CHICAGO — After a successful inaugural year, Pride in the Pews, a grassroots nationwide nonprofit that creates solutions and build bridges to empower the Black LGBTQ+ community, in partnership with Trinity Church Wall Street, today announced a second year of this first-of-its-kind fellowship, the 2024...

BALTIMORE (AP) — As Charles Richardson gradually lost his eyesight to complications from diabetes, certain childhood memories haunted him even more.

The Catholic priest appeared vividly in his mind’s eye — the one who promised him a spot on a travel basketball team, took him out for burgers and helped him with homework. The one, Richardson alleges, who sexually assaulted him for more than a year.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/catholic-clergy-sexual-abuse-black-victims-212c8301222717c537b199ff6a298508?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=...

In a memorable scene from what some consider to be the greatest film of all time, mafioso Michael Corleone stands as godfather at the baptism of his sister’s son as his loyal disciples kill off the heads of other mob families.

This iconic moment from “The Godfather” is a brilliant juxtaposition between the sanctity of baptism and the grisly act of murder. It contrasts the purifying nature of water and the spilled blood staining the streets of New York. The scene also raises the question of whether or not a...

While attending high school in his hometown in northern Utah, McKay Bowman noticed all but a few of his classmates were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Bowman, who was raised a member of the Church, became aware of religious differences through his own family.

“My mom is a convert to the Church, and my dad’s parents are converts. And so, in some sense (in) my extended family, there’s this element of like, existing sort of, religious difference,” Bowman said.

However, it wasn’t until Bowman joined the Interfaith Student...

Nia and Katie Chiaramonte’s romance started in eighth grade at a private Christian school in their hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. At 17, they officially started dating and rapidly tied the knot. After their marriage, the couple had four biological kids and adopted one.

Until recently, the family lived in their house in Des Moines, close to their friends and family, and served actively in their local church.

Then in 2018, Nia came out as a transgender woman.

Source: https://religionnews.com/2023/12/04/new-documentary-tells-the-story-of-queer-religious-...

The Vatican says transgender people can be baptized within the church, as long as doing so doesn't create "public scandal or confusion among the faithful."

The statement from the Vatican's theological watchdog group, called the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, came in response to a question from a Brazilian bishop, José Negri of Santo Amaro.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/11/10/1212319566/the-vatican-says-priests-can-baptize-transgender-people

As mainline Protestant churches in America are struggling, St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston is expected to reach 10,000 members on Sunday, a significant milestone for the largest Episcopal church in the United States.

Source: https://www.chron.com/culture/religion/article/episcopal-church-members-martin-18483042.php

A member of the second-oldest Black Catholic order in the United States.

A voodoo priestess.

A gay atheist woman.

A new documentary from the National Museum of African American History and Culture explores the range of faith and spiritual expressions of Black millennials and the choices they have made to reject — or embrace — the religious rituals of their childhood.

Source: https://religionnews.com/2023/10/24/documentary-on-black-millennials-depicts-wide-range-of-religion-rebellion/

Pope Francis greeted the leaders of an international association for LGBTQ Catholics at the end of his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 25.

The pontiff spoke with the co-chairs of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, a coalition that draws together LGBTQ Catholic organizations from across six continents. Among U.S.-based members are DignityUSA, New Ways...

When Helena Jeppesen-Spuhler, an advocate for the ordination of women, joined a major Vatican meeting this month, she was skeptical that an institution dominated by men for 2,000 years was ready to listen to women like her.

The gathering of some 300 bishops from around the world also included for the first time nuns and 70 lay people, women among them, who have voting rights. It was called by Pope Francis to discuss the future of the...

The nearly 14 million people of color who live in rural America face unique challenges that run the gamut — from navigating racism in real estate, environmental regulation and the justice system to gaining access to healthcare and broadband. This six-part series from the Rural News Network, made possible with support from the Walton Family Foundation, explores the issues these communities are facing and what some are doing to change...

Like the U.S. public as a whole, a growing percentage of Asian Americans are not affiliated with any religion, and the share who identify as Christian has declined, according to a new Pew Research Center survey exploring religion among Asian American adults.

But the survey also shows that 40% of Asian Americans say they feel close to some religious tradition for reasons aside from religion. For example, just 11% of Asian American...

BANGOR, Maine — While religious leaders across the state grapple with a decrease in attendance at weekly services, one pastor in Bangor is looking for a solution.

"Really the challenge for churches today is reaching younger adults," Gary Bagley, who leads the Hammond Street Congregational Church, said before delivering his sermon on Sunday.

To Bagley, a persistent problem has been staying relevant with the young adult population. Indeed, the issue is present in churches, temples, and mosques across the nation. 

According to a study from the Pew...

Like many Republican presidential candidates, Vivek Ramaswamy has been outspoken about the role of faith and society. An enthusiastic second-generation Indian American, Ramaswamy also isn’t shy about talking about his own faith.

“I’m a person of faith. Evangelical Christians across the state are also people of faith,” he said in a July interview with NBC News. “We found commonality in our need to defend religious liberty, to stand for faith and patriotism and stand unapologetically for the fact that we are one nation under God.”

To reach evangelical Christians, the...

The average Christian congregation in the U.S. is in precipitous decline, with just 65 members, about a third of whom are age 65 or older, according to a 2020 pre-pandemic survey. By contrast, a separate 2020 study found that three-quarters of megachurches were growing, many at a rapid clip.

Experts say these trends have continued since the start of the pandemic....