Faith

FILE - Sister Alessandra Smerilli, secretary general of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, attends a press conference at the Vatican, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

Pope promotes Italian nun to top migrant role in his first major appointment of a woman to Holy See

The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 4:24 PM CDT

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday made his first major appointment of a woman to the Holy See hierarchy, promoting Italian Sister Alessandra Smerilli to head the Vatican office responsible for migrants, the environment and development.

Smerilli, an economist, is currently the No. 2 in the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. As prefect, she replaces the retiring Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, who turns 80 soon.

With the appointment of Smerilli, Leo appears to be following the lead of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who made a point of promoting women to top-level management positions within the Holy See as part of his response to calls by women for greater decision-making roles in the church.

Earlier this month, Leo named a Mexican-American woman, Maria Montserrat Alvarado, to head the Vatican's communications operations.

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Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope issues plea to breakaway traditionalist group to back off bishop consecrations

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Pope issues plea to breakaway traditionalist group to back off bishop consecrations

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 10:52 AM CDT

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday issued a plea to a breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics to call off its plan to consecrate new bishops without his consent, describing the move as a schismatic act and a “sin of extreme gravity.”

“I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back!” Leo wrote in a letter to the Rev. Davide Pagliarani, the superior of the Society of St. Pius X.

Leo issued the last-ditch appeal a day before the society plans to consecrate four new bishops at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland. Under church law, the consecrations constitute a schismatic act, or an intentional rupture of the unity of the Catholic Church, and incur automatic excommunication for the four bishops and the bishop administering the consecration.

Pagliarani responded by writing a formal letter to Leo asking him to take time before deciding any penalty.

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Updated: 10:52 AM CDT

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Palestinian weavers Rula Barakeh, right, and Samira Nasser work on handmade embroidered pieces at the Inaash Association embroidery workshop in Beirut, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

How some in Palestinian diaspora find connection, identity and resilience in traditional embroidery

Mariam Fam, The Associated Press 8 minute read Preview

How some in Palestinian diaspora find connection, identity and resilience in traditional embroidery

Mariam Fam, The Associated Press 8 minute read Updated: 1:53 AM CDT

Decades later, Samar Kabouli still fondly recalls gathering with women in her family and sipping cardamom-spiced coffee as they embroidered fabric with colorful threads in traditional Palestinian patterns.

Born in Lebanon to Palestinian refugees, Kabouli had never seen her parents’ homeland. But more than just making pretty designs, the threads in her needle were stitching a connection to her heritage.

It's known as “tatreez,” and Kabouli, 48, started doing the traditional form of Palestinian embroidery in her teens to make money. Besides an economic lifeline, tatreez has provided her with a bridge to the land her parents fled during the 1948 mass displacement that Palestinians call their Nakba, or catastrophe.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled or fled their homes in present day Israel during the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation. Israel refused their return.

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Updated: 1:53 AM CDT

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FILE - Parishioners attend a service at St. Mary's Cathedral, the mother church of the archdiocese in San Francisco, on April 2, 2010. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

San Francisco Archdiocese agrees to pay $395 million to settle child sex abuse lawsuits

Olga R. Rodriguez, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

San Francisco Archdiocese agrees to pay $395 million to settle child sex abuse lawsuits

Olga R. Rodriguez, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:10 PM CDT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Catholic Archdiocese has agreed to pay $395 million to settle more than 500 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by church officials, plaintiffs' attorneys said Monday.

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will have to write an apology letter to each survivor as part of the settlement.

The settlement also requires the archdiocese to implement a series of child protection and transparency reforms, including creating a list of clergy accused of abuse, said Jeff Anderson, an attorney representing dozens of child sexual abuse victims.

The settlement comes three years after the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy and will cover approximately 530 survivors of child sexual abuse, Anderson said. It is the latest agreement over clergy sexual abuse claims. In 2024, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to a record $880 million settlement.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:10 PM CDT

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The sun beams over the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Valerie Gonzalez)

ICE releases a Texas nun intercepted walking to church dressed in her habit

Valerie Gonzalez, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

ICE releases a Texas nun intercepted walking to church dressed in her habit

Valerie Gonzalez, The Associated Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 1:21 PM CDT

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A nun was released from immigration custody after she was arrested walking to Mass in her habit in South Texas.

Sister Leticia Ugboaja was walking to Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, Texas, just a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday when she was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

The Department of Homeland Security and ICE have not responded to a request for comment since Sunday.

Parish officials posted a message on social media shortly after the arrest that gained traction in the news and led to Congress members including U.S. Rep. Monica de la Cruz intervening on Ugboaja's behalf.

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Yesterday at 1:21 PM CDT

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FILE - Armenians hold their national flag during a ceremony to commemorate the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, in Jerusalem, Israel, Friday, April 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

Israel moves to formally recognize Armenian WWI deaths as a genocide

The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Israel moves to formally recognize Armenian WWI deaths as a genocide

The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:05 PM CDT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s Cabinet unanimously approved a proposal on Sunday to designate violence against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as a genocide.

The step, which still needs approval in Parliament, reflects deteriorating ties between Israel and Turkey. Turkey has fiercely lobbied to prevent countries from officially recognizing the mass deaths of Armenians around 1915 as a genocide, even as Armenians have pushed for it.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

For years, Israel never officially broached the subject for fear of angering Turkey, but that relationship has soured over the past two decades, especially as the most recent wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have dragged on.

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Updated: Yesterday at 5:05 PM CDT

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Mourners pray over the bodies of Palestinian men who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Maghazi refugee camp on Friday, during their funeral in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israeli drone strike kills Palestinian siblings in a Gaza tent camp

Wafaa Shurafa, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Israeli drone strike kills Palestinian siblings in a Gaza tent camp

Wafaa Shurafa, The Associated Press 3 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli drone strike on Saturday killed two Palestinian siblings, including a 15-year-old girl, in southern Gaza and wounded at least seven others, according to Nasser hospital, where the casualties were taken.

The strike targeted tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the sprawling camp of Muwasi, killing 15-year-old Islam Moussa and her 30-year-old brother, Abdullah Moussa.

The Israeli military acknowledged it had struck the area of Muwasi, saying it had targeted a Hamas militant but did not immediately provide more information.

In the hospital's courtyard, relatives wept over the bodies covered in white burial shrouds.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

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What a time change could mean for religious practices

John Longhurst 5 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Manitobans are being asked if they want to end seasonal time changes by making either standard or daylight savings time permanent in the province.

So far, three-quarters of those who answered a survey by Winnipeg-based Prairie Research Associates support an end to seasonal time changes. Of those, 34 per cent prefer a move to permanent daylight time — which means the sun would rise and set later each day.

Eighteen per cent prefer standard time, while 21 per cent just want the province to choose one time or another.

Talk about time change got me thinking about how such a change could impact religious groups.

Faith

Rituals of ceremonies the cornerstone of Hindu weddings

Romona Goomansingh 8 minute read Preview

Rituals of ceremonies the cornerstone of Hindu weddings

Romona Goomansingh 8 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Taking place over three to five days, a Hindu wedding is steeped in timeless traditions and curated customs.

While the grandeur of Hindu weddings strikes stunning notes, the rituals of the ceremonies remain the cornerstone of the celebration. The rituals are sacred offerings to seek blessings from the Divine and family and friends for the bride and groom to have a healthy and happy life.

Deeply anchored to the wedding rituals, called shaadi ki rasmein, is the role of family members. In Indian culture, it is believed that a wedding is an alliance of two families, not only an alliance of two people. Dates for the wedding ceremonies are sought by a Hindu priest who reads the bride and groom’s horoscope, or kundali to determine the auspicious time, or muhurat for the celebrations. Parents of both sides are consulted in this special first step.

While some wedding rituals are common across different regions of India, others are unique to a particular region. Among Indo- Caribbeans of the Hindu faith, wedding rituals vary. One of these cherished rituals is the Maticoor, or Matkor ceremony, which symbolizes that by expressing gratitude to Mother Earth, the lives of the new couple will be happy and harmonious.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Faith

FILE - Hildale, Utah, sits at the base of Red Rock Cliff mountains, with its sister city, Colorado City, Ariz., in the foreground, on Dec. 16, 2014. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Polygamous sect leader convicted of abuse charges after girls found in trailer on Arizona highway

Jacques Billeaud And Josh Kelety, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Polygamous sect leader convicted of abuse charges after girls found in trailer on Arizona highway

Jacques Billeaud And Josh Kelety, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

PHOENIX (AP) — A polygamous sect leader already serving a 50-year federal prison sentence for orchestrating sex involving children was convicted Friday on state child abuse charges after girls were found in an unventilated trailer he was hauling through Arizona.

Someone alerted authorities about the trailer in August 2022 after seeing small fingers reaching through gaps in the doors. Police stopped Samuel Bateman's vehicle as he was driving through Flagstaff and found three girls inside, who were ages 11 to 14 at the time. The trailer was enclosed with a makeshift toilet, a sofa and camping chairs.

In the federal case, Bateman was convicted of coercing girls as young as 9 to submit to sex acts with him and other young adults, and for scheming to kidnap girls from protective custody, the story of which is the focus of a Netflix series, “Trust Me: The False Prophet.”

Bateman previously claimed to have more than 20 "spiritual wives," including 10 girls under the age of 18. He testified in his own defense in the state case, telling jurors he would never harm the people he loves. He acknowledged during cross-examination that he knew the girls were in a hot trailer for hours and the ventilation wasn't good, but downplayed the conditions.

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Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

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Scarth Street in Regina, on Tuesday, November 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

Regina mosque pausing use of speakers to amplify call to prayer in city’s downtown

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Regina mosque pausing use of speakers to amplify call to prayer in city’s downtown

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

REGINA - A Regina mosque is pausing announcements of the Muslim call to prayer that rung out from its rooftop speakers after receiving some pushback.

M Anisur Rahaman, the director of Regina City Jamia Masjid in downtown Regina, told a news conference Friday that some were threatening to remove the speakers while others were angry the weekly prayer was happening.

Complaints started pouring in last week, after a local social media account posted about it, he said.

"Because of the social media and negative comments we have received — and a few of them are actually threats and not very positive — as a Muslim, we don't feel comfortable," Rahaman said.

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Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

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A Trump commission urges ‘bridges’ between church and state in sweeping draft report

Peter Smith, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

A Trump commission urges ‘bridges’ between church and state in sweeping draft report

Peter Smith, The Associated Press 7 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

A new report by a Trump administration commission suggests replacing the idea of separating church and state with the idea of building bridges between them.

The assertion — challenging a longstanding concept in American law — comes amid a raft of recommendations in a draft report of the Religious Liberty Commission, released Friday afternoon.

The advisory body was created by President Donald Trump last year and filled almost entirely by conservative Christians. The 224-page draft report — part policy document, part philosophical argument — echoes members' support for a stronger role for religion and religious expression in government, schools and the public square.

The report applauds recent Supreme Court decisions expanding rights to religious expression in public settings, such as creating opt-outs for religious objections to school lessons.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

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Germany's Deniz Undav, left, and Antonio Ruediger reacts after scoring the sixth goal during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Curacao in Houston, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Deniz Undav’s World Cup success for Germany lifts Yazidi and Kurdish pride

Hogir Al Abdo, Stella Martany, Ciaran Fahey And James Ellingworth, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Deniz Undav’s World Cup success for Germany lifts Yazidi and Kurdish pride

Hogir Al Abdo, Stella Martany, Ciaran Fahey And James Ellingworth, The Associated Press 6 minute read Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

KHIRBET AL-GHAZAL, Syria (AP) — Deniz Undav, one of the surprise stars of this World Cup, is playing for powerhouse Germany. Yet with his Yazidi and Kurdish heritage, the 29-year-old striker is representing two communities on the global stage with no realistic chance of having World Cup teams of their own.

After entering as a substitute for Germany, Undav scored three goals and set up two more, putting him just behind top-scoring superstars such as Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé of France and Vinicius Jr. of Brazil on the leaderboard.

Undav, who identifies as a Kurdish Yazidi, is the son of Yazidi refugees. His success is being celebrated by a small, insular community that has endured decades of oppression and violence, notably a 2014 onslaught in which thousands of Yazidis in Iraq's Sinjar region were killed or abducted by militants from the Islamic State group who considered them to be heretics.

Responding to a question at a news conference Wednesday, the German-born Undav said he hoped his performance would inspire fans everywhere, especially within the Yazidi community.

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Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

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Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Nabatiyeh during Ashoura, when Shiites commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Massive Shiite crowds mark the holy day of Ashoura against backdrop of Iran-Israel-US war fallout

Fadi Tawil And Abby Sewell, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Massive Shiite crowds mark the holy day of Ashoura against backdrop of Iran-Israel-US war fallout

Fadi Tawil And Abby Sewell, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

NABATIYEH, Lebanon (AP) — Shiite Muslims on Friday marked Ashoura, one of the most important days on their calendar, with large gatherings in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and other parts of the Muslim world to remember the seventh-century killing of Hussein, the grandson of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

The annual commemoration is observed on the 10th day of the month of Muharram in the lunar-based Islamic calendar. Ashoura is the culmination of a 10-day mourning period and marks the day Hussein was killed alongside members of his family and companions as he fought against the army of Caliph Yazid, to whom Hussein had refused to pledge allegiance.

Hussein’s killing cemented the schism between Sunni and Shiite Islam and remains a powerful symbol of resistance against oppression and injustice.

Ashoura this year comes after a war between predominantly Shiite Iran and the United States and Israel, who launched strikes on the country on Feb. 28, killing senior officials including Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The 86-year-old Khamenei was not just Iran’s top political leader but also had a final say on all religious matters and was revered by millions of Shiites worldwide.

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Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

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Pope Leo XIV waves as he leaves after his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV says war ‘never blessed by God’ as he opens meeting of world’s cardinals

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Pope Leo XIV says war ‘never blessed by God’ as he opens meeting of world’s cardinals

The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV said war is “never blessed by God” as he opened a meeting of the world’s cardinals on Friday by insisting the Catholic Church has a prophetic message of peace for a world ravaged by conflict.

Leo summoned the cardinals for the two-day meeting, responding to their demand to be consulted more frequently than during the 12-year pontificate of Pope Francis, who tended to govern alone.

Cardinals, the red-capped “princes of the church,” have two main jobs: advising the pope while he is living and, after he dies, electing a new one.

After an initial January session, known as a consistory, the American pope invited the cardinals back for Round 2 this weekend. The agenda he set for the closed-door meetings includes discussing the current international scenario, his recent encyclical on artificial intelligence and the church’s efforts to listen more to the needs of ordinary faithful.

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Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

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A Bible and Resurrection by Leo Tolstoy sit on the desk of State Board of Education member LJ Francis during a meeting on proposed social studies standards at the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin on Monday, June 22, 2026. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Bible stories are approved as required reading in Texas public schools

Jamie Stengle And John Hanna, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Bible stories are approved as required reading in Texas public schools

Jamie Stengle And John Hanna, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 7:35 AM CDT

DALLAS (AP) — Texas' education board on Friday approved a required reading list for more than 5 million public school students that includes Bible stories, widening conservative efforts to bring Christian teachings into U.S. classrooms.

The state-mandated list of assigned reading — which includes Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” and excerpts from the New Testament — appeared to be among the first of its kind of the nation and will take effect starting in 2030.

The State Board of Education, which is controlled by Republicans, approved the list on a 9-5 vote following weeks of contentious debate that again put Texas at the center of wrangling over the role of religion in public schools. Last year, Texas became the largest state to require teachers to hang the Ten Commandments in every classroom.

The board this week was also considering new social studies curriculum that draws lines between Bible stories and American history.

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Updated: Yesterday at 7:35 AM CDT

June 30, 2026

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