Churches & Religion

Jehovah’s Witnesses open newly rebuilt Olympia Kingdom Hall after 2018 arson attacks

January 18, 2023, 7:29am Churches & Religion

Jehovah's Witnesses held their first service at their newly reconstructed Kingdom Hall in Olympia on Sunday, about four and half years after the previous building burned down in a 2018 arson attack. Read story

FILE - The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby walks in Westminster on Sept. 14, 2022. The Church of England said Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, it will allow blessings for same-sex, civil marriages for the first time — but its position on gay marriage will not change and same-sex couples will still not be able to marry in its churches.

Church of England refuses to back same-sex marriage

January 18, 2023, 7:13am Churches & Religion

The Church of England said Wednesday it will allow blessings for same-sex, civil marriages for the first time but same-sex couples still will not be allowed to marry in its churches. Read story

Pastor Joyce Smith leads the crowd in a rendition of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" during the 13th annual "Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Celebration" hosted by iUrban Teen.

Vancouver’s Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast celebrates service

January 16, 2023, 2:18pm Churches & Religion

Hundreds of smiling faces filled the main conference room at the Hilton Vancouver Washington on Monday morning, there to celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Between guest speakers and a musical performance from Take 6, the crowd was endlessly entertained. Monday marked what would have… Read story

Krzysztof Hejmanowski, left, building inspector of the Warbud construction company and archaeologist Bartlomiej Gwozdz show objects that were most probably hidden by their Jewish owners during World War II on Wednesday in Lodz, Poland.

Crew finds trove of items hidden by Jewish owners

January 14, 2023, 6:04am Churches & Religion

The discovery in central Poland of hundreds of objects that were most likely hidden by their Jewish owners during World War II provided a rare and precious find, officials said Wednesday. Read story

FILE - Cardinal George Pell answers a journalist's question during an interview with The Associated Press inside his residence near the Vatican in Rome, Nov. 30, 2020. Pell, who was the most senior Catholic cleric to be convicted of child sex abuse before his convictions were later overturned, has died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Rome at age 81.

‘Catastrophe’: Cardinal Pell’s secret memo blasts Francis

January 12, 2023, 8:15am Churches & Religion

Pope Francis will deliver a final send-off for Cardinal George Pell during a funeral Mass on Saturday, the Vatican said, as revelations emerge of the Australian prelate’s growing concern about what he considered the “disaster” and “catastrophe” of the papacy under Francis. Read story

Pope honors Cardinal George Pell, divisive Australian cleric

FILE - Cardinal George Pell, center, the most senior Catholic cleric to face sex charges, leaves court in Melbourne, Australia, May 2, 2018. Pell, who was the most senior Catholic cleric to be convicted of child sex abuse before his convictions were later overturned, has died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Rome at age 81.

Pope Francis on Wednesday paid tribute to Cardinal George Pell, who spent 404 days in solitary confinement in his native Australia before his child sex convictions were overturned, praising his diligence in reforming the Vatican’s finances and his faith “even in the hour of trial.” Read story

Pope denounces Iran death penalty following protests

FILE - Pope Francis presides over an Epiphany mass in St.Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, on Jan. 6, 2023. Pope Francis on Monday Jan.

Pope Francis on Monday broke his silence on the nationwide protests convulsing Iran, denouncing the recourse to the death penalty there and seemingly legitimizing the rallies as demonstrations “demanding greater respect for the dignity of women.” Read story

Border bishop takes lead role in Catholic migrant ministry

Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso sits for a portrait in his office in El Paso, Texas, on Monday, April 4, 2022. The friendship bracelets on his wrist were braided by girls housed at a shelter on nearby Fort Bliss Army base for unaccompanied minors who crossed the U.S.-Mexican border. "Immigrants have had the experience of leaving everything that helped them to feel at home and secure in this life behind, and to depend utterly on God as they journey. ... They have so much to teach us about how God will accompany us on our journey," Seitz says.

With a cheerful “soy Marcos” – “I’m Mark,” in Spanish – Bishop Mark Seitz introduced himself to migrants eating soup in the shelter on the grounds of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, less than two miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Read story