Christopher Vondracek

Theodore McCarrick sued in sexual abuse of John Bellocchio as teen in New Jersey

Former Washington archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick is being sued by a man who accuses the defrocked former cardinal of sexually abusing him when he was a teenager at a Catholic church in Hackensack, New Jersey, in the 1990s.

December 2, 2019

Pope Francis tells Catholics to place creches at work, schools, hospitals

Pope Francis has called on Catholics to place Nativity scenes in in conspicuous locations -- from jobs to hospitals -- so that "this custom will never be lost."

December 2, 2019

Bethel Christian Academy gets backing from Trump administration in discrimination lawsuit

The Trump administration is backing a Christian school's religious discrimination lawsuit against the state of Maryland, which kicked the school out of a voucher program.

November 27, 2019

St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, cleared of sexual misconduct allegations in report

A report commissioned by the Archdiocese of Boston has cleared a seminary of allegations of rampant sexual misconduct and excessive drinking, but notes instances of fraternization and before-meal drinking among seminarians and faculty that could fuel further calls to overhaul Roman Catholic seminaries.

November 26, 2019

TV watchdog releases 2019’s ‘best/worst’ advertisers for families

Target, Pepsi and T-Mobile are among the most egregious supporters of family unfriendly television programs, according to an end-of-the-year list from a leading TV watchdog.

November 22, 2019

Jamie Raskin, international observers call for end to blasphemy legislation across globe

Christians in India's Punjab province this week asked authorities to prosecute a fellow Christian for cutting a birthday cake in the design of a Bible.

November 21, 2019

2019 Religious Freedom Index finds over two-thirds of Americans view religious liberty favorably

More than two-thirds of Americans hold generally favorable views of religious liberty, according to an index tracking one of the nation's oldest civil rights.

November 20, 2019

More cities enacting LGBTQ protections, Human Rights Campaign study finds

A new study from the Human Rights Campaign notes that a record number of U.S. cities have implemented anti-discrimination policies in 2019, the third consecutive year of growth for LGBTQ inclusion in cities during the Trump administration.

November 19, 2019

Ohio lawmakers propose jailing women who get abortions

Two Ohio Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that would ban abortion and require women who undergo the procedure to be imprisoned.

November 19, 2019

The American Medical Association calls for ban on gay conversion therapy

The American Medical Association will begin developing legislation to ban so-called reparative, or conversion, therapy for LGBTQ individuals, characterizing the practice as harmful and scientifically unfounded.

November 19, 2019

ACLU sues to stop prayer in Tennessee school

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit to halt prayer at public schools in Smith County, Tennessee.

November 19, 2019

Judge rules in favor of Bethel Christian Academy in school voucher case

A federal judge has ruled in favor of a lawsuit brought by a Christian school that accuses Maryland officials of kicking it out of a voucher program because of the school's belief in traditional marriage.

November 18, 2019

San Francisco jury sides against abortion activists on undercover Planned Parenthood videos

A jury in San Francisco on Friday ordered that undercover pro-life activists must pay $1.2 million in damages for surreptitiously filming and publishing videos of Planned Parenthood employees discussing fetal tissue sales.

November 15, 2019

11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturns dismissal of Cambridge Christian School prayer case

A federal appeals court this week overturned a lower court's dismissal of a lawsuit that accuses Florida officials of violating the religious freedom of two Christian high schools seeking to read a prayer over a loudspeaker before their championship football game.

November 14, 2019

Russian court convicts Jehovah’s Witness of extremism

A court in Russia has convicted a 44-year-old Jehovah's Witness of "extremist activities."

November 14, 2019

Supreme Court hears racial bias claims against Comcast

An attorney representing a black-owned entertainment company Wednesday accused Comcast of refusing to air its channels due to racial bias, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that the cable company was violating one of the nation's oldest discrimination laws.

November 13, 2019

Mike Pence touts Trump administration for receptivity to faith-based adoption agencies

Vice President Mike Pence hailed the Trump administration's receptivity to faith-based adoption agencies Tuesday at a ceremony for adoptive families and groups.

November 12, 2019

Jose Gomez elected as leader of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops elected as president Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, an immigrant born in Mexico, on Tuesday morning in Baltimore.

November 12, 2019

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops mull abortion, gun control

Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston, told a meeting of U.S. bishops Monday that the Vatican's long-awaited report on Theodore McCarrick has "resulted in great frustration on the part of bishops."

November 11, 2019

Trial of undercover pro-life activists nears end

The civil trial of pro-life activists who shot video surreptitiously of Planned Parenthood employees and infiltrated abortion conferences using fake IDs will come to an end next week, after the defense wrapped up testimony in a San Francisco courtroom Thursday.

November 8, 2019