Religion

Pope Francis as he waved to the crowd in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Wednesday.

Argentina's Cardinal Bergoglio Is The New Pope; He Will Be 'Francis'

8:11am December 11, 2013

by Mark Memmott

On the second day of their conclave, 115 Roman Catholic cardinals settled on their selection. Now, the new pontiff faces the challenge of leading a church that is confronting many challenges. His chosen name honors a saint known for works of mercy and a simple lifestyle.

Religion

Pope Francis Reveals He Once Worked As A Bouncer

6:02pm December 03, 2013

Long before becoming the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis worked some odd jobs. At a church in Rome over the weekend, the pope talked about sweeping floors, working in a chemical lab and teaching in high school. And at one time, he kicked troublemakers out of clubs.

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Archbishop Joseph William Tobin of Indianapolis prays at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' annual fall meeting in Baltimore on Nov. 12.

ACLU Sues, Claiming Catholic Hospitals Put Women At Risk

7:50pm December 02, 2013

by Julie Rovner

A woman in Michigan says that a Catholic hospital failed to give her adequate health care when she came to the hospital after her water broke when she was 18 weeks pregnant. That has sparked a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union.

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John Brown, the head of Zion Oil & Gas, believes the Bible will help him find oil in Israel. The company, which is listed on Nasdaq, has so far spent $130 million and drilled four dry holes. Brown is shown here at one of the company's drilling rigs in Isr

Drilling For Oil, Based On The Bible: Do Oil And Religion Mix?

12:44pm November 27, 2013

by John Burnett

The born-again head of Zion Oil believes the Old Testament and an office full of geologists will lead him to oil deposits in Israel. So far, the company has spent $130 million and only hit dry holes.

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This colorfully illustrated French and Hebrew Passover Haggadah was published in Vienna in 1930. Caption on the image: "Eating Matzah." This restored document is part of an exhibit at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., that opens Nov. 8.

Who Owns The Archives Of A Vanishing Iraqi Jewish World?

12:22pm November 10, 2013

by Larry Abramson

In 2003, U.S. forces discovered a trove of Jewish documents in a flooded Baghdad basement. They tell the tale of a once-thriving Jewish community. The painstakingly restored documents will be exhibited in the U.S. before they are returned to Iraq. But some Jewish groups are trying to prevent that.

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A player from the Vatican's new cricket team of priests and seminarians returns a ball during a training session at the Mater Ecclesiae Catholic college in Rome last month. The Vatican officially declared its intention to defeat the Church of England —

The Vatican Reaches Out, A Cricket Match At A Time

6:21pm November 06, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

The Vatican is vowing to defeat the Church of England — not in the pews but on the cricket pitch. The Vatican has launched a cricket club, which draws from seminarians and priests of different nationalities who live and study in Rome. It's hoped the club will forge ties with teams of other faiths.

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Little oil lamps mark Diwali celebrations in Allahabad, India, far away from American homes.

Far From Diwali's Lights, The Warm Glow Of Home

9:42am November 04, 2013

by Lakshmi Singh

South Asian communities around the world are celebrating good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness. Sunday is Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. The holiday isn't well-known in the U.S., though, so families rely on themselves to keep the tradition alive.

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A young man gives a Catholic skullcap to Pope Francis as he greets the crowd before his general audience at St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Oct. 16.

In A Church Built On Tradition, The Pope Likes Spontaneity

8:36pm November 01, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

Seven months into his papacy, Pope Francis is shaking up the Catholic world, with outspoken interviews and cold calls to ordinary people. But some Catholic conservatives are deeply uncomfortable and worried that the Vatican has lost control of the papal message.

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Church elder Elwood Cornett preaches at a recent reunion of Old Regular Baptists. Brother Don Pratt is seated behind him in a blue shirt and tie.

Before Churches Had Songbooks, There Was 'Lined-Out' Gospel

10:12am October 28, 2013

by John Burnett

Hidden deep in the hills of Appalachia, there's a tradition of worship music that has not changed since the 18th century. The hymnody is still practiced by congregations of the Old Regular Baptist Church, where a leader calls out a line and the people respond in a mournful, soaring chorus.

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Candidates for town council Michal Chernovitsky (left) and Adina Ruhamkin campaign in a park in El'ad, or Forever God, a small religious community in Israel. They could be the first women on El'ad's council, and the first ultra-Orthodox women to win publi

Election In Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Town Tests Gender Norms

8:29am October 27, 2013

by Emily Harris

"It's a new thing. I hope it will be accepted, but I'm not so sure," one resident says about women running for town council. "Here women who express themselves aren't seen as a good thing."

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