Religion and Faith

Four years ago, a Vatican group began an assessment of a member organization that represents 80 percent of Catholic nuns in the United States. The assessment was designed to take a careful look at whether the nuns were acting in accordance with the teachings of the church.
Same sex marriage faces hurdle among African-American church leaders
Marriage amendment supporters in Minnesota are counting on strong support from the African-American community come Election Day, when they hope to change the state constitution so that it blocks same-sex marriage.
Muslims begin Ramadan fast; bombs hit Thai south
Muslims have begun fasting for the start of the Ramadan holy month in Indonesia, Malaysia and elsewhere around Asia, but the somber occasion was marred in Buddhist-dominated Thailand by two bomb blasts that killed one person and injured seven.
Tennessee Muslims feel blessed this Ramadan
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is always a joyful time for believers, but a Tennessee congregation was feeling especially blessed this year as they worshipped Friday.
The leader of the New York-based Orthodox Church in America has resigned amid questions about whether he failed to report an allegation of a rape by a priest to church officials or law enforcement.
Native Americans to celebrate white bison in Conn.
The birth of a white bison, among the rarest of animals, is bringing Native Americans who consider it a sacred event to celebrate at one of the least likely of places, a farm in New England.
A judge on Wednesday ordered a new trial for the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay in a civil fraud lawsuit brought by two childhood victims of clergy abuse.
Episcopalians approved a churchwide ceremony Tuesday to bless same-sex couples, the latest decisive step toward accepting homosexuality by a denomination that nine years ago elected the first openly gay bishop.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) narrowly rejected a proposal to revise the traditional definition of marriage on Friday, a year after it struck down a barrier to ordaining gays.
Amish residents question mining activity in SE Minn.
Amish families fear the burgeoning silica sand mining industry in southeastern Minnesota could harm their way of life.