religion

'Chrismukkah': Interfaith Families Negotiate A Christmas-Hanukkah Combination

5:10pm December 24, 2016

by Deena Prichep

Navigating the holidays can be hard enough for interfaith families. But especially this year — when the first night of Hanukkah falls on Christmas Eve.

During the restoration work, this mosaic angel was discovered hidden under a layer of plaster.

PHOTOS: At Christmastime, Historic Bethlehem Church In Midst Of Restoration

4:53pm December 24, 2016

by Daniel Estrin

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is more than 1,500 years old and in the midst of a large restoration project, cleaning grime off mosaics and giving the church its first face-lift in centuries.

Jews commemorate Hanukkah by eating fried foods. For most American Jews, that means latkes — potato pancakes fried in oil. But other cultures toss different foods into pots of boiling oil. Take, for example, these fried and jam-filled doughnuts, called

Beyond Latkes: 8 Nights Of Fried Delights From Around The World

7:40am December 24, 2016

by Bonny Wolf

Jews commemorate Hanukkah by eating fried foods. For most American Jews, that means latkes — potato pancakes fried in oil. But other cultures toss different foods into pots of boiling oil.

The author, far right in both photos, and some of his siblings in 1980 and in 2015.

A Village Christmas Story: No Gifts But Lots Of Joy

11:13am December 23, 2016

by Edward Mabaya

"We didn't have much," writes Edward Mabaya, who grew up in a family of 10 kids in rural Zimbabwe. "But I didn't feel that I was poor."

Hanukkah Lights 2016

9:00am December 23, 2016

by Suraya Mohamed

Hear holiday stories from authors Lia Pripstein, Elisa Albert, Ellen Orleans and R.L. Maizes.

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There are 12 million Catholics in China, less than 1 percent of the population. St. Peter's Catholic Church in downtown Shanghai is one of the country's few officially approved churches.

In China's Tiny Catholic Community, Hopes Rise For Beijing-Vatican Ties

5:53am December 23, 2016

by Rob Schmitz

China and the Vatican are working to settle longstanding differences. Their efforts may pave the way for the Holy See and Beijing to work together to ordain bishops inside of China.

White House Moves To Block Creation Of Muslim Registry

7:00pm December 22, 2016

by Tom Gjelten

The Obama administration is abolishing the regulations that were used as the foundation for a post Sept. 11, 2001, program to register Muslim immigrants. The move will make it harder but not impossible for the Trump administration to establish a new Muslim registry.

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Pope Francis speaks to Vatican employees on Thursday.

Pope Francis Outlines More Reforms, And Addresses Powerful Church Critics

4:37pm December 22, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

In his Christmas address to Vatican employees, the leader of the Catholic Church called for more laypersons and women in positions of power and said resistance to change came from misguided minds.

Russell Moore (left), president of the Southern Baptists' Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, is under attack from some of the religious right figures he criticized during the U.S. presidential campaign.

Evangelical Leader Under Attack For Criticizing Trump Supporters

3:33pm December 20, 2016

by Tom Gjelten

Russell Moore, who presides over the political arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, called out religious right figures who supported Trump notwithstanding his "serious moral problems."

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A monk prepares fruitcakes at Assumption Abbey in Ava, Mo. The bakery makes about 6,000 pounds of fruitcake per year.

For Cash-Strapped Monks, Selling Fruitcakes Is A Saving Grace

11:52am December 20, 2016

by Jodi Helmer

While monks aren't trying to dominate the fruitcake market, they have made enough money to help support their solitary way of life. And there might be a little competition between monasteries.