Churches & Religion

Vatican: Pope to leave hospital on Saturday, eats pizza

March 31, 2023, 8:00am Churches & Religion

Pope Francis is expected to be discharged on Saturday from the Rome hospital where he is being treated for bronchitis as his recovery proceeds in a “normal” way, even had pizza for dinner and will be in St. Peter’s Square for Palm Sunday Mass, the Vatican said. Read story

Lawsuit: Celebrity-friendly, Seattle-area megachurch required workers to tithe

March 30, 2023, 10:37am Churches & Religion

A Seattle-area megachurch that counts celebrities such as Russell Wilson and Justin Bieber among its thousands of members has been accused in a lawsuit of requiring employees to donate some of their earnings back to the religious organization or risk being fired. Read story

FILE - Pope Francis arrives for a pilgrimage at the Lac Saint Anne, Canada, on July 26, 2022. The Vatican on Thursday, March 30, 2023, responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the "Doctrine of Discovery," the theories backed by 15th-century "papal bulls" that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property law today.

Responding to Indigenous, Vatican rejects Discovery Doctrine

March 30, 2023, 10:05am Churches & Religion

The Vatican on Thursday responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the theories backed by 15th-century “papal bulls” that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property laws today. Read story

Two nuns walk in front of the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, Thursday, March 30, 2023, where Pope Francis was admitted on Wednesday after having suffered breathing problems in recent days and was diagnosed with a respiratory infection.

Vatican: Pope improving since hospitalization with infection

March 30, 2023, 8:10am Churches & Religion

Pope Francis rested well overnight and was “progressively improving” Thursday, the Vatican said, after he was hospitalized with a respiratory infection that has called into question his participation in Palm Sunday and upcoming Holy Week events. Read story

Pope Francis is helped into his car at the end of the weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Pope Francis went to a Rome hospital on Wednesday for some previously scheduled tests, slipping out of the Vatican after his general audience and before the busy start of Holy Week this Sunday.

Pope to be hospitalized for days with respiratory infection

March 29, 2023, 2:28pm Churches & Religion

Pope Francis was hospitalized with a respiratory infection Wednesday after experiencing difficulty breathing in recent days and will remain in the Rome hospital for several days of treatment, the Vatican said. Read story

New report raises alarm over antisemitic attacks and incidents reaching a 43-year high

A law enforcement vehicle sits near the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on Jan. 16, 2022, in Colleyville, Texas. All four people who were held hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue have been safely released after more than 10 hours of being held captive by a gunman.

In Los Angeles, two Orthodox Jewish men were shot on consecutive mornings last month as they left religious services. Federal prosecutors said the suspect had a history of harassing Jews and searched online for a kosher deli before the shootings. Read story

Ramadan starts in Mideast amid high costs, hopes for peace

Kashmiri Muslims pray inside the shrine of Sufi saint Shiekh Abdul Qadir Jeelani on the first day of ramadan in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, March 23, 2023. The first daily fast of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan began Thursday, as hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide enter a four-week period of worship.

Hundreds of millions of Muslims began the first daily fast of Ramadan on Thursday, as parts of the Middle East approached crucial junctures in high-stakes peace negotiations during the holy month, traditionally a time of reconciliation Read story