Rick Warren, Saddleback megachurch pastor, to retire

Saddleback Church's pastor and "The Purpose Driven Life" author Rick Warren announced he will step down.

Vatican law criminalizes sexual abuse of adults by priests, laity

After 14 years of study, Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests who abuse their authority and to say that laypeople who hold church office can be sanctioned too.

Italian judge on the path to sainthood after getting killed by mobsters

A magistrate slain by mobsters in Sicily and praised by two popes has been beatified by the Roman Catholic church on Sunday in the last formal step before possible sainthood.

Catholic bishops debate if Biden should receive communion given abortion stance

There’s a deep gulf between Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco and Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego in the high-stakes debate over whether politicians who support abortion rights should be denied Communion

Christians celebrate second Easter marred by COVID-19 pandemic

Christianity’s most joyous feast day is being celebrated worldwide with faithful sitting far apart in pews and singing choruses of “Hallelujah” through face coverings for the second Easter Sunday.

Iraqi Christians reenact Jesus carrying the cross on Good Friday

An Iraqi man was filmed carrying a wood cross through a small village in northern Iraq, one of many observances held to commemorate the Christian holiday of Good Friday.

Some Holy Land sites reopen as Christians mark Good Friday

Christians in the Holy Land are marking Good Friday this year amid signs the coronavirus crisis is winding down.

US church membership falls below 50% for 1st time in nearly a century

For the first time since the late 1930s, less than half of Americans say they belong to a church, synagogue or mosque, according to a new Gallup poll.

House panel proposes bill to allow prayer on loudspeaker before high school games

A house panel gave the thumbs up this week to a proposal that would require the Florida High School Athletics Association and other organizations to allow schools to use a stadium's loudspeaker before championship games.

New Dead Sea Scrolls dating back nearly 2,000 years discovered in Israel

The new Dead Sea Scroll fragments bearing a biblical text are believed to have been hidden during a Jewish revolt against Rome nearly 1,900 years ago.

Vatican says Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions as God ‘can’t bless sin’

The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions.

Pope Francis holds historic, symbolic meeting with top Iraq Shiite cleric

Pope Francis and Iraq’s top Shiite cleric have delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence, urging Muslims to embrace Iraq’s long-beleaguered Christian minority during a historic meeting.

In visit to Baghdad, Pope Francis urges Iraq to embrace its Christians

Pope Francis has urged Iraqis to treat their Christian brothers as a precious resource to protect, not an “obstacle” to eliminate as he opens the first-ever papal visit to Iraq.

Abortion concerns prompt Catholic archdiocese warning on vaccine

Roman Catholic leaders in St. Louis and New Orleans are advising Catholics that the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, newly approved for use in the U.S., is “morally compromised” because it is produced using a cell line derived from an aborted fetus.

Pope Francis says women can read at Mass, but still can't be priests

Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly allow women to do more things during Mass, while reaffirming they cannot be priests.

Spectators moved online for annual Epiphany celebration dive

Divers will soon take to the water in Tarpon Springs for the annual Epiphany celebration. The historic event usually attracts thousands of people, but because of the pandemic things will look much different this year.

Annual Epiphany celebration will be shorter and smaller due to COVID-19

It’s one of our area’s most well-known traditions that will send more than 50 young men into the waters of Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs. But COVID is quieting the ceremonies this year, with limited participation.