Religion News Service

In Brazil, the forced removal of vulnerable people from privately owned land has created a role for Catholic priests as mediators between landowners and beleaguered communities.

The vision of a synodal church presented in the instrumentum laboris is beautiful, but it is terribly abstract as it presents the theological foundations of the missionary synodal church promoted by Pope Francis.

The use of sport as an evangelical tool is not new for the Catholic Church. Pope Pius X welcomed athletes in 1905 for the first international gymnastics competition in the Vatican gardens.

Synodality makes for a better Eucharist, and the Eucharist creates and nourishes synodality. Both are about communion, participation and mission. But the Eucharistic Revival has a completely different focus.

The same factors that have caused a crisis in the homeowner's insurance market are also affecting churches, who have to choose between paying for insurance or running programs.

'It is time in America that we take back territory,' Sean Feucht said in a video promoting his efforts to build a base on Capitol Hill.

Within hours of the court’s ruling, Catholic leaders from the dioceses that would have overseen the school issued a statement saying they would "consider all legal options." Days later, officials of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City announced plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

It was Christian clergy — along with an array of religious leaders and parents of various faiths — who filed a lawsuit against the new statute, backed by the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and offices of the ACLU.

The rapid growth of lay efforts to renew Catholic schools is evidence of U.S. Catholics' deep desire to pass their faith on to their children. Seminaries can lend support by reenvisioning their own role.

In the wake of major layoffs in one department of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Conference, concerns are being raised about whether the department, which works on aid and justice initiatives domestically and internationally, has the capacity to continue its work.

One used television to remind us that age brings wisdom. The other reminded us of the benefits of political bosses.

"Since antiquity," writes Joanne M. Pierce, "many theologians, preachers, monastics and other Christians have embraced the role of humor as a valuable part of Christian spirituality.

 In 2023, nearly half a million people walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain. About 40% of those walked for purely religious reasons, according to statistics released by the pilgrims' office.

A Danielsen Institute research team found taht among a sample of Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders, nearly one-third scored above the clinical cutoff for PTSD symptoms related to work stressors.

 "We’re focusing on the bishops because they make the decisions. We’re focusing on the national because that’s where the power lies. But don’t forget the power of the pews," said Ana Garcia-Ashley, executive director of the Gamaliel Network

Thousands of clergy, union members and activists rallied on behalf of the poor near the U.S. Capitol on Saturday (June 29), with faith leaders calling for lawmakers to embrace a slate of policies and for low-wealth Americans to make their voices heard in November as the nation’s "largest potential swing vote."

"With gratitude to all involved, I have decided to begin this ministry in a new way," Bishop Sean Rowe said in his announcement. "With a simple service at the Church Center that will include everyone via livestream, we can care for God's creation by reducing our collective carbon footprint."

MAGA evangelicals grab all the headlines. But it's swing state faith voters — Catholics, mainliners and Black Protestants — who will likely decide the election.

Phyllis Zagano said the comparison of Marko Ivan Rupnik's artwork to Caravaggio's falls short. And what message does keeping Rupnik's art on display send to female victims of sexual and spiritual abuse by clerics?

The USCCB department facing cuts includes programs focused on international policy, environmental justice, racism and domestic anti-poverty initiatives.