Third Circuit Cracks Down on Sex-Segregated Swim Times
A seniors condominium that carved out prime-time pool hours for the Orthodox Jewish men in its community plainly discriminated against women, the Third Circuit ruled Monday.
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Catholic Agency Loses Fight Over Philly Foster Rules
Philadelphia officials can choose not to contract with a Catholic foster care agency that refuses to place children with same-sex couples, the Third Circuit ruled Monday.
Read moreUnited Methodists Edge Toward Breakup Over LGBT Policies
There’s at least one area of agreement among conservative, centrist and liberal leaders in the United Methodist Church: America’s largest mainline Protestant denomination is on a path toward likely breakup over differences on same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBT pastors.
Read morePanel Rules Congress Can Reject Atheist Bid to Give Prayer
The D.C. Circuit ruled Friday that the House of Representatives did not violate the First Amendment when it denied an atheist the opportunity to deliver a secular prayer at the opening of a legislative session.
Read moreJudge Strikes Down Secular Education Rules for Yeshivas
A judge has blocked New York from using public funds to force secular education goals, like learning how to read and write in English, on ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools.
Read morePope Washes Inmates’ Feet, Says Bishops Must Be Servants
Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 prisoners Thursday and urged them to serve one another as brothers, as he ushered in the solemn pre-Easter rituals made more poignant this year after the devastation of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral.
Read moreJury Instructions in Mormon Sect Case Probed by Ninth Circuit
A Ninth Circuit panel appeared swayed by arguments Thursday that a federal judge incorrectly instructed the jury in a religious discrimination trial brought by the Justice Department against two towns on the Arizona-Utah border dominated by members of a fundamentalist Mormon sect.
Read morePolice Official: Short-Circuit Likely Caused Notre Dame Fire
Paris police investigators think an electrical short-circuit most likely caused the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, a police official said Thursday, as France paid a daylong tribute to the firefighters who saved the world-renowned landmark.
Read moreChurch Membership in US Has Plummeted in 20 Years
The percentage of U.S. adults who belong to a church or other religious institution has plunged by 20 percentage points over the past two decades, hitting a low of 50% last year, according to a new Gallup poll. Among major demographic groups, the biggest drops were recorded among Democrats and Hispanics.
Read moreChristian College Wins Possession of Disputed Camp
When John Scopes taught the theory of evolution in a Tennessee school in 1925, he committed a misdemeanor punishable only by a fine. But yet the Scopes “monkey trial,” with Clarence Darrow as star defense attorney and celebrity prosecutor Williams Jennings Bryan, has gone down as one of the most significant trials of the 20th Century.
Read more66 Minutes: The Frantic Race to Save Notre Dame
Fueled by a lattice of centuries-old timbers, the fire moved hungrily across Notre Dame’s rooftop toward the cathedral’s iconic spire. It belched yellow smoke, spitting out gritty particles of wood, stone, lead and iron and wanted more. Far below, their vision obscured by fumes and tears, firefighters, priests and municipal workers passed treasures hand-to-hand, hoping the speed of desperation could outrun the flames.
Read moreOfficial: Notre Dame Faced ‘Chain-Reaction Collapse’ in Fire
Notre Dame Cathedral would have burned to the ground in a “chain-reaction collapse” had firefighters not moved as rapidly as they did to battle the blaze racing through the beloved landmark building, a French government official said Wednesday.
Read moreMacron Wants Fire-Ravaged Notre Dame Rebuilt Within 5 Years
The inferno that raged through Notre Dame Cathedral for more than 12 hours destroyed its spire and its roof but spared its twin medieval bell towers, and a frantic rescue effort saved the monument’s “most precious treasures,” including the Crown of Thorns purportedly worn by Jesus, officials said Tuesday.
Read moreCatholics Launch New Volley in Fight Over Michigan Adoption Rules
(CN) – A Catholic foster-care agency sued the Michigan attorney general Monday, fighting the threat of penalties if it refuses
Read moreMost Americans Say Jews Face Bias, Poll Finds
Amid a reignited culture war in modern politics, the Pew Research Center reported Monday that a majority of Americans now say Jews are discriminated against, but not to the extent of perceived bias against other minority groups.
Read moreMassive Fire Engulfs Beloved Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
Firefighters battled a massive blaze Monday at the French capital’s iconic Notre Dame Cathedral that sent ash pouring onto tourists and flames shooting out of the world-famous 12th century monument.
Read moreParents in Measles Outbreak Hot Zone Fight Vaccination Order
A mandatory order for families in an Orthodox Jewish enclave of Brooklyn to vaccinate their children for measles spurred a lawsuit Monday from five parents.
Read moreIndian Bishop Charged With Repeatedly Raping Nun
Indian authorities charged a Roman Catholic bishop on Tuesday with repeatedly raping a nun in her rural convent, a case that helped make the sexual abuse of nuns a major issue in the church.
Read moreNYC Measles Outbreak Spurs Mandatory Vaccination Order
An Orthodox Jewish enclave of Brooklyn faces a mandatory vaccination order after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency Tuesday, responding to a measles outbreak that has sickened hundreds.
Read moreVatican Upholds Sex Abuse Conviction Against Guam Archbishop
The Vatican has upheld its conviction of Guam’s ousted archbishop for sexually abusing minors and has added a further penalty on appeal that effectively prevents him from presenting himself as a bishop.
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