Religion

Takeaways from AP’s reporting on Sarah McBride, the first openly trans person elected to Congress

Sarah McBride made history in Delaware, as the first openly transgender state senator in the United States.

Trans trailblazer Sarah McBride navigates a brutal reception in Congress with grace

The world welcomes 2025 with light shows, embraces and ice plunges

Catholic priest in Belarus sentenced to 11 years as crackdown on dissent continues

Syria’s dwindling Jewish community can visit one of the world’s oldest synagogues again

Former New Orleans priest convicted of raping teen boy dies while serving life sentence

Louisiana authorities say a 93-year-old former Catholic priest sentenced to life in prison for raping a teenage boy has died.

Church closing in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, donates the last of its money in Christmas act of charity

A church whose congregation has roots in the 19th century is closing and donating hundreds of thousands of dollars from the sale of its building to charity in a Pennsylvania city named for the biblical birthplace of Jesus.

Why this Mexican American woman played a vital role in the US sacramental peyote trade

Amada Cardenas, a Mexican American woman who lived in the tiny border town of Mirando City in South Texas, played an important role in the history of the peyote trade.

What is the Native American Church and why is peyote sacred to members?

The Native American Church is the most widespread religious movement among the Indigenous people of North America.

Peyote sacred to Native Americans threatened by psychedelic renaissance

Peyote, a cactus that contains mescaline, a hallucinogen, grows naturally in South Texas and northern Mexico.

Pope brings Holy Year and prayers for better future to Rome prison, a ‘cathedral of pain and hope’

Pope Francis is bringing his Holy Year to Rome’s main prison. Francis traveled to Rebibbia prison Thursday on a frigid morning.

Pope calls for nations to overcome divisions in Christmas address as communities celebrate worldwide

Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message has urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Holy Land to Ukraine, Africa to Asia.

Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome’s patience

Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year.

Seafarers move global trade — and Christmas gifts. These ministries bring them holiday cheer

A network of faith-based organizations minister to seafarers in hundreds of the world’s ports. Outside of most people’s view, seafarers keep global trade moving, often in harsh and isolated working conditions.

NFL players who use platform to share their faith say it’s their duty to spread their love for Jesus

Jake Bates was standing on the turf in his hometown of Houston when asked to reflect on an unlikely journey from learning how to sell bricks to making game-winning kicks for the Detroit Lions.

Cities worldwide hold subdued Christmas Eve celebrations amid conflicts

Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday.

Centuries-old angels uncovered at Boston church made famous by Paul Revere

Conservators have uncovered eight angels in a historic Boston church that counted Paul Revere as a bell ringer and played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary War.

UN publishes new death toll for massacre of older people and Vodou religious leaders in Haiti

The United Nations has raised the death toll of a recent massacre in which dozens of older people and Vodou religious leaders were killed by a gang in Haiti.

How faith communities can be welcoming of believers with disabilities this holiday season and beyond

This holiday season, some religious congregations across the U.S. are holding events designed to be accommodating to and inclusive of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Girls will be part of St. Paul’s Cathedral choir on Christmas Day for first time

LONDON (AP) — For the first time in its 900-year history, girls will form part of the choir performing at the Christmas Day service on Wednesday at London’s majestic St.

In the ruins of a bombed-out church in Lebanon, there’s now a tiny Christmas tree

A Christmas tree stands among the fallen stones in the ruins of a Catholic church in southern Lebanon that was hit by an Israeli airstrike during the war with Hezbollah.

Bethlehem plans another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza

The city of Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, will not have the usual trappings of the city’s favorite holiday: no public Christmas tree, no raucous scouts march, no decorations and no twinkling lights, in deference to the ongoing war in Gaza.

It’s the holidays in Zimbabwe. Time to celebrate by unveiling a family tombstone

Some of the most festive times of Zimbabwe’s holiday season occur around the unveiling of tombstones for late relatives.

A Holy Year is about to start in Rome. Here’s what you need to know

Pope Francis is formally inaugurating the 2025 Holy Year, reviving an ancient church tradition encouraging the faithful to make pilgrimages to Rome.

‘El Gordo’ lottery in Spain spreads Christmas riches worth $2.8 billion

Spaniards have been anticipating the arrival of “El Gordo” or “The Fat One” for weeks. That’s the name of the first prize in Spain’s hugely popular national Christmas lottery.

Scary, weird, but more ‘biblically accurate’ angels top some Christians’ Christmas trees

About 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they believe in angels, but what, exactly, is an angel? Typical portrayals in Western art depict them as human-looking, but with wings.

Pope Francis calls for a ceasefire on all fronts in his prayer ahead of Christmas

Pope Francis has called for a ceasefire on all war fronts in his Sunday prayer ahead of Christmas celebrations, condemning the “cruelty” of bombing schools and hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza.

Vatican advances beatification process for Belgian king who abdicated rather than approve abortion

The Vatican has taken the first main step to implement Pope Francis’ wish that Belgium’s late king be beatified.

In a calendar rarity, Hanukkah starts this year on Christmas Day

Hanukkah, Judaism’s eight-day Festival of Lights, begins this year on Christmas Day. That’s only happened four times since 1900.

13 people including children die in stampedes in Nigeria at Christmas charity events

Authorities in Nigeria say At least 13 people, including four children, were killed in two separate stampedes in the country, as large crowds gathered to collect food and clothing items distributed at annual Christmas events.

What to know about Hanukkah and how it’s celebrated around the world

Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism’s “festival of lights.”

Ten people including children die in a stampede in Nigeria at a Christmas food distribution event

Authorities in Nigeria say ten people, including four children, have been killed in a stampede in the capital city as a large crowd gathered to collect food items distributed by a local church at a Christmas event.

What we know about the suspect behind the German Christmas market attack

Authorities have not formally named the suspect in the car ramming in the city of Magdeburg that killed at least five people and wounded hundreds, saying only that he is a Saudi doctor who has lived in Germany for nearly two decades and that he acted alone.

Pope has a cold and will skip outdoor Sunday prayer ahead of a busy week

Pope Francis is suffering from a cold and will deliver his Sunday blessing from indoors. The Vatican cited the cold temperatures outside and Francis’ busy week ahead.

Florida students are giving up Saturdays to learn Black history lessons their schools don’t teach

Thirty years after Florida required schools to teach African American history, how the subject is taught remains inconsistent across Florida classrooms, a review by The Associated Press has found.