Christopher Vondracek

Jehovah’s Witnesses blast church member’s sentence by Russian court

The World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses on Tuesday decried a Russian court's conviction of another church member under the increasingly authoritarian government's anti-extremism laws.

January 21, 2020

Justice Dept. files brief backing Ohio law limiting Down syndrome abortions

The U.S. Justice Department late Tuesday filed a brief saying Ohio's restriction on abortions of fetuses with Down syndrome is necessary to ensure "equal dignity of those who live with disabilities."

January 21, 2020

Supreme Court to hear arguments on anti-Catholic funding measure

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Wednesday on a 130-year-old law that was designed to keep federal funds from Catholic schools.

January 21, 2020

Veterans group’s criticism over Bible in Space Force ceremony sparks outrage

A veterans group that opposes religious displays in public areas has sparked outrage over its criticism of the use of a Bible in a blessing ceremony for the newly created U.S. Space Force at the Washington National Cathedral.

January 20, 2020

David W. Miller, Princeton religion professor, spreads message of trust-building

A Princeton religion professor is scheduled Monday to take his trust-building message to one of the most unlikely of venues: a meeting of the world's financial elite in Davos, Switzerland. But David W. Miller, who leads Princeton's Faith & Work Initiative, is determined to go wherever he is needed.

January 19, 2020

Supreme Court to review Trump’s religious exemptions for contraceptive coverage

The Supreme Court announced Friday it will hear challenges to the Trump administration's exemption for religious organizations, which excludes them from providing contraceptives under the Affordable Care Act.

January 17, 2020

Joe Kennedy, football coach fired for praying, gets handshake from Trump at White House

Coach Joe Kennedy -- whose contract with a Washington high school was not renewed after repeated instances praying at midfield -- got a handshake from President Trump during an event upholding constitutional rights for public prayer at the White House on Thursday.

January 17, 2020

Alex Azar, HHS secretary, says ‘no international right to abortion’

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar spoke to representatives from more than 30 nations Thursday morning in Washington, promoting a "positive vision for women's health" that, he added, doesn't include abortions.

January 16, 2020

Donald Trump issues new rule ensuring prayer in schools is protected

President Trump issued updated rules on Thursday to ensure that public school students are allowed to engage in constitutionally protected prayer, calling his action "the Right to Pray."

January 16, 2020

Education Department’s student loan forgiveness programs to include faith-based schools

Religious liberty advocates are cheering the Education Department's plan to longer ban faith-based volunteers, members of religious orders and teachers at religious schools from federal student loan forgiveness programs.

January 14, 2020

Publisher vows to keep former Pope Benedict’s name on book

The American publisher of the bombshell book carrying Benedict XVI's name as author -- affirming priestly celibacy as Pope Francis mulls the topic over himself -- vows to keep the Emeritus Pope's name on the book when it's released next month.

January 14, 2020

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI reaffirms need for celibacy in priesthood in new book

Leading Catholic thinkers on Monday offered context mixed with criticism of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's reaffirmation of celibacy in the priesthood in a new book, an apparent rebuke of Pope Francis' reported consideration of easing rules against marriage for clergy in the Amazon.

January 13, 2020

Sweet Cakes by Melissa returns to court in fight over LGBTQ discrimination vs. religious liberty

An appeals court heard arguments Thursday from an Oregon couple who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, after the Supreme Court tossed out a fine against them.

January 10, 2020

Russia’s crackdown on Jehovah’s Witnesses intensifies, human rights group says

The crackdown on Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia is escalating, even one year after President Vladimir Putin called for an investigation, says a new report from Human Rights Watch.

January 10, 2020

Expelled students sue Fuller Theological Seminary for sex discrimination

An evangelical seminary in California is accused in a lawsuit of violating a federal anti-discrimination law for kicking out two seminarians who each married someone of the same sex.

January 9, 2020

Theodore McCarrick leaves Kansas friary: report

Former Roman Catholic cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick has left the Kansas friary where he had stayed as a sexual misconduct scandal swirled about him, according to a report.

January 9, 2020

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom calls for action against rise of anti-Semitism

The head of a bipartisan U.S. panel on religious liberty on Wednesday called for concrete action -- not just rhetoric -- to address the rise of anti-Semitism across the nation.

January 8, 2020

Louisiana abortion case heading to Supreme Court draws pro-life briefs

The Family Research Council announced Wednesday it was the latest pro-life group to file a brief in support of a Louisiana law restricting abortion access headed for the Supreme Court in March.

January 8, 2020

Trump proposes new artificial intelligence rules

The White House has proposed new guidelines to broadly shape federal regulations on artificial intelligence, aiming to avoid creating rules that "needlessly hamper AI innovation and growth."

January 7, 2020

Planned Parenthood reports increase in government funding

A new report from Planned Parenthood shows an increase in government funding during its most recent fiscal cycle and a record number of abortions at its clinics, even as the national abortion rate declines.

January 6, 2020