Jack Jenkins

Religion News Service asked more than 180 members of the U.S. Catholic bishops' conference their position on denying Communion to Catholic politicians who back the right to an abortion, a practice the church condemns. Few offered a firm yes-or-no answer.

Even as President Joe Biden faces mounting pressure from U.S. Catholic bishops for his views on abortion, experts say the president's policy positions on issues from immigration to poverty are likely to find resonance with the Vatican.

Lawmakers and leaders of the faith-based Poor People's Campaign unveiled a sweeping new resolution on May 20 designed to eradicate poverty in the U.S.

On the eve of her removal from the House Republican leadership for failing to back President Donald Trump's attacks on the 2020 election, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney cited principles she insisted were foundational for many conservatives such as herself: the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law and faith.

When U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the White House would back efforts to suspend intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, it was a victory for Vatican officials and U.S. Catholic groups that had long supported loosening vaccine patents.

The ultraconservative website, which often features faith content, was removed for ‘repeatedly violating our COVID-19 policies,’ a Facebook spokesperson told RNS.

Faith-based refugee resettlement groups are celebrating President Joe Biden's decision to raise the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. for the remainder of the federal fiscal year to 62,500, acknowledging they need to rebuild their capacity.

A group of clergy and activists met with Sen. Chris Coons to show support for the sweeping LGBTQ rights bill known as the Equality Act, ahead of Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the bill.

Leaders at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are discouraging Catholics from using the new Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine if given a choice, citing the use of cells with a distant link to abortion in the development of the vaccine.

The archdiocese said the vaccine is 'morally compromised' because it utilized cells with a decades-old link to an aborted fetus.

References to faith were a constant at last week's impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump, with Democrats appearing especially comfortable invoking religion when discussing the attack on the U.S. Capitol by insurrectionists on Jan. 6.

A new survey reports more than a quarter of white evangelicals believe a QAnon conspiracy theory that purports Donald Trump is secretly battling a cabal of pedophile Democrats, and roughly half believe the false claim that antifa was responsible for the Capitol insurrection.

The Rev. Kevin O’Brien said: As you live out this mission as servant leaders, I also remind you of the Lord’s promise ... "The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. .... Then the God of peace will be with you."

Trump-supporting extremists were storming into the U.S. Capitol. Rear Adm. Margaret Grun Kibben, who has served in combat, was not rattled. Instead, she gathered herself and prayed.

Churches were some of the first to offer pushback to Trump supporters Jan. 6. But those who gathered to support Trump and repeat disproven claims of election fraud appeared undeterred by theological critiques.

Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington replaced a Black Lives Matter sign Dec. 18 that was taken from its grounds and set aflame the previous weekend by members of the Proud Boys.

President-elect Joe Biden marked his Electoral College win with a religious flair, citing Scripture and the Prayer of St. Francis during his victory speech.

People reportedly affiliated with the hate group Proud Boys tore down Black Lives Matter signs belonging to churches in Washington Dec. 12, setting at least one aflame.

As cases of COVID-19 spike in the U.S. just weeks before major religious holidays, questions abound as to whether attending religious services in person can, in fact, be safe.

While gearing up for the inauguration of Joe Biden, whose vice president will be a Black woman and who has already promised to expand the number of refugees next year by a factor of 10, religious activists on the left are wrestling with how to keep their momentum.