Higher Ground
Orthodox monks are the first to live and pray at a monastery in Estonia for 80 years
The ancient words of the Divine Liturgy echo in Estonian as Bishop Damaskinos, clad in flowing white and gold vestments, intones prayers in a small, dark chapel separated only by curtains from the bustling daily life of a new monastery nestled within a farmhouse.
Eight years after deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, Tree of Life rabbi bids farewell
After surviving the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, after presiding over multiple funerals for his slain congregants, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers struggled to pray.
From prison fears to fireworks: Pastor recounts sudden release after Trump’s intervention
Ezra Jin Mingri was inside a detention center in southern China on the morning of July 3, worrying that he would likely spend at least 15 years behind bars. The 57-year-old Chinese Christian pastor had even previously wondered whether he would live to see freedom again.
What ‘The Odyssey’ reveals about the modern moral imagination
There is a moment early in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" when the film pauses to explain the moral law of its world.
Caritas starts distributing U.S. humanitarian aid in 2 towns near Havana
Hundreds of boxes of humanitarian aid from the U.S. are being distributed in two towns near the Cuban capital, the Catholic Church organization in charge of the distribution said Thursday.
Faith under fire: White House sounds alarm on global persecution
Paula White-Cain, director of the White House Faith Office, says 344 million people of faith will be persecuted this year around the globe -- a number she said far outstrips things such as heart attacks and cancer deaths.
COVID-inspired House bill would guarantee Americans in the hospital can see their clergy
Rep. Mike Flood is fighting for Americans in a hospital or nursing home to never again be barred from seeing clergy, as happened during COVID-19.
Doctors advised abortion, but my parents chose life instead
Almost 22 years ago, my mom faced an impossible decision. At least that's how the doctors framed it. Doctors told my parents they were certain that their unborn child had Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome.
Vatican defends secrecy in sensitive abuse case involving ex-Jesuit artist Marko Rupnik
The Vatican on Wednesday confirmed that a church trial against a famous ex-Jesuit priest accused of spiritual and sexual abuse of women is ongoing and defended the secrecy of the proceedings as necessary to guarantee the process.
Lawyer in sensitive Vatican abuse case issues scathing critique of church’s secretive legal system
The lawyer for five women who say they were sexually and spiritually abused by a former Jesuit priest and internationally known religious artist penned a scathing denunciation Tuesday of the Vatican's secretive legal system, in which her clients have no right to know any details of the trial.
U.S. lawmakers frustrated with Nigeria’s limited success protecting Christians from Islamic terror
Thankful families this month celebrated the July 10 rescue by the Nigerian army of dozens of abducted schoolchildren, but the latest progress in embattled President Bola Tinubu's three-year war on Islamic militants may be too little too late for some American lawmakers.
‘Physician-assisted suicide’: Murder masquerading as compassion
At a time when some elements of society increasingly seem to devalue human life, can we maintain the precious nature of every individual's inherent worth?
Paris’ Grand Mosque celebrates its 100th anniversary and interfaith dialogue
A hundred years ago, Paris erected a monumental mosque to honor Muslim soldiers from French colonies who fought in World War I. It's now an integral part of the capital's bustling Latin Quarter, and as it celebrates its centenary, worshippers are reflecting on being Muslim in today's France.
Political analysts see little chance of GOP renewing Planned Parenthood funding freeze
Political strategists on both sides of the abortion debate say there's little chance of Congress renewing a Trump administration freeze on federal funding to Planned Parenthood that expired this month.
Nolan Wells, found dead after July 4 boat trip, to be remembered at funeral by the Rev. Al Sharpton
Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after taking a July 4 boat trip with friends to a Gulf Coast island, will be remembered Monday by his family and civil rights leaders at a church in his hometown of Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Candace Owens keeps driving the Jew-hating bandwagon
The preliminary hearings for accused Charlie Kirk killer Tyler Robinson are over, and Candace Owens continues to "just ask questions."
Rejoicing in Lindsey Graham’s death shows society’s depths of depravity
In an era of selfishness, social media obsession and political dysfunction, death too often becomes a useful tool for the open exercise of malice and hatred.
A centuries-old festival in Japan brings Shinto traditions and towering floats to the streets
There's a special moment when Katsushi Horikawa feels closer to the gods. It comes as he rides atop one of the towering floats pulled through the streets in a centuries-old procession in Japan.
Muslim man in Utah was targeted in stabbing because of his religion, police say
A Utah man told police he repeatedly stabbed a Muslim man because of the man's faith and intended to kill him, according to court records filed Monday.