Court hears case involving rights of students with disabilities

    Apr 28, 2025 09:56 PM EST

    ... discrimination case despite findings that her Minnesota school hadn’t done enough to accommodate her. LISTEN: Supreme Court signals support for parents who object to LGBTQ books in public schools Their attorney, Roman Martinez, said the district’s position had shifted to a potential “five-alarm fire” for the disability ...

  • Vatican says conclave to elect new pope will start on May 7 as cardinals begin informal meetings

    Vatican says conclave to elect new pope will start on May 7 as cardinals begin informal meetings

    Apr 28, 2025 02:28 PM EST

    ... asked if the African cardinals were coalescing around a particular candidate. African bishops had made a remarkably united stand last year against Francis' outreach to LGBTQ+ people, refusing to implement his declaration allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples. Given such a stand, there is some speculation that ...

  • What to expect as the College of Cardinals prepares to elect a new pope

    What to expect as the College of Cardinals prepares to elect a new pope

    Apr 26, 2025 09:45 PM EST

    ... want somebody who can steer the church safely through those storms, to internal church debates over contentious matters such as women and outreach to the LGBTQ community, to more broad social concerns such as migration and climate change and poverty, really trying to come to some sort of rough consensus ...

  • WATCH: Pope Francis’ funeral

    WATCH: Pope Francis’ funeral

    Apr 25, 2025 05:01 PM EST

    ... Francis stressed this church’s role in reaching out to the margins of society, engaging with poor people and migrants and being more welcoming to LGBTQ+ people. As one cardinal put it, Francis was a “pastoral pope” who showed the church how "to go out and bring the Gospel to ...

  • Supreme Court hears major case on public school curriculum and parental rights

    Supreme Court hears major case on public school curriculum and parental rights

    Apr 22, 2025 10:40 PM EST

    The Supreme Court heard arguments in a major case focused on parental rights and public schools. At the center of the case is a dispute over a curriculum in Maryland that included books featuring LGBTQ+ characters. Some parents asked for their children to be excused, but schools stopped allowing opt ...