Kenya’s Catholic Church to fight hunger by farming its vast land reserves
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Drying livestock carcasses and anguished faces of hungry women and children have become a common feature here as droughts..
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Jean Vanier, friend of developmentally disabled, wins Templeton Prize
(RNS) Jean Vanier, an advocate for people with developmental disabilities who helped create an international network of residential communities that champion the..
NC sheriff bans sex offenders from church
ROBBINSVILLE, N.C. (RNS) A sheriff in one of North Carolina’s smallest counties told registered sex offenders they can’t go to church, citing a state..
Faith-based aid groups face a hurdle: the faith that drives them
WASHINGTON (RNS) Leaders of Christian and Jewish international aid groups say their efforts are often met with twin suspicions: That the real purpose is to..
Supreme Court to hear case of a headscarf that cost a Muslim teen a job
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Supreme Court on Wednesday (Feb. 25) will hear the case of a young Muslim woman who says the Abercrombie & Fitch..
Family Christian Stores seeks bankruptcy protection
(RNS) Family Christian Stores, the largest Christian retail chain, filed for bankruptcy, seeking to restructure so it can keep its more than 260..
Washington National Cathedral finishes first stage of earthquake repairs
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Washington National Cathedral, which sustained heavy damage in a 2011 earthquake, has finished the $10 million first phase of its repair work..
Islam’s Sunni/Shiite divide
(RNS) Sunni and Shiite Muslims, two main sects of Islam, have been in conflict for more than a millennium. Why does such..
Coptic Christians increasingly feel endangered in Libya and Egypt
CAIRO (RNS) The gruesome video released by militants from the Islamic State showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya has..
Cardinal O’Malley: The Catholic sex abuse scandal is far from over
ROME (Reuters) The U.S. cardinal who heads the Vatican’s commission on sexual abuse of children by clergy warned his fellow Roman Catholic..
Ash Wednesday and dirty Christian foreheads
(RNS) Chances are you’ll see a bunch of folks walking around with shmutz on their foreheads this Wednesday. The ‘Splainer asks what having..
Churches on alcohol and leadership: A sampling
(RNS) How do some of the nation’s Christian denominations address alcoholism among their leaders? Here’s a sampling: 1. SOUTHERN BAPTISTS The Southern..
Drones make war too easy, too remote, faith leaders say
WASHINGTON (RNS) For the Obama administration and the Bush administration before it, drone strikes kill terrorists before terrorists can kill innocents, and the..
Obama condemns ‘distorted’ faith at National Prayer Breakfast
WASHINGTON (RNS) President Obama on Thursday (Feb. 5) called for an emphasis on what is just about the world’s religions as a..
It’s official: Pope Francis to address Congress in September
WASHINGTON (RNS) Pope Francis will make an unprecedented address to Congress on Sept. 24 during his first visit to the United States...
Breakaway South Carolina Episcopalians win major court case
(RNS) The Episcopal Church lost a major court battle on Tuesday (Feb. 3) when a South Carolina judge ruled that the Diocese..
Pope Francis declares Oscar Romero a martyr, moves slain archbishop toward sainthood
(RNS) Pope Francis on Tuesday (Feb. 3) officially declared that Archbishop Oscar Romero, assassinated by a right-wing death squad in 1980 while..
Ewan McGregor pulls off a convincing Jesus in ‘Last Days in the Desert’
PARK CITY, Utah (RNS) Publishers discovered a long time ago that Jesus sells magazines, so it should be no surprise that one of..
Saved from the German ‘death march,’ he returned to thank his Polish rescuer
WILCZA, Poland (RNS) On Jan. 22, 1945, a woman from this small village in southern Poland was riding her bike when she..
Vatican to offer haircuts, shaves as well as showers to Rome’s homeless
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican will offer homeless people in Rome not only showers but also haircuts and shaves when new facilities..
Religious and secular advocates urge IRS to clarify rules on political endorsements from the pulpit
WASHINGTON (RNS) Religious and secular advocacy groups jointly called Thursday (Jan. 29) for greater clarity by the Internal Revenue Service regarding nonprofits..
Freedom of the press trumps respect for religion in a new survey
WASHINGTON (RNS) Most Americans who know about the deadly attack on the Paris headquarters of the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine say it’s..
Maryland diocese asks bishop involved in fatal DUI to resign
(Reuters) The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland has asked a bishop who is accused of killing a cyclist while driving drunk to resign..
Priced out of New York, American Bible Society decamps to Philadelphia
(RNS) After almost two centuries in New York City, the nonprofit American Bible Society is moving its headquarters to Philadelphia. “New York has become..
In major move, Mormon apostles call for statewide LGBT protections
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Top leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called Tuesday (Jan. 27) for passage of..