The Roman Catholic Church’s teaching that women cannot be ordained as priests is likely to last forever, Pope Francis said on Tuesday as he flew back to Rome from Sweden.

Source: Pope Francis Says Ban on Female Priests Is Likely to Endure - The New York Times

A Muslim, an Orthodox Jew and a religious Christian walked into a room, but it wasn’t a bar and this was no joke. On the contrary, representatives from each of the Abrahamic religions had gathered during fashion month at New York University for the Meeting Through Modesty fashion symposium to discuss something they take very seriously: modest style.

Source: What Does Modest Fashion Mean? - The New York Times

LUND, Sweden — Almost 500 years after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door, setting off more than a century of religious warfare and forever changing the practice of Christianity worldwide, Pope Francis on Monday urged atonement and Christian reconciliation.

Source: Pope Francis, in Sweden, Urges Catholic-Lutheran Reconciliation - The New York Times

VATICAN CITY (RNS) In another step forward for Catholic-Protestant reconciliation, Pope Francis and one of America's leading Protestant theologians agree on a major heresy: the worship of the free market.

Source: Harvey Cox seconds Pope Francis on capitalist critique

NEW YORK — Cardinal Timothy Dolan said Thursday that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York has created an independently-mediated compensation program for people who were sexually abused by church leaders, likely the first of its kind in the nation.

Source: Saying sex abuse is a ‘nauseating crime,’ New York’s cardinal announces plan to compensate victims - The Washington Post

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis says Jesus would never turn away transgender faithful and that priests today should accompany them spiritually, even if they undergo sex change operations, sin and repent.

Source: Pope Francis urges pastoral care for transgender people, draws line between ministry and ‘indoctrination’ - The Washington Post

A Christian organization that leads student religious groups on more than 600 college campuses will fire any of its 1,300 employees who say they do not agree with the organization’s theological interpretation on sex: that it is only appropriate within a heterosexual marriage.

Source: Major ministry will fire employees who don’t believe that sex is only for married straight couples - The...

THOUSANDS GATHER FOR THE “GLORIFICATION” CEREMONY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Even as Catholics around the world are celebrating the elevation of Mother Teresa to sainthood, yet another great name has been brought up for sainthood. Only this time, it wasn’t done by the Catholic Church, but by the Holy Christian Orthodox Church. A group of Christian leaders on Friday came together for the “glorification” of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Source: ...

U.S. Catholic bishops and Shia Muslim leaders from Iran recently found common ground, taking a cohesive stand against terrorism, religious extremism and weapons of mass destruction.

Source: Catholic bishops and Muslim leaders unite to decry terror, extremism and weapons of mass destruction

Retired Pope Benedict XVI said that practical governance of the Catholic Church was not his “strong point” but said that many people found “a new life in the faith” during his eight years as pontiff, according to two English translations of excerpts of the book-length interview set to be released in Italian on Friday.

Source: ‘I do not see myself as a failure’: Fresh peeks into Pope Benedict’s new memoir - The...

KOLKATA, India — When Mother Teresa’s canonization took place on Sunday, a battered-looking audience gathered in front of a screen some 4,500 miles east of St. Peter’s Square: men with caved-in chests, weeping sores wrapped in gauze, extremities missing entirely, legs so thin you could encircle them with a finger and thumb.

Source: Kolkata Testifies to the Grace of Mother Teresa, Its New Saint - The New York Times

VATICAN CITY — She was known throughout the world as Mother Teresa, considered a saint by many for her charitable work among the poorest of the world’s poor. On Sunday morning, Pope Francis officially bestowed that title at her canonization ceremony in St. Peter’s Square.

Source: Mother Teresa Is Made a Saint by Pope Francis - The New York Times

FAITH GROUPS PROVIDE AID TO LOUISIANA FLOOD VICTIMS. Nobody can really tell why natural disasters take place. Science can tell us how, but for those who are devastated by such incidents the questions remain. Why? Why us? Why did we deserve this? Why our city? While various people describe these disasters as chance or divine will, the fact remains that it becomes a time of crisis for people who are spiritual as they start wondering why God would let that happen to them. The one good thing however that emerges during these times is the open display of human goodness. While humanity...

The 125-foot, concrete statue on a mountain overlooking Rio couldn’t appear more straightforward: It’s a giant Jesus with His arms outstretched.

Source: The many meanings of Rio’s massive Christ statue - The Washington Post

Mother Teresa will be formally canonized on Sept. 4 by Pope Francis in Rome. Widely known as “the Saint of Calcutta,” she founded religious orders of women and men that serve the poor in more than 130 countries. Even for a woman who is an icon of modern saintliness, the Roman Catholic Church requires that someone must gather evidence of miracles and present a case that she is worthy to be admitted to the pantheon of saints.

Source: How a Priest Made the Case for Mother...