Religion News Service

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York makes many good points in his response to my column calling for a new pro-life strategy, but he ignores the political context of the abortion controversy in the United States.

Bavaria's premier, Markus Söder, has presented the move not as a religious dictate, but merely a reflection of the values his fellow Bavarians share. The cross, he says, "has a defining effect on the identity of our society," and hanging it in public offices shows "our Bavarian identity and way of life.

We can all recognize the dangers Pope Francis sees in today's culture. In answer, the pope gives us five great expressions of love for God and neighbor that he considers particularly important.

Kim Hak Song said he was unaware that conversations had been going on between the United States and North Korea — most of the time he didn't even see sunlight or know what day it was. But he said he had had dreams of being inside Trump's car and the American people clapping for him.

An Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month has led Roman Catholics to stop administering several sacraments temporarily in an attempt to keep the deadly disease contained.

Washington -- An unofficial group of faculty at the Catholic University of America has voted to declare "no confidence" in the school's president and provost, adding another dramatic chapter to a simmering dispute over cost-cutting efforts and other issues at the 131-year old institution.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine, is withdrawing from the Maine Council of Churches in a bid to distance itself from LGBT advocacy and other stances that the church says could compromise its public moral witness.

With its dwindling rates of attendance at religious services and rising numbers of churches shuttered or sold, Western Europe seems to be the region of the world where the outlook for faith is bleakest.

The overwhelming vote in Ireland in favor of allowing access to abortion shows that the pro-life movement needs a new strategy. 

At a dinner last year with prominent evangelical Christians in the Blue Room of the White House, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, invited their table mates to discuss the issues most important to them.

According to some Catholic thinkers, the sheer size, influence and global reach of the Catholic Church, combined with the popularity of Pope Francis, position it to play an outsized role in shaping future conversations about AI. 

Two prominent Democratic U.S. senators, both possible presidential hopefuls, addressed a gathering of pastors this week, pairing religion with politics in an unusually direct appeal to left-leaning Christians.

Soon, Pope Francis will have chosen almost half the men who will pick his successor. On June 29, he will create 14 new cardinals, continuing to break tradition by passing over the archbishops of large European and American archdioceses. 

Signs of the Times: The pope acknowledges that living the Beatitudes means "going against the flow" of the world. Francis urges us to let the Lord's words "unsettle us, to challenge us and to demand a real change in the way we live."

Tony Perkins, the head of the conservative Christian lobbying group Family Research Council, has been appointed to a U.S. government commission dedicated to "defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad."

Under sweltering 94-degree heat in front of the General Assembly building, a hardy group of progressive activists gathered to revive the 40-day Poor People's Campaign.

Signs of the Times: As a spiritual guide to those seeking to be better Christians, Pope Francis recognizes that many are tempted to follow the wrong paths to holiness. These are not bad people following the path of sin, but good people getting lost in the woods without a map.

The project showcases artwork made in Israel by African women seeking asylum in that country. They are part of Kuchinate, a collective that helps migrant women, including many victims of sexual violence, earn a living, receive counseling and find healing through art.

Militants killed a Roman Catholic priest this week in Bangui, Central African Republic where Catholic and other faith leaders had made headway recently mediating between factions.

From Washington to Wyoming, well-known clergy and grass-roots people of faith plan to gather Thursday (May 3) for the annual National Day of Prayer.