A physical altercation inside the Kansas Statehouse on Friday ended with Capitol Police arresting Satanic church leader Michael Stewart, capping off a morning of inflammatory religious demonstration.

Stewart punched a man who repeatedly attempted to rip a booklet out of his hands while he called out to Satan from the Capitol’s first-floor ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One by one, the speakers walked up to the small table early Wednesday, then sat and faced the panel of lawmakers in front of them.

Several came from across the country — Michigan, Minnesota, Tennessee and Texas. For some, it was their first time in the Missouri Capitol building.

They came to testify in support of two ...Read more

CHICAGO — In many Catholic parishes, people are gathering for Friday night fish fries because they abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. In Muslim homes, people are gathering every evening for iftar dinners to break their sunrise-to-sunset fast from all food and drink, including water, during the holy month of Ramadan.

Lent, the 40...Read more

CHICAGO — A West Side man was talking to his imprisoned cousin in 2013 when he allegedly floated the idea of adding him to a string of bogus sexual abuse allegations filed against defrocked Chicago Catholic priest Daniel McCormack, court records show.

“I think I want to put you on these cases now,” the man told his cousin, who at the time...Read more

Rev. Terri Steed Pierce has encountered hate before. People have stood outside her church and shouted that as a gay woman she is an affront to the gospel. Videos of her sermons have been altered to make her sound like a cartoon character and used in social media campaigns to disparage women and the LBGTQ+ community.

But Sunday, March 9, was the...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Kansas — Catholic Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, is suing the Satanist organizers behind next week’s planned Black Mass ritual at the state Capitol, alleging that they unlawfully obtained a consecrated host and wine.

The lawsuit, filed in Leavenworth District Court last Friday, names Michael Stewart, Travis ...Read more

The effort to revive Georgia’s controversial “religious liberty” legislation stalled in a House committee Wednesday after two Republicans joined Democrats to oppose it.

The measure could come up for another vote, but the Republican pushback to a bill Democrats have long rejected was another reminder of how divisive the legislation remains...Read more

Support for Christian nationalist ideology differs among Hispanic Protestants and Catholics depending on how individuals identify themselves racially, according to a new study.

Christian nationalists believe Christian values should be fused with the nation’s identity, experts said. Half of all Americans believe the U.S. is a Christian nation ...Read more

A woman who says the founding pastor at Gateway Church abused her starting when she was 12 is speaking out against the use of nondisclosure agreements in child sexual assault cases.

Cindy Clemishire gave emotional testimony to a panel of Texas House lawmakers on March 19, just days after ex-Gateway Church lead pastor Robert Morris turned ...Read more

DETROIT — For the first time in more than a decade and a half, the Archdiocese of Detroit has a new leader at the top.

Bishop Edward Weisenburger was installed Tuesday as the archdiocese's new archbishop during a special mass at Detroit's Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. During the afternoon mass, Weisenburger traded seats with ...Read more

ATLANTA — For much of the last decade, the “religious liberty” debate was one of the most polarizing political fights in Georgia.

Companies threatened boycotts. Protesters flooded the Capitol. Lawmakers risked their careers by taking dramatic stands.

Now, the once-explosive feud has been eclipsed by new culture wars fights over ...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — All Grandview police and fire chaplains associated with the International House of Prayer-Kansas City have been dismissed in the fallout from a third-party investigation into a sex abuse scandal involving the 24/7 global ministry, according to local officials.

“I can confirm we severed ties with several of our public ...Read more

ATLANTA — Senate Republicans advanced a bill that would bolster legal protection for religious rights, despite critics warning it could lead to discrimination against gay people and other groups.

The measure, Senate Bill 36, limits the state’s ability to enforce or pass legislation that conflicts with religious beliefs. The bill passed ...Read more

WILMINGTON, Del. — Windswept rain clouds raced over a swollen Brandywine Creek on a recent, blustery Sunday, and worshippers scattered like leaves to wander its muddy banks.

One ran her hands over an old oak’s rough bark. Another picked up pieces of trash. A pair of Canada geese honked loudly at them all.

The Rev. Pete Nunnally, of St. ...Read more

The percentage of people who call themselves Christians has been in free fall for over a decade but appears to have leveled off — at least for now, according to a major new study of religious beliefs in America.

The results don’t necessarily suggest a resurgence of Christianity but signal that a significant shift toward a more secular ...Read more

In just a matter of weeks, Pope Francis has faced several new challenges in his long-running battle with chronic lung disease. The spiritual leader’s condition has been critical, with news of his well-being waxing and waning since Feb. 14 given his age and fragility.

Here’s a breakdown of what 88-year-old Francis is facing:

What conditions...Read more