VATICAN CITY (RNS) The pontiff told diplomats that religion was being used as a pretext for the 'rejection, marginalization and violence' that had inspired brutal attacks in the past year.

Source: Pope Francis condemns ‘homicidal madness’ of ‘fundamentalist’ terrorism

FRANKLIN GRAHAM, TIMOTHY DOLAN, PAULA WHITE ARE AMONG THOSE WILL PRAY AT TRUMP’S INAUGURATION CEREMONY.

Source: 6 Big-Time Clergy Are Praying at Trump's Inauguration - World Religion News

More than 1 million people watched Kim Burrell rail against “that perverted homosexual spirit” in a controversial sermon clip that led to the gospel singer getting pulled from a performance on “Ellen” and facing ongoing backlash from LGBT advocates.

Source: Reactions to gospel preacher Kim Burrell on LGBT issues reveal split among black churches | WWRN - World-wide Religious News

FARGO - The Catholic Benefits Association, the Diocese of Fargo and Catholic Charities North Dakota filed a lawsuit on December 28 in U.S. District Court in North Dakota against a federal regulation scheduled to take effect January 1 that redefines “sex” for anti-discrimination purposes to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Pope Francis turned 80 this month, at the end of what has been a busy year. He made six foreign trips and oversaw many events and ceremonies with millions of pilgrims throughout what he proclaimed the Holy Year of Mercy. The year was also marked by the pope's efforts to heal divisions within the Christian world and tackle dissension within Catholicism.

Source: For Pope Francis, A Year Of Reconciliation Abroad Amid...

Christmas is more than just a religious holiday. As the Pew Research Center found in 2013, about 81 percent of non-Christians celebrate Christmas in the United States. That includes people without religion, Buddhists, Hindus and American Jews. In fact, close to one-third of Jewish people (32 percent) have a Christmas tree in their homes during the December months, according to Pew.

Source: Is Christmas still a religious holiday?

Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of Father Stanley Rother, who was brutally murdered in Guatemala during the country’s civil war while he administered to the poor. Rother, of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, will become the first martyr born in the United States.

Source: Pope recognizes first U.S. martyr killed helping the poor in Guatemala

WASHINGTON - People on the sidewalks of Washington momentarily stopped their holiday shopping and paused in the cold on December 10 to take in the sight of hundreds of pilgrims processing through the streets alongside images of Mary. The feast brings together people of all ages and backgrounds, but it is a particularly special event for the Hispanic Catholic community.

Source: Thousands gather for Walk With Mary in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe

VATICAN CITY (RNS) A Vatican decision to reaffirm its opposition to gay priests has angered activists who thought Pope Francis was changing Rome’s attitudes toward homosexuality.

Source: Outcry greets Vatican decision to reaffirm ban on gay priests | Religion News Service

About 40 leaders addressed a packed audience during the candlelit interfaith gathering at First United Methodist Church of Chicago on Clark and Washington Streets.

Source: Faith leaders gather to support Chicago's immigrant communities | SikhNet

The Vatican on Wednesday declared that “persons with homosexual tendencies” cannot be admitted to Catholic seminaries. This reaffirms a 2005 policy now seemingly at odds with Pope Francis’ famous “Who am I to judge?” response when asked about gay priests in 2013.

Source: Vatican Reaffirms Ban on Gay Priests | WWRN - World-wide Religious News

The tumultuous presidential campaign may have dominated conversation in other walks of life this year, but there was little explicit discussion about the election or the candidates in America’s houses of worship, according to new Pew Research Center survey data.

Source: Churches steered clear of electoral politics in 2016, most worshippers say | Pew Research Center

A young man came to the Rev. George Mason, wanting to talk about his parents’ wedding. The youth, of course, hadn’t been at the wedding. But Mason had, and he remembered it well. Some 800 or 900 people. Pillars of the community. One of the largest weddings in the history of Wilshire Baptist Church.

Source: A Dallas church voted to perform gay marriages, and it’s getting kicked out of the Texas...

The 2016 presidential exit polling reveals little change in the political alignments of U.S. religious groups. Those who supported Republican candidates in recent elections, such as white born-again or evangelical Christians and white Catholics, strongly supported Donald Trump as well. Groups that traditionally backed Democratic candidates, including religious “nones,” Hispanic Catholics and Jews, were firmly in Hillary Clinton’s corner.

Source: How the...

Donald J. Trump rarely goes to church, said he’s never sought forgiveness for his sins, and in his acceptance speech early Wednesday morning, never mentioned God. Religion was almost invisible during the presidential campaign, and yet it is the missing piece in understanding Mr. Trump’s victory. The Christian right worked largely under the national media’s radar this year, but it helped deliver the presidency to a thrice-married mogul who bragged about groping women and has been accused by multiple women of actually doing it.

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