Religion

Israel supreme court rules religious seminary students must be drafted to military

Israel's Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the government must draft ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students to the conscript military, a decree likely to send shockwaves through Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's…

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Louisiana orders every classroom to display Ten Commandments

Louisiana has become the first US state to order that every public school classroom up to university level must display a poster of the Ten Commandments. The Republican-backed measure signed…

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Italy drafts law to ‘safeguard’ school nativity scenes

Italy’s ruling far-right party has identified a new battleground in its war to protect the country’s “cultural roots”: the school nativity scene. A draft law proposed by the Brothers of…

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Growing harassment towards Christians in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, (Reuters) - Israeli police on Wednesday arrested five people suspected of spitting towards Christians or churches in the Old City of Jerusalem and formed a special investigative team to…

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Japan may seek to dissolve Moonies church in wake of Shinzo Abe killing

Japan’s government may ask courts to order the dissolution of the Unification church following the assassination in July last year of the former prime minister Shinzo Abe, according to multiple…

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US Supreme Court considers Christian mail carrier’s refusal to work Sundays

Court to hear arguments on Tuesday, rule by end of June Justices have widened religious rights in recent years By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - An evangelical Christian…

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Photo Story: The Corpus Christi Procession of the Sorbs in Crostwitz, Germany

Sorbian girls, wearing traditional costumes, use holy bibles to cover from rain during a Corpus Christi procession in Crostwitz, Germany, 16 June 2022. The Feast of the Body and Blood…

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Photo Story – El Nazareno in Venezuela

Photo Crisman Gomez represents Christ during the Stations of the Cross, organized by the Church of Our Lady of Fatima, in the El Nazareno neighborhood of Petare, in Caracas, Venezuela,…

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Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre ‘resurrected’ for Palm Sunday mass as pilgrims return

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prayers in Arabic and Latin echoed in the rotunda of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday as Christians from around the world were once again…

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Muslim and Jewish Leaders call for protection of religious minorities in Europe

The Muslim Jewish Leadership Council (MJLC) gathered 32 religious leaders from 20 countries in Ljubljana this week, meeting with high ranking Slovene officials to discuss the protection of religious minority…

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Maltese Editors’ Perspectives

The Times of Malta looks at the Church's position on gay and lesbian relationships after the Pope insisted homosexual people are children of God and have a right to be…

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Malta: ‘The lockdown has revealed spiritual illiteracy’ – Bishop Grech

Bishop Mario Grech, who is now the new Secretary-General of the Synod of Bishops, said he is quite critical of the attitude of many Catholics during the crisis caused by…

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Encyclical special 2: ‘No’ to a ‘culture of walls’

Pope Francis’s third Encyclical Letter “Fratelli tutti” on fraternity and social friendship opens by a brief introduction followed by eight chapters. The Encyclical gathers – as the Pope himself explains…

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Free “Our Lady” from influence of Mafia – Pope Francis

Pope Francis is calling for authentic devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary to be freed from “superstructures, powers or conditioning that does not correspond to the Gospel criteria of justice,…

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Greek Orthodox Church says yoga is ‘incompatible’ with Christianity

The powerful Greek Orthodox Church has said that yoga is"absolutely incompatible" with the Christian faith, Yoga has no place "in the life of Christians," the governing body of the Church…

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Muslims celebrate one of their biggest holidays under the shadow of the coronavirus

Muslims worldwide will celebrate one of their biggest holidays under the long shadow of the coronavirus, with millions confined to their homes and others gripped by economic concerns during what…

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Photo Story: Kyoto’s traditional Aoi festival held to overcome the pandemic

A Shinto priest performs a ritual during the Aoi Festival at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto, Japan, 15 May 2020. Aoi Festival, one of Kyoto's three main festivals, was conducted but…

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UN head appeals to ‘common humanity’ across all faiths, in tackling the coronavirus

Our shared vulnerability to the coronavirus pandemic reveals “our common humanity”, the UN chief said on Tuesday during an online meeting with religious leaders on the important role they can…

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Photo Story: Birth of Buddha commemorated

Buddhist monks wear protective face mask as they pray in front of a statue of Lord Buddha on the eve of his 2564th birth anniversary at a monastery in Bhopal,…

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Relic believed to come from Christ’s manger arrives in Bethlehem

A tiny wooden relic which some believe to come from Christ's manger has arrived in Bethlehem ahead of Christmas. The relic was first sent to the Vatican 1,400 years ago…

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Photo Story: Westminster Cathedral lit red in homage to persecuted Christians

The Westminster cathedral is lit in red in London, Britain, 27 November 2019. This is part of an initiative by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need called #RedWednesday…

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Archbishop Scicluna speaks at Notre Dame University about the Vatican’s fight against clergy abuse

University of Notre Dame students and members of the community listened to Malta Archbishop Charles Scicluna talk about the Vatican's fight against sex abuse. It took place at the Duncan…

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Photo Story: All Saints’ Day in Rome

Locals visit the grave sites of their departed loved ones on the occasion of All Saints' Day at the Verano cemetery in Rome, Italy, 01 November 2019. All Saints' Day…

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Pete Buttigieg speaks on the balance between politics and faith

Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has garnered a lot of attention for using God-talk during his presidential campaign. From regular discussions of his own faith to a willingness…

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Polemic between exorcists and Jesuit head over existence of the Devil

The Devil really exists, the International Association of Exorcists (AIE) insisted after the head of the Jesuit order said Satan was just a symbol. Jesuit Superior General Arturo Sosa Abascal…

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Photo Story: The Eid al-Adha celebrations

Indonesian Muslims look at balloons during an Eid al-Adha prayer service in Depok, Indonesia, 11 August 2019. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year,…

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Arabic, Muslim symbols ordered to be taken down in Beijing

Authorities in the Chinese capital have ordered halal restaurants and food stalls to remove Arabic script and symbols associated with Islam from their signs, part of an expanding national effort…

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German churches lose 430,000 Catholic and Protestant members in 2018

DW quotes data published on Friday by the German Bishops' Conference and the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) that states that Germany's Catholic Church lost 216,078 members and Protestant churches lost some 220,000…

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Religious harassment worsening across world

Government restrictions on religion have increased in many places around the world -- not only under authoritarian countries but also in democracies, most notably in Europe, according to a report…

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Photo Story: Spain’s El Rocio pilgrimage

Faithful carry the Virgin of El Rocio after the traditional 'jumping the fence' for its procession at El Rocio Virgin Shrine, in the village of El Rocio Andalusia, Spain, early…

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Use of human remains as compost legalised in Washington

Washington has become the first state in the US to legalise human composting. Under the new law, people there can now choose to have their body turned into soil…

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Four Catholics killed during a procession in Burkina Faso

Armed assailants killed four Catholics and destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary in northern Burkina Faso, Catholic church officials revealed, the third deadly attack against Christians in the West…

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UPDATED: Religious tension escalates in Sri Lanka, social media networks blocked

Police have imposed a curfew in the Sri Lankan town Chilaw after a dispute between Christians and Muslims, that began on Facebook, turned violent. In the meantime, Sri Lankan…

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At least five killed including priest in attack on church in Burkina Faso

At least five people have been killed, including a priest, following an attack on a protestant church in Burkina Faso. The victims were gunned down around noon on Sunday, after…

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Protect believers – The Guardian view on religious freedom

The massacre in churches in Sri Lanka forms part of a global pattern of religious persecution and hostility. To target Christian churches on their holiest day of the year is…

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A Quick Look: Easter and it’s Traditions

In the Christian tradition, Easter is the most important and oldest festival and marks the death and resurrection Jesus Christ. The feast is fixed onto the first Sunday after…

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In Poland, Catholic priests staged book-burning of ‘sacrilegious’ Harry Potter and Twilight

A group of Catholic priests in Poland have staged a book burning regarded as “sacrilegious”, including titles from the Harry Potter and Twilight series. The SMS from Heaven foundation destroyed…

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Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your Morning Briefing for today follows. Both the Times and The Malta Independent refer to the S&P credit rating on the banking system. Respected credit ratings agency Standard and Poors has…

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On health care: What are our limits, who should enforce them?

Rome Reports covers the fourth edition of the Unite To Cure Conference, which joins health care professionals from around the world for discussions on the future of medicine. Throughout the three-day…

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Gaudate et Exultate – Pope Francis’ guide to holiness

Holiness “has to do with the meaning of my life before the Father, who knows and loves me, with the real purpose of my life, that nobody knows better than…

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MaltaToday Survey | Maltese identity still very much rooted in Catholicism

The secularisation drive of recent years does not appear to have alienated people from their Catholic roots, a MaltaToday survey has found. A whopping 93.9% of people still identify themselves…

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‘Easter sustains hope, turning it into concrete gestures of charity’ Pope Francis

At the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday, Pope Francis said the announcement of Christ’s resurrection was the greatest message in history, one that broke the silence of his death and…

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