With the Encouragement of Pope Francis, Vatican Allows Blessings for Same-Sex Couples
'God never turns away anyone who approaches him!' read the document issued by the Vatican's doctrinal department.
Under the Shadow of War in Gaza, Jesus’s Traditional Birthplace Is Gearing Up for a Subdued Christmas
Officials in Jesus's traditional birthplace decided to forgo celebrations due to the Israel-Hamas war.
Church of England To Introduce Same-Sex Blessing, As It Faces ‘Disestablishment’ Bill in Parliament
The prayers may be too little too late on an issue that has long alienated the church from politicians and peers.
Pope, Once a Victim of AI-Generated Imagery, Calls for Treaty To Regulate Artificial Intelligence
Francis added his voice to increasing calls for binding, global regulation of AI in his annual message for the World Day of Peace, which the Catholic Church celebrates each Jan. 1.
A Milestone for Notre Dame: 1 Year Until Cathedral Reopens to Public After Devastating Fire
As the world-famous Paris landmark's reopening draws closer, people are beginning to picture their return to the place they call home and are impatient to breathe life back into its repaired stonework and vast spaces.
Armenian Christians Battle Developer To Keep Control of Their Corner of Jerusalem
A tiny Christian minority sitting on one of the Holy Land's most valuable pieces of real estate has rebelled against a real-estate deal that would sacrifice nearly 25% of its land in Jerusalem.
Lebanon’s Christians Feel the Heat of Climate Change in Its Sacred Forest and Valley
The lush Cedars of God Forest, some 2000 meters (6,560 feet) above sea level near the northern town of Bcharre, is part of a landscape cherished by Christians.
Amid War in Gaza, Churches Urged to Leave Peace Candle Unlit This Advent
Inspired by Palestinian Christians canceling Christmas lights and festivities in Bethlehem, British Christians urge Christians elsewhere to show solidarity by not lighting the “peace candle” that is traditionally lit on the second Sunday in Advent.
Leading African Ecumenical Group Elects First Female President
The Rev. Lydia Chituku Neshangwe, a Presbyterian minister, became the first woman to lead the ecumenical All Africa Conference of Churches.
Ukrainian Religious Freedom Threatened by Russian Bombs and Propaganda
This issue of A Public Witness offers a crash course lesson from one of the preeminent experts on Ukrainian religious freedom to consider what’s happening in the besieged nation and how religious freedom rights are undermined by Russia.