The latest in Religion

Nepal's 'singing nun' shares the sound of music

2011-12-18T11:30:30Z

Wrapped in a maroon robe, her head shaven, Ani Choying Dolma treads gingerly into a Kathmandu hotel, exuding the composure and serenity one might expect from a Buddhist nun.

But this 40-year-old is no ordinary devotee, for Dolma -- better known by her moniker "The Singing Nun" -- is the most unlikely of music stars, touring the world to change the lives of thousands of poverty-hit Nepali girls.

She has recorded 12 albums, and ...

Israeli activists battle 'growing' sex segregation

2011-12-12T16:30:33Z

A bus pulls up to a stop in Jerusalem and the waiting crowd divides -- men flock to the front and women to the back, an illustration, activists say, of a disturbing trend of gender segregation.

Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that the buses, which serve Israel's most conservative, ultra...

Controversial Texas license plates put Perry on the spot

2011-12-10T11:30:16Z

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The approval of a specialty Texas vehicle license plate which says "One State Under God" and shows three crosses has again put Texas Governor Rick Perry on the spot in the Republican presidential race.

The Tex...

Evangelist Billy Graham released from hospital

2011-12-06T14:00:17Z

(Reuters) - Billy Graham, one of America's best-known evangelists, was released on Tuesday from a North Carolina hospital after a bout with pneumonia, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Graham, 93, returned to his home in Montreat, North Carolina, after a six-day stay in...

Supreme Court rejects worship at public school appeal

2011-12-05T09:30:31Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court let stand on Monday a ruling that religious groups cannot use public schools facilities for worship services outside of normal school hours in a case about church-state separation.

The justices refused to review the ruling by a U.S. appeals court that up...

Catholic liturgy changes for first time in 40 years

2011-11-27T17:30:21Z

After 40 years of praying in exactly the same way, English-speaking Catholics around the world had a challenge waiting for them Sunday when they turned up to Mass.

The Mass liturgy, or the text of the most sacred Roman Catholic rite, has been re-launched across the English-speaking world to comply with the Vatican's wish for a more traditional and spiritual tone.

At Saint Monica's, ...

Analysis:Catholics, Muslims pursue dialogue amid Mideast tension

2011-11-25T11:00:13Z

BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN, Jordan (Reuters) - Only five years ago, critical remarks by Pope Benedict about Islam sparked off violent protests in several Muslim countries.

Never very good, relations between the world's two largest religi...

Final appeal on Tokyo subway gas attack rejected

2011-11-21T05:30:34Z

Japan's top court on Monday rejected the final appeal against a death sentence meted out for the deadly 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway, leaving 13 members of the Aum Supreme Truth doomsday cult facing the gallows.

The supreme court threw out requests to spare the life of Seiichi Endo, the last of the cultists indicted...

Vietnam sewage plan sparks religious tension

2011-11-17T13:30:33Z

Religious tensions have flared in Vietnam after communist authorities moved in to start work on a sewage reservoir that Catholics say is on church land.

Riot police were seen at a roadblock leading to the site down a narrow street near the Thai Ha Redemptorist parish church in central Hanoi.

Father Matthew Phung said up to 300 people held a prayer vigil Wednesday ...

Vatican protests Benetton ad showing pope kissing imam

2011-11-16T11:30:15Z

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Wednesday protested to Italian clothing firm Benetton over its use of an image of Pope...

African music stars sing for new Vatican CD

2011-11-14T17:30:15Z

Three popular African singers have released a CD in collaboration with Vatican Radio to spread the message of the African Synod and mark the pope's upcoming trip to Benin, the Vatican said Monday.

The most famous is Congolese rumba musician Papa Wemba -- who says he underwent a spiritual conversi...

Study links religious services to optimism

2011-11-11T06:31:47Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Regular attendance at religious services is associated with a more optimistic outlook and a lesser inclination to be depressed, compared to those who do not attend services at all, a study concluded on Thursday.

The study's findings supports previous research that religious participation can promote psychological and physical ...

Pope plans visit to Mexico, Cuba in 2012: Vatican

2011-11-10T05:00:08Z

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict plans to visit Mexico and Cuba next year, the Vatican<...

Philippines gets world's largest Ten Commandments

2011-11-07T10:01:08Z

A building-sized edifice carved with the Bible's Ten Commandments was unveiled Wednesday in the Philippines, making it the largest tablet of its kind, according to Guinness World Records.

The tablet, a copy of the rules supposedly handed down by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, was inaugurated by city officials on a hill overlooking the northern re...

Tunisia's Islamist party condemns attack on chief

2011-10-15T15:30:08Z

Tunisia's Islamist party Ennahda, tipped to dominate elections later this month, on Saturday condemned an attack on the home of a television chief over alleged blasphemy, denying any role in it.

But Ennahda party chief Rached Ghannouchi equally accused the Nessma television station of "provocation" for airing a film that depicts an image of God as an old, bearded man.

"I support the right of the Tunisian people to denounce this at...

Ricky Martin Allowed To Perform In Honduras; Kids Under 15 Banned

2011-10-11T06:30:06Z

Ricky Martin's October 16 concert at the Choci Sosa stadium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras will proceed as scheduled

Ricky Martin's October 16 concert at the Choci Sosa stadium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras will proceed as scheduled, despite calls from religious lea...

Demands for release of Pakistan governor's killer

2011-10-07T13:30:28Z

Hundreds of people staged rallies across Pakistan on Friday demanding the release of a police commando sentenced to death for killing a provincial governor who wanted to reform controversial blasphemy laws.

The Pakistani anti-terror court on Saturday found Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, one of Punjab governor ...

India school issues fatwas on body-waxing, terrorism

2011-10-07T05:30:32Z

"Are women allowed to do a full body wax?" Just an everyday question for the "fatwa" desk at Darululoom Deoband, a famed cradle of conservative Islamic thought in north India.

Hundreds of queries seeking guidance on every aspect of social and religious life are posted to the school each week and dutifully noted in a green leather-bound register by Habibur Rahman, a 21-year-old student.

The answers issued in response are a...

US high court takes church-state separation case

2011-10-05T21:30:11Z

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday took up the issue of separation of church and state, accepting the case of a teacher who was fired from a religious school and later filed a discrimination claim.

The female teacher, who was let go by a Lutheran school in Michigan after she was diagnosed with narcolepsy, later filed a complaint with a government agency, saying her employer had violated a law protecting...

Top court hears fired teacher church-state case

2011-10-05T11:30:18Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court considered on Wednesday whether the federal government can examine employment practices of religious groups, a case raising important church-state separation issues.

The high court appeared to struggle with how to draw the line in such cases so the government can enforce laws such as those prohibiting discrimination and retaliation while ...

Ricky Martin's Sexuality Threatens Honduras' Morality, Religious Leaders Say

2011-10-03T09:00:19Z

Openly gay Ricky Martin sets a bad moral example for the country's youth, an ecumenical group of religious leaders say

Ricky Martin's request for a Honduran visa is being challenged by an ecumenical group of religious leaders who say the singer sets a bad moral example for the country's youth, Honduran daily Sistine Chapel after being inspired by a book about the Vatican.

Robert W. Burns, 64, swapped his roller for a more delicate paintbrush after buying the book from a car boot sale.

"I'd never painted anyth...

Pope to stress Christian unity in Luther's monastery

2011-09-23T02:30:23Z

Pope Benedict XVI was to lead historic prayers Friday with Protestant leaders in the German monastery where Martin Luther studied, on the second day of his trip to his increasingly secular homeland.

The 84-year-old has stressed his goal of unity in the Christian Church during his six-year papacy, and Germany<...

Holy Land clerics bless Palestinian UN bid

2011-09-18T11:30:18Z

Priests in the Holy Land used their sermons on Sunday to give their blessing to the Palestinians' bid for United Nations membership.

The retired Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, the first Palestinian to hold the post since the Crusades, was to preach in the Roman Catholic church in the northern Beijing-backed religious groups hit out at the US after it reaffirmed China's status as a country "of particular concern" on religious freedom, accusing Washington of trying to harm the nation's image.

The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged governments Tuesday to do more to defend religious freedom as Washington released a report citing eight countries with troubling records on the issue.

"We reaffirm the role that religious freedom and tolerance play in building stable and harmonious societies. Hatred and intolerance are destabilizing," Clinton said, r...

Australian senator names sex-claim priest

2011-09-13T11:30:33Z

An Australian lawmaker on Tuesday named a Catholic priest as having allegedly raped an Anglican archbishop in violent attacks dating back about 50 years.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon used parliamentary privilege to identify the man as Monsignor Ian Dempsey after the Church declined to stand him down in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of Archbishop John Hepworth.

Hepw...

Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain: Religious Rights Trump Gay Rights

2011-09-06T06:00:46Z

Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Herman Cain said Monday that religious rights should trump the rights of gay couples

Presidential candidates Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney and Herman Cain said Monday that the rights of religious groups should trump the rights of gay and lesbian couples.

...

All 21 aboard Chile air force plane dead

2011-09-03T19:30:19Z

All 21 people aboard the Chilean air force plane that crashed into the Pacific on its way to a remote archipelago died instantaneously, the defense minister said.

"Based on observations and the search we carried out with the air force commander, we have reached the conclusion that the impact was such that it should have resulted in the instantaneous death of all of those who were aboard the aircraft," Defense Minister Andres Allamand told reporters.

A major sear...

Indonesia's SCTV blasted for pulling religion film

2011-09-02T05:30:16Z

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission criticised a major television station for giving into Islamists' demands that a film on religious tolerance be pulled.

The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) had threatened to storm SCTV headquarters if it broadcast a movie titled "?", scheduled for the last night of the Ramadan holy fasting month this week.

Austrian priests defy Catholic Church, face showdown

2011-08-31T13:00:12Z

PARIS (Reuters) - Dissident Austrian priests defying their Catholic Church with calls for married clergy, women priests and other reforms enjoy wide public support, according to a new poll on a dispute that could lead to their dismissal.

Three-quarters of people polled in the traditionally Catholic country backed the priests' "Call to Disobedience," a manifesto that Pakistan governor Salman Taseer who was killed in January for opposing blasphemy laws was abducted by gunmen from Lahore on Friday, police said.

"Four men in a car intercepted Shahbaz Taseer's car in Lahore's upmarket Gulberg area," police emergency official Syed Mumtaz told AFP.

"Th...

Dalai Lama 'optimistic' after 'century of violence'

2011-08-20T13:30:07Z

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said on Saturday he was "optimistic" about the course of humanity after a "century of violence".

"I'm optimistic humanity becomes more mature," the 76-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate said while speaking at a conference on T...

Pope says education must lead to faith, not just work

2011-08-19T12:30:12Z

EL ESCORIAL, Spain (Reuters) - Pope Benedict warned on Friday that education was more than training for work and said it ought to also lead the young to "love, reason and faith."

On the second day of his trip to Spain for the

St. Peter's Square to be restored to former glory

2011-08-12T15:30:25Z

Saint Peter's Square will be restored to its 17th-century Baroque glory with a major renovation project due to be completed in 30 months, the Vatican's official daily said on Friday.

Work has already begun on part of the famous colonnade designed by Gian Lorenzo B...

Report shows rise in restrictions on religion

2011-08-09T06:30:11Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly a third of the world's population lives in countries where it is becoming more difficult to freely practice religion, a private U.S. research group reported on Tuesday.

The Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life said government restrictio...

Facebook 'prompts teenage pregnancies' in Indonesia

2011-08-04T12:30:38Z

A religious court official in Indonesia has blamed social networking site Facebook for a rise in teenage pregnancies and under-age marriages, a report said Thursday.

Siti Haryanti, a secretary at the religious court in Mount Kidul, a town in Central Java, said young couples were having sex after...

Tajikistan bans youth from mosques

2011-08-03T16:30:24Z

Tajikistan on Wednesday banned all children and teenagers from worshipping in mosques as the volatile Central Asian republic pressed ahead with its battle against rising Islamic fundamentalism.

President Emomali Rakhmon signed the measure into law after it was unanimously adopted by the upper house of parliament last month, local news reports said.

<...

Vietnam under pressure to release jailed priest

2011-07-26T21:00:36Z

Vietnam on Wednesday faced calls from the United States and international rights groups to free a frail dissident priest who was re-arrested after being released from jail for medical treatment.

Nguyen Van Ly, who prosecutors say was a founding member of a banned pro-democracy group, was taken into custody Monday. The priest, who is in his 60s, had left prison last ...

US demands Vietnam release jailed priest

2011-07-26T19:30:42Z

The United States has called for the immediate release of a frail dissident priest who was rearrested in Vietnam after being released for medical treatment.

Nguyen Van Ly -- who prosecutors say was a founding member of a banned pro-democracy group -- was taken into custody Monday. The priest had been allowed to leave prison last year to seek treatment for a brain tum...

Holy Land clerics launch interfaith Earth forum

2011-07-25T09:30:14Z

Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in the Holy Land joined forces Monday to launch a multi-faith environmental campaign, citing religious injunctions to protect the Earth across their three faiths.

Among their plans are the convening of an international conference of religious leaders in New York ahead of the 2012 UN General Assembly, a Reuters) - Pope Benedict expressed sympathy Saturday for the victims of a suspected right-wing zealot who killed up to 98 people in a shooting spree and bomb attack and urged Norwegians to reject hatred and violence.

In a message to Norway's

Exorcists meet in Poland, tackle vampires

2011-07-15T14:30:21Z

Vampires, the devil's deceit and mental illness are among the hot topics for some 300 exorcists who flocked to Poland this week from as far away as Africa and India for a week-long congress.

Held at Poland's Roman Catholic Jasna Gora monastery, home to the venerated Black Madonna icon, this year's congress "examines the current fashion for v...

Police send "holy" Roman robber to Queen of Heaven

2011-07-15T10:02:13Z

ROME (Reuters Life!) - Italian police said on Thursday they had found a fitting temporary home for an accused jewelry robber whose priestly disguise failed to help him slip past their dragnet.

Police said they tracked down and arrested the 37-year-old male suspect by reviewing closed circuit television footage around Via del Corso and

In Ahmadis's desert city, Pakistan closes in

2011-07-15T10:01:29Z

RABWAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - At the office of what claims to be one of Pakistan's oldest newspapers, workers scan copy for words it is not allowed to use -- words like Muslim and Islam.

"The government is constantly monitoring this publication to make sure none of these words are published," explains our guide during a visit to the offices of al Fazl, the n...

In Ahmadis' desert city, Pakistan closes in

2011-07-15T10:01:21Z

RABWAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - At the office of what claims to be one of Pakistan's oldest newspapers, workers scan copy for words it is not allowed to use -- words like Muslim and Islam. "The government is constantly monitoring this publication to make sure none of these words are published," explains our guide during a visit to the offices of al Fazl, the newspap...

South Sudan prays, fields soccer team after split

2011-07-10T10:00:05Z

JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudanese prayed for the prosperity of their new nation on Sunday and kicked off their first soccer match as an independent country after seceding from Sudan's north on Saturday.

Southerners voted to split in two Africa's largest nation by area in a January re...

Medieval pilgrim's guide missing from Spain church

2011-07-07T09:30:30Z

MADRID (Reuters Life!) - Spanish police are investigating the disappearance of the Codex Calixtinus, a valuable 12th century manuscript, from the Santiago de Compostela cathedral in northwestern region of Galicia, a spokesman said on Thursday.

The manuscript is...

Israel targets top rabbis for anti-Arab incitement

2011-07-03T00:30:06Z

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police briefly detained a leading rabbi Sunday as part of a widening probe into a treatise suspected of inciting the murder of Arabs.

The investigation has pitted authorities in the Jewish state against far-right

Christians issue rule book for spreading faith

2011-06-28T07:00:46Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - A coalition of major Christian churches including the Vatican launched a rule book on Tuesday for spreading their faith that aims to reduce hostility from Islam and other religions to efforts to convert their followers.

The five-page code of conduct, which has been under negotiat...

Pope to launch new web portal

2011-06-27T13:30:23Z

The Pope will this week launch a new web portal making it easier to access all Vatican news online, officials said on Monday.

"news.va" will go live on Wednesday, launched by Pope Benedict XVI, as a sign of his personal interest in communication with the modern world, said Claudio Kathmandu on Wednesday.

"A total 13 Tibetans were arrested when they came out the monastery after the ceremony," Tshering Nyima, a spokeswoman with Tibetan Youth ...

Anglican Church to allow gay bishops

2011-06-20T05:30:23Z

The Anglican Church is set to approve controversial guidelines allowing openly homosexual clergy to become bishops.

In a paper due to be published on Monday, the Church will seek to move in line with the Equality Act by updating its rules to permit celibate homosexual men to be promoted.

The paper, entitled "Choosing Bishops - The Equality Act 2010", provides legal guidelines for those considering candidates for promotion and spells out that sexuality must not be a factor in ...

Serbia's icon-painting nuns combine religion and art

2011-06-20T02:30:13Z

On the wooded slopes of southwestern Serbia's Golija mountain, a dozen nuns at the Gradac monastery have devoted their lives to God but have not turned their backs on their lifelong passion: painting.

Twenty years ago Jasna Topolski, already a famous artist who had graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade, arrived at this 13th-century monaste...

Popemobile 'to become green machine': report

2011-06-18T09:30:15Z

Mercedes-Benz is making a greener hybrid Popemobile for Benedict XVI, the Wirtschaftswoche weekly paper said Saturday.

However a Vatican spokesman denied the paper's...

English religious art threatened by heating: experts

2011-06-15T14:30:47Z

They survived the iconoclasm of Henry VIII and the English civil war, but beautiful examples of early religious art in churches are now under threat from neglect and even heating, experts warned Wednesday.

The painted rood screens -- the stone or wooden structures that divide the public part of a church from the priest's area -- depict saints, prophets and kings and some are viewed as masterpieces of medieval art.

...

US prison chaplain charged with helping mobster

2011-06-10T11:30:24Z

A former prison chaplain has been charged with helping a notorious Chicago mobster sneak messages out of jail and try to recover a valuable Stradivarius violin, prosecutors said Thursday.

The aim was to keep the government from getting it.

The indictment reads like the plot to a Martin Scorsese movie.

Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday ruled that New York public schools could legally bar religious groups from using their facilities after hours for worship services.

The split ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for ...

EU assures it backs religious freedom in Mideast

2011-05-30T12:30:07Z

PARIS (Reuters) - European Union leaders assured senior religious figures on Monday they would defend the freedom of belief in the Middle East as part of their support for the spread of democracy in the Arab world.

Vladimir Putin as the reincarnation of Paul the Apostle whose career follows in the footsteps of the early Christian missionary, a news report said Wednesday.

The sect is based near the Volga River city of Nizhny Novgorod and led by Morther Fotin...

China warns US on Tibet

2011-05-10T14:30:53Z

China on Tuesday warned the United States to show caution in its handling of restive Tibet as the world's two largest economies met for wide-ranging talks.

Executive Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun said that US leaders assured Beijing

Bin Laden's death: the morality of celebrating

2011-05-08T20:30:18Z

Amid the public revelry, flag waving and cries of joy, some Americans are standing back and questioning the propriety of the raucous celebrations which followed the killing of Osama bin Laden.

"It's awkward to celebrate anyone's death, but it is impossible to feel remorse for one who has caused so much pain and needless suffering in the world," explained the Republican representative from the state of Dien Bien province in the far northwest of the communist nation, near the border with

Top Tibetan monk denies Chinese 'spy' tag

2011-05-02T14:30:53Z

The Karmapa Lama, one of Tibet's top Buddhist monks and widely seen as a potential spiritual successor to the Dalai Lama, spoke out Monday against allegations that he was a Chinese spy.

"Let me categorically state that I am not a Chinese spy, agent or plant in India," the 26-year-...

Jordan begins trial of Danish Mohammed cartoonist

2011-04-25T11:30:23Z

A Jordanian court on Monday put on trial in absentia Danish artist Kurt Westergaard who is being sued in the kingdom for blasphemy over a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed.

"A court in Amman began today the trial in absentia of those who insulted the Prophet, including Westergaard and Danis...

'Gay American' Jim McGreevey Denied In Bid To Become Priest

2011-04-25T11:30:18Z

Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey has been denied in his bid to become a priest in the Episcopal Church

Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey has been denied in his bid to become a priest in the Episcopal Church.

McGreevey, 53, resigned from his post in 2004 after acknowledging that he's a “gay American” and admitting to an extramarital affair with BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Raad's eyes well up with tears as he remembers his cousin and friends who were among 52 people killed in an assault on a cathedral in Baghdad last October.

The Iraqi Christian man, who has a shop near the Our Lady of Salvation Catholic cathedral in central Baghdad, said services held at the church for China, an activist group said, after the restive area was closed to foreigners.

Authorities have sealed off Kirti Monastery in Sichuan province and ordered a re-education programme there following unrest triggered last month when a young monk set himself on fire and die...

Pope warns of falling belief in West

2011-04-21T07:00:17Z

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict lamented the widespread abandonment of religion in Western countries in a Holy Thursday homily, saying the heartlands of Christianty were turning away from their faith.

The 84-year-old German-born pontiff said it sometim...

Tibetan monastery crackdown video emerges

2011-04-21T03:30:12Z

A video of unrest at a Tibetan monastery in China where a monk burnt himself to death has surfaced, with overseas activists saying it refutes Chinese government claims that the situation there is normal.

The video obtained by the Voice of America's Tibetan service and posted on its website appears to show heavy security patrolling around the Kirti monastery in a Ti...

"Technology can't replace God": Pope

2011-04-18T12:01:58Z

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict led Roman Catholics into Holy Week celebrations, telling a Palm Sunday crowd that man will pay the price for his pride if he be...

China detains underground church followers: group

2011-04-17T03:30:17Z

Police in Beijing rounded up dozens of followers of an underground Protestant church Sunday, a rights group said, as a widening crackdown on dissent appeared to spread to religious figures.

Police late Saturday also detained Jin Tianming, a senior pastor of Beijing's Shouwang church, an unregistered Protestant congregation, and other church leaders before releasing them early Sunday, the US-based Dalai Lama has urged restraint in a standoff with security forces at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in China, warning of "catastrophic consequences" if the situation deteriorates.

"I urge both the monks and the lay Tibetans of the area not to do anything that might be used as a pretext by the local authorities to massively crack down on them," the exiled spiritual leader said in a statem...

US backs right to wear religious attire

2011-04-12T18:31:02Z

The United States endorsed Tuesday the right of people to "express religious belief through religious attire" after French police fined a woman for wearing a full-face veil.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner stood up for freedom of religion and expression, but stopped short of criticizing Czech Republic but the Zeliv monastery has found a new role as a spiritual refuge while it recovers from its own decades of turmoil.

Today's pilgrims to the monastery tucked in a picturesque valley outside Prague include businessmen, managers and artists -- even a 1970s pop star -- who come to follow the steady rhythm...

Serb nuns learn language of Albanian Muslims

2011-04-11T04:30:13Z

A Serb Orthodox monastery in religiously polarised Kosovo is breaking stereotypes by making its nuns learn Albanian so they can talk to Muslim villagers who come to pray at a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Muslims from all over Kosovo flock to the Sokolica monastery because they believe its 14th-century sculpture of the Virgin with Christ can cure deaf-mute children and hel...

Albanian faiths blend together after hard times

2011-04-11T01:30:11Z

On an Albanian spring day, dozens of Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox Christians toil together up a steep, winding slope to St Anthony's Church -- different faiths all hoping for a miracle.

Some of the pilgrims heading up the stoney path to the imposing church are barefoot and wedge their feet into cracks in rocks believed to have powers, including protection against disease.

Others collect five white stones along the way and, in accordance with tradition, whisper to each befo...

Bulgarian monk rekindles occult debate

2011-03-17T03:00:07Z

SOFIA (Reuters Life!) - A Bulgarian monk is reopening an age-old debate in the Balkan country between Orthodox authorities and psychics.

In a new book, Monk Visarion denounced internationally respected healer Vanga and spiritual leader Petar Danov and attributed Bulgarians' interest in fortune-tellers and mysticism to decades of atheist communist rule.

Although the Bulgari...

Greece blocks sale of disputed icons in Britain, Netherlands

2011-03-16T11:30:33Z

Greek officials have blocked the sale of a dozen religious icons by two art galleries in Britain and the Netherlands after finding the items had been stolen years ago, a police source said on Wednesday.

The icons that date from before the 18th century and could each fetch from 5,000 to 15,000 euros ($7,000-21,000) had been pilfered from unguarded monasteries and churche...

Pakistan Christian village sees rising tensions

2011-03-12T16:30:46Z

In the Pakistani Christian hamlet that buried its most famous resident last week -- the assassinated minister for minorities -- locals say religious tolerance is giving way to rising tensions.

Khushpur village has been a base for the struggle against religious suppression for more than a century and remains a rare example of Muslims and Christians in rural Pakistan living harmoniously alongside one another.

But since the killing...

Mourning minister, Pakistan and US urge tolerance

2011-03-09T17:30:38Z

Pakistani and US leaders pleaded Wednesday for religious tolerance at a memorial service in Washington for Pakistan's sole Christian government minister Shahbaz Bhatti who was killed in broad daylight.

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to ...

Muslims, supporters protest Congressional hearing

2011-03-06T16:00:08Z

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Muslims, activists and supporters demonstrated in Times Square on Sunday to protest a Congressional hearing on radicalization of U.S. Muslims.

Holding placards that read "Today I am a Muslim, too," a few hundred gathered at the interfaith protest, decrying what they said was the bigotry and ignorance be...

Pakistan mourns slain minister

2011-03-03T12:30:36Z

Pakistan on Thursday announced three days of national mourning and vowed "fool-proof" security after a Christian government minister who decried Islamic blasphemy laws was gunned down.

Police investigators said they were on the trail of the suspected extremists who killed minority affairs minister Shahbaz Bhatti outside his mother's house in Pakistan left a video prophecy of his assassination, but had vowed to fight to the death in defence of persecuted minorities.

Police investigators said Thursday they were on the trail of the gunmen who killed minority affairs minister Shahbaz Bhatti outside his mother's house in Shahbaz Bhatti after he came out of his mother's home in a residential area of Islamabad...

Pope book says Jews not guilty of Jesus Christ's death

2011-03-02T13:00:29Z

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, in a new book, has personally exonerated Jews of allegations they were responsible for Jesus Christ's death, repudiating the concept of collective guilt that has haunted...

Christian groups reject civil partnerships plan

2011-02-17T08:32:21Z

Plans to allow civil ceremonies to be held in religious buildings were announced on Thursday but the changes have been met with outrage from some church groups.

Same-sex couples, who can currently only hold the ceremony in a secular setting, will be allowed to use religious venues following an amendment to the Equality Act.

No religious group will be forced to host civil partnership registrations, which will be "entirely voluntary", the government stressed.

Equalities ...

Pakistan charges policeman with politician's assassination

2011-02-14T16:30:46Z

A Pakistani court on Monday charged a police commando with terrorism and the murder of leading liberal politician Salman Taseer, whose assassination divided the country.

Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri told the court that he did not murder anyone "intentionally" but had taught a lesson to an apostate, his legal team said. The Salman Taseer, whose assassination divided the country.

Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri pleaded not guilty to murder, his legal team said, after the Punjab governor was shot dead outside ...

Vatican bans confession by iPhone

2011-02-09T14:30:52Z

The Vatican put its foot down Wednesday over the idea of "confessing" by iPhone, after news that US users can now download an application for the Apple gadget that helps the faithful gain absolution.

"It is essential to understand that th...

German Catholics urge reforms as papal visit nears

2011-02-04T07:32:24Z

PARIS (Reuters) - Over 140 Roman Catholic theologians in Germany have urged the church to embrace far-reaching reforms to end priestly celibacy, ordain women, welcome same-sex couples and let lay people help pick their bishops.

The appeal, the second reform call in two weeks, came as the German church is struggling to overcome a wave...

Presidency has 'deepened my faith,' Obama says

2011-02-03T14:31:00Z

President Barack Obama's two years in the White House have deepened his Christian faith, he said Thursday as he brushed aside lingering doubts by some Americans who still believe he is Muslim.

"The presidency has a funny way of making a person feel the need to pray," he said to warm laughter at the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual gathering that brings together ...

Top Tibetan monk reassures over police probe

2011-02-02T13:30:26Z

One of Tibet's top monks appeared before thousands of followers on Wednesday in India to reassure them about a police probe into nearly $1 million in cash found at his monastery.

"Do not worry about the case," the Karmapa said as he appeared before devotees at the Gyuto monastery in Dharamshala in northern India, where the Tibetan community in exile is based.

"Investigations are going on and t...

Dalai Lama urges probe into cash at monastery

2011-01-31T03:32:18Z

The Dalai Lama has called for a thorough probe into the discovery of almost a million dollars in foreign currency at the monastery of one of Tibet's most senior religious leaders.

Police in northern India, where the Tibetan community in exile is based, have quizzed the Karmapa and arrested several aides over the cash which is mostly in...

Dalai Lama urges probe into cash found at monastery

2011-01-31T03:32:04Z

The Dalai Lama has called for a thorough probe into the discovery of almost a million dollars in foreign currency at the monastery of one of Tibet's most senior religious leaders.

Police in northern India, where the Tibetan community in exile is based, have quizzed the Karmapa and arrested several aides over the cash which is mostly in...

Tibetan monk quizzed by Indian police over cash

2011-01-30T09:30:22Z

Indian police on Sunday questioned one of Tibetan Buddhism's most senior leaders after hundreds of thousands of dollars were found in his monastery.

Officers quizzed the Karmapa over $600,000 in dollar" class="inform">dollar bills and currencies from another 25 countries discovered at his residence in Dharamshala, the hill station in northern India wher...

Top Tibetan monk raided by Indian police

2011-01-28T16:30:38Z

Indian police said Friday they had raided the monastery of a top Buddhist monk seen as the possible next spiritual leader for Tibet and seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

Police swooped on the Karmapa's monastery in Dharamshala, a hill station in northern India, on Thursday and returned Friday to question staff about the origins of local and foreign bank notes discovered o...

Indian police raid monastery of top Tibetan monk

2011-01-28T06:30:34Z

Indian police said Friday they had raided the monastery of a top Buddhist monk seen as the possible next spiritual leader for Tibet and had seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

Pakistan governor's assassin in court hearing

2011-01-24T08:30:48Z

A man who admitted assassinating a Pakistani provincial governor to defend the country's controversial blasphemy laws appeared in a prison court for a preliminary trial hearing Monday.

Bodyguard Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri has confessed that he gunned down his boss, Punjab governor S...

Europe Fearful Copts

2011-01-04T09:32:07Z

Father Girguis Lucas uses his cellphone before addressing reporters, inside the Coptic church Sainte Marie Saint Marc of Chatenay-Malabry, south of Paris, Tuesday Jan. 4, 2011. Messages of threats against Coptic churches were seen on the Internet by a member of the congregation. Police said the Chatenay-Malabry site was among the Euro...

Mideast Egypt Church Attack

2011-01-03T02:31:26Z

Some hundreds of Egyptian Christians march in front of Egyptian Foreign Ministery, tower at left, and Television building, tower 2nd right with aerial mast on top, in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday Jan. 2, 2011, two days after 21 Christian worshippers were killed in an apparent suicide bombing. The Christian community claim they feel betrayed by a government which they say has not done enough to keep them safe. (AP Photo/Amr Mustafa)

Alexandria, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011. Grieving Christians, many clad in black, were back praying Sunday in the blood-spattered church where 21 worshippers were killed in an apparent suicide bombing, feelin...

Spain Christianity

2011-01-02T09:01:10Z

Bishops, right, walk beside nuns, left, during a mass honoring the family as a building block of Christianity in downtown Madrid, Spain Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

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Vatican Pope New Year

2011-01-02T05:31:41Z

Pope Benedict XVI holds the pastoral staff as he celebrates a mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011. Pope Benedict XVI urged Christians to remain strong in the face of intolerance and violence in a New Year's appeal Saturday that came hours after a b...