Religion News Service

Signs of the Times: Because of the apocalyptic consequences of global warming, many are hoping for a miracle from God or science to save us from ourselves. Maggots may be part of that miracle.

The pactice could soon be a thing of the past, but a ban on sanctifying weapons of mass destruction is unlikely to affect the intertwining of Russia’s armed forces — including its nuclear forces — with the Russian Orthodox Church under President Vladimir Putin.

German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller's critiques of the working document for the synod of bishops, scheduled for this fall, is closer to heresy than anything in the instrumentum laboris, writes Charles Camosy.

Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both addressed a Christian pro-Israel group July 8, lifting up the U.S. ally as a bastion of inclusivity and railing against Iran.

Research suggests that constantly staring at screens may be making us more distracted, distant, drained and lonely. Some are realizing that lighting candles, inviting people over, sharing a meal and logging off may guard against those things.

Two Indiana schools drew national attention to the Catholic Church's attempts to grapple with LGBTQ relationships in June, highlighting the church's position in a country increasingly welcome to different sexual identities.

Closed city-center congregations often leave behind two casualties: a unique building and a community anchor. An innovative approach called adaptive reuse aims to find solutions.

Democratic presidential candidates have talked a lot about God this year, but are they willing to debate the divine?

Fifty percent of practicing Christians say the history of American slavery continues to significantly affect the African American community today, a Barna study shows.

Signs of the Times: Without trust, human cooperation is impossible. Without trust, people refuse to cooperate and instead engage in struggles over power because they fear what will happen if their opponents have it.

If Catholic bishops hope to reclaim their moral credibility after revelations about covering up clergy sexual abuse, church leaders should take a year of abstinence from preaching about sex and gender.

The Democratic Party has hired a new religious outreach director and launched a round of listening sessions with faith leaders in the lead-up to the 2020 election.

A genealogical association has launched a new website detailing the family histories of slaves who were sold to keep Catholic-run Georgetown University from bankruptcy in the 1800s.

There are seven Friendship Houses in the U.S. and one in Scotland. The one in Fayetteville, North Carolina, opened late last year, and is the newest and most novel. It is intended to allow students in health care professions the opportunity to learn from disabled people.

Signs of the Times: Although Francis places a very high value on celibacy, he is also a pragmatist who recognizes that indigenous communities are being denied the Eucharist and the sacraments because they don’t have priests.

Charitable giving by individual Americans in 2018 suffered its biggest drop since the Great Recession of 2008-09, in part because of Republican-backed changes in tax policy, according to the latest comprehensive report on Americans' giving patterns.

A number of Democratic presidential candidates addressed a group of faith leaders and activists during a gathering hosted by the Poor People's Campaign. 

Everyone, it seems, has an idea for how to rebuild Notre Dame.

In response to recent accusations of episcopal misconduct, the U.S. Catholic bishops have adopted a process for reporting and investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and coverup by bishops.

Finally, 17 years to the month after a major clergy sex scandal forced them to crack down on priests who abuse children, the Catholic bishops of the United States have set up a system designed — at least in theory — to hold their own feet to the fire if they cover up abuse.