Hillsong founder says COVID-19 vaccine is a ‘personal decision’ after church member dies
Hillsong Church Founder Brian Houston said much of his staff are fully vaccinated after church member Stephen Harmon, refused to get inoculated and later died from COVID-19.
Torrance nun accused of embezzling $835K from Catholic school pleads guilty
'I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT B.S. COMING FROM YOU': A U.S. district judge started the plea hearing by telling the court that he was raised as a Roman Catholic, "and was educated by nuns. And I don't look at nuns as ordinary people.''
Catholic school lawsuit claims mask mandate shields ‘God’s image and likeness’
“Unfortunately, a mask shields our humanity,” the Resurrection School in Lansing, Michigan said in a lawsuit that is now in the appeals process.
Pope Francis returns to Vatican 10 days after surgery
Pope Francis arrived at the Vatican Wednesday after being discharged from a Rome hospital 10 days after intestinal surgery to remove half of his colon.
Pope Francis appears for first time since intestinal surgery
Pope Francis has made his first public appearance since surgery a week earlier.
Pope Francis eats breakfast, takes walk 2 days after intestinal surgery
Pope Francis ate breakfast Tuesday and took a walk as he continues to recover from a scheduled intestinal surgery, the Vatican said.
Pope Francis alert and well after intestinal surgery, Vatican says
Pope Francis is “in good condition, alert and breathing on his own,” a day after he underwent planned intestinal surgery, the Vatican said.
Southern Baptists vote to probe leaders on handling of alleged sexual abuse
Delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting have voted overwhelmingly to create a task force to oversee an independent investigation into the denomination’s handling of sexual abuse.
Nun who ran Catholic school in Torrance accused of embezzling $835K
The retired principal of a Catholic elementary school in Torrance, who as a nun took a vow of poverty, confessed to fraud and money laundering charges involving the theft of more than $835,000 in school funds to pay for personal expenses, including gambling trips, federal prosecutors announced.
Rick Warren, Saddleback megachurch pastor, to retire
Saddleback Church's pastor and "The Purpose Driven Life" author Rick Warren announced he will step down.
Vatican law criminalizes sexual abuse of adults by priests, laity
After 14 years of study, Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests who abuse their authority and to say that laypeople who hold church office can be sanctioned too.
Pastor, parishioner react after FDLE nabs 4 men accused of stealing from churches
Four men are in jail, accused of stealing thousands of dollars from hundreds of churches around Florida. The men, all Romanian nationals, appeared before a judge on Thursday.
Romanian nationals accused of stealing from Florida churches
A Florida-based group of Romanian nationals stole $740,000 from hundreds of churches by taking donation checks from their mailboxes and cashing them, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Wednesday.
German Catholics will bless same-sex couples, defying Vatican ban
Germany’s powerful Catholic progressives are openly defying a recent Holy See pronouncement that priests cannot bless same-sex unions.
Italian judge on the path to sainthood after getting killed by mobsters
A magistrate slain by mobsters in Sicily and praised by two popes has been beatified by the Roman Catholic church on Sunday in the last formal step before possible sainthood.
Catholic bishops debate if Biden should receive communion given abortion stance
There’s a deep gulf between Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco and Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego in the high-stakes debate over whether politicians who support abortion rights should be denied Communion
More than 40 people killed in stampede at religious festival in Israel
A stampede at a religious festival attended by tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews in northern Israel killed at least 44 people and injured about 150 early Friday, medical officials said. It was one of the country's deadliest civilian disasters.
Lawmakers give boost to guns at church
A proposal that would let people with concealed-weapons licenses pack heat at churches or other religious institutions that share properties with schools is heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
San Francisco unveils prayer rooms at high-volume vaccination sites during Ramadan
Taking its cue from New York City, San Francisco decided to open up prayer rooms at high-volume vaccination sites during Ramadan and beyond.
Florida church leader, family indicted for allegedly selling bleach as fake COVID-19 cure
A family accused of selling a toxic industrial bleach as a coronavirus cure through their church has been indicted on federal charges.