Devotees covered in mud and banana leaves took part in the annual Taong Putik festival in the Philippine village of Bibiclat, honoring St. John the Baptist in a tradition that blends Catholic faith and local customs.
The Supreme Court has barred a former Louisiana inmate from suing prison officials who cut his dreadlocks in violation of his Rastafari religious beliefs.
The head of Latin America’s top development bank has made a case to Pope Leo XIV about the potential of rare earth mining.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators are on their way to a venue in Switzerland to discuss details of their interim agreement to halt the war.
Pope Leo XIV holding up America's first saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, as a model for Christians today because of her care for migrants in need.
Iman Dilbani weeps during a religious sermon in Tyre, Lebanon, wearing a yellow scarf to honor her son killed fighting for Hezbollah.
Dragon boat races, lion dances, and other festivities have been staged across mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to mark the Dragon Boat Festival.
Guy Gilboa-Dalal, an Israeli man who says he was sexually abused while held hostage in Gaza, is speaking out to highlight sexual abuse in conflict zones.
Police have charged a third suspect with an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue that was allegedly directed by Iran.
Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group agreed to halt the heavy fighting in southern Lebanon that had threatened to unravel an interim peace agreement between the United States and Iran.
While many of the World Cup’s competing nations are wracked by social divisions, some of the teams offer strikingly positive examples of how players from different backgrounds and religious faiths can cooperate.
Iran’s top diplomat says the tentative deal to end the war with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon — a condition Israel has already rejected and that could sink the agreement.
Vice President JD Vance writes about his religious journey in a new book, "Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith."
The United States and Iran have reached an initial agreement that would extend their shaky ceasefire and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States and Iran have reached an initial agreement to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Pope Leo XIV shared a touching moment with a 7-year-old boy, captured by AP photographer Emilio Morenatti.
Pope Leo XIV is warning human traffickers that they will face God’s wrath for exploiting the desperation of migrants.
Steven Spielberg's new film “Disclosure Day” explores extraterrestrial life and its impact on religion.
U.S. Catholic bishops have consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, marking the country's 250th anniversary.
Pope Leo XIV has traveled to the Canary Islands, an epicenter of the European migration debate.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called off new military strikes on Iran, hours after threatening to escalate the war.
Hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have escalated, with Iran retaliating against U.S. air and cruise missile strikes.
Thousands of Southern Baptists have voted overwhelmingly to advance a formal ban on churches with women pastors in the nation’s largest conservative evangelical denomination.
The Pentagon’s recent revision to its list of Christian religions has reignited a long-standing debate about whether The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian denomination.
Pope Leo XIV has celebrated the Sagrada Familia Basilica as a masterpiece of “stones, colors and light.”.
The unique grandeur of the Sagrada Familia means that even those who work and worship at Barcelona’s world famous basilica every day can still be surprised with some fresh wonder.
Catholic bishops from across the U.S. come together Thursday to consecrate the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Christian religious leaders in the Lebanese city of Tyre have urged swift international and local action to prevent Israeli attacks on the Christian district.
Southern Baptist delegates have gathered in Orlando, Florida, for their annual meeting and they're expected to vote on a constitutional amendment to formally ban churches with women pastors.
Pope Leo XIV will bridge 1,000 years of church history Wednesday when he visits a medieval monastery on a mountaintop that local Catholics consider sacred and then celebrates Mass at Barcelona’s famous Sagrada Familia Basilica.
The Vatican says that Pope Leo XIV has met with six survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Madrid and vowed to consider their suggestions for how the Catholic Church can improve its response to the crisis.
Spain's lawmakers have given Pope Leo XIV a lengthy standing ovation after his historic address to parliament.
Israel and Iran have exchanged fire, marking the first such incident since a ceasefire two months ago.
Israel and Iran appear to be backing away from further strikes, just hours after they traded fire for the first time since the U.S. and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire two months ago.
Pope Leo XIV has challenged Europe to acknowledge Christianity’s contributions to its cultural identity.
Pope Leo XIV acknowledges that he's competing with another VIP in Madrid this weekend.
Pope Leo XIV’s weeklong visit to Spain will bring him to a once-staunchly Catholic country that has long been in the throes of waning religious practice.
Pope Leo XIV is urging Spaniards to stop “fanning the flames of polarization” as he arrived in Spain.
The Defense Department has announced a significant reduction in the number of religious affiliations it officially recognizes.
Lebanon’s president and prime minister are criticizing Iran for rejecting the latest ceasefire deal between the Lebanese government and Israel.
Victor Wembanyama stepped off the court for a moment before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, accepted greetings from a handful of well-wishers in San Antonio Spurs jerseys, then bowed his head to join them in a quick prayer.
Pope Leo XIV will visit two flashpoints of migration from Africa to Europe over less than a month starting on June 11.
June is Pride Month across the U.S. But in some Republican-controlled states it's now officially Fidelity, Nuclear Family or Strong Families Month.
Hezbollah has rejected the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government and demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal.
Dozens of anti-immigration enforcement protesters who face federal criminal charges after they interrupted a Minnesota church service in January, accompanied by former CNN journalist Don Lemon, will not additionally face state charges.
The fatal stabbing of a British teenage who was handcuffed despite telling offices that he was wounded has sparked a debate about policing and race.
Pope Leo XIV has issued a manifesto calling for robust regulation of artificial intelligence.
Archaeologists are digging beneath Notre Dame cathedral to explore as far back as Roman Paris from 2,000 years ago.
British authorities have blocked a Turkish American streamer Hasan Piker and political commentator Cenk Uygur from entering the U.K. The Home Office said Monday that their electronic travel authorizations were canceled over concerns that their presence might not be conducive to the public good.
Traveling to Spain in June and France in September, Pope Leo XIV will find traditionally Catholic but now staunchly secular countries with an abundance of historic churches but few people in the pews.
Israeli forces have shot and killed a Palestinian man at a barrier separating the West Bank from Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
It’s no coincidence that Hugo Rosas’ jersey designs ahead of the World Cup resemble some of Mexico’s most iconic decorations.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not attend an annual parade honoring Israel, breaking with a decades-long political custom because of his support of Palestinian rights.
U.S. President Donald Trump has held a White House Situation Room meeting with his advisers as he ponders moving forward with a deal to extend the Iran ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has cast Pope Leo XIV as a global ally on social justice, migration and reparations after meeting the Chicago-born pontiff at the Vatican.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia have been performing the symbolic stoning of the devil during the Hajj, enduring temperatures over 107 degrees Fahrenheit.
Muslims in Mali's capital, Bamako, face challenges celebrating Eid al-Adha due to a blockade by armed groups linked to al-Qaida.
An Australian government inquiry has heard that a state police force has worked to form a heavily armed rapid response team since the Bondi Beach shooting.
Iran has denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of bad faith as negotiations press on toward a possible deal to end the war.
Muslim pilgrims have gathered on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia for the second day of the Hajj, considered the pinnacle of the annual pilgrimage.
The head of an inquiry into antisemitism in Australia has condemned online hatred and bigotry targeting Jewish witnesses.
Pope Leo XIV has called for robust regulation of artificial intelligence and for its developers to work for the common good rather than profit.
President Donald Trump says a deal with Iran, including opening the Strait of Hormuz, has been “largely negotiated.”.
Pope Leo XIV has visited families near Naples affected by illegal toxic dumping linked to the mafia.
Court records reveal new details about one of two teenagers who killed three people at a San Diego mosque.
Large numbers of Muslims converge once a year in Saudi Arabia to unite in a series of religious rituals and acts of worship as they perform the Hajj, the pilgrimage that is one of the pillars of Islam.
Israel's far-right national security minister has sparked global outrage after promoting a video of himself taunting activists from a flotilla to Gaza who were detained by his police force.
An attack at a California Islamic center is the latest violence where the perpetrators said they were inspired by past atrocities, such as the 2019 massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Israel’s national security minister has drawn a sharp rebuke from his boss and triggered a backlash abroad after he released videos taunting detained activists from a flotilla that tried to reach Gaza.
Authorities say the three people killed by two teen shooters at a San Diego mosque died while saving roughly 140 children who were in the building at the time of the attack.
Authorities say the two teenagers who shot and killed three people in an attack on a California mosque had been radicalized online where they first met.
Loud and expressive mourners are common at funerals around the world — but in parts of Kenya, some of them may be paid workers.
Authorities say two teenage suspects opened fire at an Islamic center in San Diego, killing three men before killing themselves.
Indigenous leaders say that federal contractors are desecrating sacred Native American places and cultural sites at an unprecedented pace in the rush to build more walls on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Vatican is preparing to release Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical in the coming weeks.
Military identification tags — popularly known as dog tags — became standard issue for U.S. troops at the request of an Army chaplain concerned about identifying fallen soldiers at the beginning of the 20th century.
A teenage Buddhist lama recently blessed thousands at a monastery in the Himalayan foothills.
