Apr 14 DOJ takes church’s side in drive-in services vs. stay-at-home conflict By Colleen Long, Michael Balsamo, Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press The Justice Department took the rare step on Tuesday of weighing in on the side of a Mississippi Christian church where local officials had tried to stop Holy Week services broadcast to congregants sitting in their cars in the parking… Continue reading
Apr 10 Watch 5:28 Pandemic turns Holy Week celebrations empty and silent By Sabina Castelfranco The coronavirus pandemic has made this year’s Holy Week one like never before. With stricken Italy extending a nationwide lockdown into May, Pope Francis has been holding services only via TV and online. And in Israel, the sacred sites of… Continue watching
Apr 09 Coronavirus may stop Ramadan events, says Iran’s leader By Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Iran’s supreme leader is suggesting that mass gatherings in the Islamic Republic may be barred through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan amid the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading
Mar 27 Pope prays for ‘fragile’ humanity in need of help during the pandemic By Frances D'Emilio, Associated Press Praying in a desolately empty St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis on Friday likened the coronavirus pandemic to a storm laying bare illusions that people can be self-sufficient and instead leaves “all of us fragile and disoriented.”… Continue reading
Mar 19 Places of worship try to keep the faith during the COVID-19 pandemic By Courtney Norris As churches, mosques and temples do their part in limiting human interaction, the faithful are trying to settle into new routines of observance and prayer, and places of worship are harnessing technology to connect. Continue reading
Mar 05 Watch 3:28 A Brief But Spectacular take on how ‘everybody is somebody’ When Cecil Williams was born 90 years ago, his mother instinctively knew he would become a preacher. As an adult, Cecil began working at a church in San Francisco's Tenderloin but was disappointed to see it turn people away, rather… Continue watching
Jan 17 Court to look anew at birth control rules in health care law By Mark Sherman, Associated Press The justices agreed Friday to yet another case stemming from President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, this time about cost-free birth control. Continue reading
Jan 16 WATCH: Trump boosts school prayer, faith groups By Collin Binkley, Elana Schor, Associated Press Under orders from President Donald Trump, nine Cabinet departments proposed rules intended to remove “regulatory burdens” on religious organizations participating in federal programs. At the same time, the Education Department issued its first updated guidance on school prayer since 2003. Continue reading
Jan 02 Watch 7:49 Millennials are leaving organized religion. Here’s where some are finding community By Cat Wise, Kira Wakeam The American religious landscape has changed dramatically over the past several decades. While regular church, synagogue and mosque attendance has been on the decline since the late 1970s, a Pew Research Center study this year has found that the biggest… Continue watching
Dec 25 Students, artists and writers protest India’s new citizenship law By Wasbir Hussain, Associated Press The law passed two weeks ago allows Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities who are in India illegally to become citizens if they can show they were persecuted because of their religion in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It does… Continue reading