Churches & Religion

Pope cheers East Timor’s recovery while acknowledging a bishop’s abuse scandal

September 9, 2024, 9:47am Churches & Religion

Pope Francis received a raucous welcome Monday as he arrived in East Timor to celebrate its recovery from a bloody and traumatic independence battle, even as he indirectly acknowledged an abuse scandal involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning hero. Read story

People attend Mass at the Catholic shelter for young mothers, Casa Rosa Maria, in Asuncion, Paraguay, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. Abortion is punishable by prison time with no exemptions in Paraguay, which has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in South America.

Condoms can’t be trusted and boys don’t cry in Catholic Paraguay’s first sex ed program

September 8, 2024, 5:03am Churches & Religion

Ahead of her 15th birthday, Diana Zalazar’s body had gotten so big she could no longer squeeze into the dress she bought for her quinceañera to celebrate her passage into womanhood in Paraguay. Read story

El Paso Catholic Bishop Mark Seitz talks with Celsia Palma, 9, of Honduras, as they walked June 27, 2019, to the Paso Del Norte International Port of Entry in Juarez, Mexico.

Diocese sues government over green card process

September 7, 2024, 6:03am Churches & Religion

For more than a year, religious organizations have lobbied Congress and the Biden administration to fix a sudden procedural change in how the government processes green cards for religious workers, which threatens the ability of thousands of them to continue to minister in the United States. Read story

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, left, and his wife, Usha, arrive at a campaign event Aug. 28 in Erie, Pa. (Gene J.

Is Usha Vance’s Hindu identity asset or liability?

September 7, 2024, 6:02am Churches & Religion

Usha Chilukuri Vance loves her “meat and potatoes” husband, JD Vance. She explained to a rapt Republican National Convention audience how their vice presidential candidate adapted to her vegetarian diet and even learned to cook Indian food from her immigrant mother. Read story

Pope Francis is helped down a ramp at Jackson’s International Airport in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024.

Pope arrives in Papua New Guinea for the second leg of his Southeast Asia and Oceania trip

September 6, 2024, 8:04am Churches & Religion

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) — Pope Francis arrived in Papua New Guinea on Friday for the second leg of his four-nation trip through Southeast Asia and Oceania, becoming the second pope to visit the poor, strategically important South Pacific nation. Read story

Pope and imam of Southeast Asia’s largest mosque make joint call to fight violence, protect planet

Catholic faithful attend a holy mass led by Pope Francis, shown on the screen, at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, in Jakarta, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024.

Pope Francis and the grand imam of Southeast Asia’s largest mosque vowed Thursday to fight religiously inspired violence and protect the environment, issuing a joint call for interfaith friendship and common cause at the heart of Francis’ visit to Indonesia. Read story

In Asia, pope urges Indonesia to live up to promise of ‘harmony in diversity,’ fight extremism

A general view of the hall as Pope Francis speaks at the Grha Pemuda Youth Centre in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. Pope Francis is on an apostolic visit to the Muslim-majority country of Indonesia from 03 to 06 September, as part of his 12-day trip to the Asia-Pacific region, which includes stops in Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore.

Pope Francis urged Indonesia to live up to its promise of “harmony in diversity” and fight religious intolerance on Wednesday, as he set a rigorous pace for an 11-day, four-nation trip through tropical Southeast Asia and Oceania that will test his stamina and health. Read story

Pope opens Asia odyssey with stop in Indonesia to rally Catholics, hail religious freedom tradition

A man walks in the shade at Istiqlal Mosque as the spires of the Our Lady of The Assumption Cathedral are seen in the background, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024.

Pope Francis arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday at the start of the longest trip of his pontificate, hoping to encourage its Catholic community and celebrate the tradition of interfaith harmony in a country with the world’s largest Muslim population. Read story