With a million people, an ecstatic Kinshasa hears Pope Francis’s Mass
Pope Francis's first stop in his visit to Africa was the DRC, where he gave Mass to thousands of people in Kinshasa.
By Chico Harlan‘Stop choking Africa,’ Pope Francis tells world on trip to DRC and S. Sudan
While the church is often seen as a potential stabilizing force in the heavily Catholic countries, that burden falls principally on Francis's shoulders this week.
By Chico Harlan and Katharine HoureldMoving lessons on forgiveness out of religious spaces and into schools
Forgiving has mental health benefits, and some educators and mental health professionals think kids could benefit. But some clergy object, saying it's their turf.
By Richard SchiffmanTrudeau appoints first representative for fighting Islamophobia
Amira Elghawaby, a journalist and human rights advocate, will act as an adviser to Justin Trudeau's government. Muslims in Canada have been targeted in hate-motivated attacks.
By Niha MasihNational Prayer Breakfast breaks with Christian group that ran it for years
The International Foundation, referred to as “the Family,” will no longer run the event. Instead, the newly created National Prayer Breakfast Foundation will manage it.
By Jack Jenkins and Adelle M. BanksPope criticizes anti-gay laws, says ‘being homosexual is not a crime’
The pope maintained that gay acts are a sin, but told the Associated Press that the Catholic Church must work to end "unjust" anti-gay laws around the world.
By Victoria Bisset and Chico HarlanJohnny Hunt, disgraced former SBC pastor, makes defiant return to the pulpit
Hunt told a Florida megachurch that false allegations had ruined his life but he still has faith in Jesus.
By Bob SmietanaAfter Supreme Court ruling, can jails show Christian television?
A recent ruling leaves appellate judges unable to say whether religious broadcasting violates the U.S. Constitution.
By Rachel WeinerJudge dismisses suit from LGBTQ students who alleged bias at Christian colleges
A judge dismissed a suit from LGBTQ students who sought to end religious exemptions to a civil rights law they say lets Christian colleges discriminate against them.
By Nick AndersonWitches urge alternatives to sage amid concern about appropriation, overharvesting
Witches urge alternatives to sage amid concern about appropriation and overharvesting
By Emily McFarlan MillerDispute over abuse hotline reveals how far the SBC still has to go
A group of Southern Baptist leaders is working to implement a set of reforms to respond better to reports of sexual abuse.
By Bob SmietanaCardinal George Pell, convicted then acquitted of child sex abuse, dies at 81
The sexual assault conviction of the Australian cleric, who was a top adviser to Pope Francis, was overturned after he spent more than a year in prison.
By Rachel Pannett and Frances VinallAlbert Reichmann, real estate mogul who aided Jewish causes, dies at 93
Mr. Reichmann and his brothers built a real estate empire, lost it in bankruptcy and remade another.
By Brian MurphyWho are the Christian nationalists? A taxonomy for the post-Jan. 6 world
A look at faith leaders and followers that some experts say meet the definition of Christian nationalist
By Bob SmietanaHistoric but spare funeral for Pope Benedict XVI, led by Pope Francis
The ceremony for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI lacked the scale and emotion of the last papal funeral, reflecting what it means to die as a beloved sitting pope vs. a retired one.
By Chico Harlan and Stefano PitrelliPope Benedict XVI funeral a mix of ancient rituals and new precedents
Pope Francis led the Mass in St. Peter's Square, as the final act in a warm but awkward relationship between the sitting pope and Benedict, the pope emeritus.
By Chico Harlan and Adela SulimanWhat will Pope Benedict’s funeral look like? Pope Francis will preside.
The Vatican said the funeral will be on Jan. 5. But not all traditions will apply to a pope who resigned.
By Stefano Pitrelli, Kelsey Ables and Sammy WestfallBenedict’s funeral to bring ‘two popes’ era to a complicated close
Pope Francis, in the final act of a relationship with Benedict XVI that was outwardly warm but often awkward, will frame the period of remembrance and mourning.
By Chico Harlan and Stefano PitrelliHow Nazi Germany loomed over Pope Benedict’s childhood
He was 6 years old when Adolf Hitler seized power, 14 when required to join the Hitler Youth, 16 when conscripted into antiaircraft work in Munich and 21 when drafted into the German army.
By Adam TaylorHow Benedict’s death could reshape the Catholic Church
The traditionalist movement — which embraced Benedict while at times vocally opposing Pope Francis — does not have another figure with comparable clout.
By Chico Harlan, Stefano Pitrelli and Marisa Iati