MOSCOW (AP) — Two Jehovah's Witnesses have been convicted of extremism in Russia and four more arrested, one of whom reported being tortured in custody, the religious group said Friday.A court in Kamchatka on Friday sentenced Mikhail Popov and his wife...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three officials with a Philippines-based church in Los Angeles have been charged as part of an alleged scheme to trick followers into becoming fundraisers and arrange sham marriages to keep them in the U.S.Federal agents arrested...

Roman Catholic priests, deacons and bishops across the Amazon voiced surprise, resignation and reluctant acceptance of Pope Francis' refusal to allow married men to be ordained priests, lamenting that their faithful will continue to be deprived of Mass...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met Thursday with Pope Francis at the Vatican, received a papal blessing and said the two discussed prospects for a “more just and fraternal world."Da Silva posted photos of...

MOSCOW (AP) — A meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin on amending the Russian Constitution produced suggested changes on a variety of topics Thursday, ranging from the protection of traditional values to the country's status as a nuclear power.Putin...

News outlets and the public will be able to attend a hearing next week in New Orleans on the confidentiality of emails between Roman Catholic officials and the city's NFL franchise concerning clergy sex-abuse scandals.A state judge in New Orleans ruled...

BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on a new virus that originated in China (all times local):7:30 p.m.The Catholic diocese in Hong Kong has announced that Masses will be suspended for two weeks amid the spread of the new virus.In a brief video announcement,...

PHOENIX (AP) — Two children were sexually abused by Catholic priests about 40 years ago in an Arizona parish and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix covered up the problem, according to newly filed lawsuits.Both lawsuits were brought Monday under...

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis refused Wednesday to approve the ordination of married men or women as deacons to address a shortage of priests in the Amazon, sidestepping a fraught issue that has divided the Catholic Church and emboldened his conservative...

NEW YORK (AP) — When Pete Buttigieg launched his first statewide television ad in South Carolina two months ago, its opening lines may have sounded familiar to a churchgoer.The ad opens with footage from a speech by the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor...

NEW YORK (AP) —It has become standard practice for U.S. corporations to assure employees of support regardless of their race, gender or sexual orientation. There’s now an intensifying push to ensure that companies are similarly supportive and inclusive...

BERLIN (AP) — The Roman Catholic cardinal who leads the German Bishops' Conference said Tuesday he plans to step down at the end of his term in March.Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 66, said in a letter to fellow bishops in Germany that he would not seek a...