PAYNESVILLE, Minn. – The red wooden doors at Salem Historical Church have been tightly sealed and locked for most of the last half-century.

But on Saturday night, the doors were a portal to the past: Inside were twinkling holiday lights and a pine tree that stretched to the ceiling, its boughs draped in silver tinsel. A sugary aroma hung ...Read more

DETROIT — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released the fourth of seven reports Monday related to a years-long investigation into clergy sexual abuse within Michigan's Catholic dioceses.

The report indicated that the investigation into the Diocese of Lansing, which began in September 2018, found that 48 priests, three religious brothers,...Read more

Two spray-painted swastikas were found outside Minneapolis’ Temple Israel, the largest synagogue in Minnesota, on Monday morning.

The symbols were found spray-painted in red on a pillar and a door on the temple’s Emerson Avenue S. entrance, according to Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman. A report has been filed with police.

“It is heartbreaking to ...Read more

WILSON TOWNSHIP, Minn. – The last time the Catholic church here faced an existential threat was on New Year’s Eve 1935, when the church was set ablaze. Not even a trace of its sacred vessels was found in the debris.

The hardship of the Great Depression did little to deter the congregation. Within weeks, parishioners were rebuilding. Men of ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court voted Friday to hear a potentially far-reaching claim of religious freedom and decide whether church-sponsored charities, programs and businesses may refuse to pay state unemployment taxes for their employees.

All states exempt churches and church programs from the taxes if they "operate primarily for religious ...Read more

People of faith are not more generous than non-religious people — except in one case, a new study found.

A study by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden found that religious people are more generous than non-religious people when they know the recipients’ religious beliefs — otherwise there is no difference.

The research ...Read more

NEW YORK — A years-long legal battle between Long Island’s Catholic diocese and hundreds of alleged sex abuse victims came to an end Wednesday, with a bankruptcy judge in Manhattan approving a plan that finalizes a $323 million settlement.

As part of the settlement, the Diocese of Rockville Centre will begin making payments next year to ...Read more

Ellen O'Brian hadn't bought a candy-filled advent calendar in years, but when she saw the festive cardboard box with little numbered panels in her local natural foods store, she couldn't resist.

"It's put out by a chocolate maker called Divine, and it's dark chocolate for the dark time of the year," said O'Brian, founder of the Center for ...Read more

FRESNO, Calif. — Workplace bullying, religious trauma, complicated relationships with their own communities.

These are some of the challenges that LGBTQ+ farmworkers face, said Rev. Nelson Serrano Poveda, the Latino/Hispanic missioner at Fresno’s St. James Episcopal Cathedral. Many come from small, socially conservative towns in Latin ...Read more

Don’t be surprised as Election Day fast approaches to see many signs outside Florida churches telling you to vote a certain way.

Mixing faith and politics, churches have long weighed in on matters affecting communities in the state and across the U.S., and their efforts are underway this year with the issue of abortion on Florida’s ballot. ...Read more

DENVER — The Archdiocese of Denver and a nonprofit representing the state’s Catholic bishops have contributed $225,000 to a Colorado anti-abortion group in its fight against Amendment 79, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution.

The Pro-Life Colorado Fund, a coalition of more than 50 anti-abortion groups, received...Read more

A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel revived a lawsuit this week filed by Orthodox Jewish families that sued California education officials over the state’s policy of refusing to fund special education programs at religious schools.

Two religious schools and three Orthodox Jewish parents whose children have autism filed the lawsuit against ...Read more

CHICAGO -- A siren screamed down 31st Street as six men faced one another in a dim church and began to chant.

They chanted standing up. They chanted bent over. Above a thumping bass from a passing car, they prayed to the holy trinity through St. Benedict that travelers would arrive at their destinations and for seasonable weather. They prayed �...Read more

CHICAGO -- When 101 people were laid to rest at Chicago's Mount Olivet Cemetery last Wednesday afternoon, no family or friends were there to mourn them. Yet they were certainly not alone.

As cold sunshine flooded the cemetery, around 20 Catholic high school students stood sentinel in their uniforms by the wooden caskets, holding yellow roses ...Read more

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church was awash in pink Sunday morning, a stark contrast to the reds and blues that have dominated the 2024 presidential campaign.

It was Pink Sunday to bring attention to breast cancer. But the distinctly feminine shade also seemed a fitting backdrop for the day’s guest: Kamala Harris, who, if she is elected ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Clergy sex abuse scandals have rocked Catholic churches across the world, but few places have seen the financial toll of the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

With a record $880 million settlement with victims announced this week, the Los Angeles Archdiocese has now paid out more than $1.5 billion.

The bill reflects its rank as the ...Read more