Religion News Service

Were Brett Kavanaugh a Catholic priest being considered for promotion to bishop, or a bishop looking to become cardinal, his promotion would be dead in the water until his name was cleared.

As new investigations of U.S. dioceses begin, questions remain as to what exactly will be revealed, and how much of it will result in legal action.

Thousands of faithful in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are staying home from church services to avoid contracting or spreading Ebola.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., has done the right thing. He has asked Pope Francis to accept his resignation, which he submitted three years ago when he reached 75, the age at which all Catholic bishops submit their resignations.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who has faced calls to step down over his handling of sexual abuse cases while serving as bishop of Pittsburgh, said in letter to priests that he will soon go to Rome to meet with Pope Francis to discuss his possible resignation.

The Coptic Orthodox community in Egypt is reeling from the recent murder of the abbot of St. Macarius Monastery, apparently by traditionalists of his own faith, in the fourth-century center of meditation and scholarship 60 miles northwest of Cairo.

When people ask Todd Green why Muslims don't condemn terrorism — and they do ask, often — he has a quick response: "Have you ever Googled 'Muslims condemning terrorism'?"

There is only one way the bishops can begin to regain credibility, and that is to give a full and credible account of past abuse. 

Timothy Busch, a conservative Catholic lawyer and donor, is denying claims he was consulted on a letter written last month by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò alleging that Pope Francis ignored accusations of sexual abuse.

Law enforcement officials in at least five states — Nebraska, New Mexico, Florida, Missouri and Illinois — appear to be launching their own inquiries or reviews of Catholic dioceses. In addition, New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood has subpoenaed all eight Roman Catholic dioceses in the state. 

The months ahead of midterm elections, often a time of lower turnout among African-Americans and others, have become a focus of passionate activity by black Christian leaders.

The White House hosted a dinner Aug. 27 for about 100 evangelical Christian leaders and senior-level officials, honoring evangelicals, as one participant explained, "for all the good work they do."

It is hard to know what to think of the bombshell dropped by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, who released a scalding letter on Sunday calling on Pope Francis to resign.

In deeply religious Africa, both Christianity and Islam are on the rise. But small groups of determined atheists have emerged, and are challenging Africa's grip on faith while seeking recognition and more followers.

Anti-abortion leaders have been thrilled with President Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war who embraced patriotism loudly and religion quietly, died Saturday (Aug. 25) at the age of 81.

In recent years, a number of mainline Protestant Christian denominations have passed resolutions repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery. Now they're considering how to act on those denunciations.

The Catholic Church could get its second Native American saint if a Vatican research trip to South Dakota this month leads to confirmation of two miracles performed by Nicholas Black Elk, a Lakota Sioux medicine man born in the Civil War era.

People are not satisfied that the Catholic Church has vigorously responded to the sex abuse crisis. After seeing the crisis covered in The Boston Globe and elsewhere since at least 2002, they are surprised to see reports once again in the media. What does the church need to do to get its house in order and satisfy its critics?

Pope Francis condemned the abuse as a crime and called the church to solidarity with its victims in a statement some following the Catholic Church's clergy sexual abuse crisis called "the boldest we have heard from the Vatican" and others, "too little, too late."