Religion and Faith

Religious polarization in India seeping into U.S. diaspora
Clashes in India between Hindu nationalists and minority religious groups, particularly Muslims, have sparked tensions online and in person in the Indian American diaspora.
Pope extends reform process for year amid apathy, criticism
The synod process is part of Francis’ long-term goal of making the church more inclusive, participatory and responsive to real-world issues facing ordinary Catholics.
United Methodists are breaking up in a slow-motion schism
The United Methodist Church, long a mainstay of the American religious scene, is beginning to fracture. Hundreds of churches have already disaffiliated from the denomination this year, with hundreds more moving toward the exits.
Pope says he'll slow down or retire: 'You can change a pope'
Pope Francis, 85, acknowledged he can no longer travel like he used to because of his strained knee ligaments, saying his weeklong Canadian pilgrimage was "a bit of a test."
Rev. Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo remembered as beloved leader, mentor
The Rev. Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo, a beloved faith leader who was the first Native American woman ordained in the Lutheran Church and led All Nations Church in south Minneapolis for several decades, died July 22 at age 75.
Pope in headdress stirs deep emotions in Indian Country
It was a stunning image: Pope Francis briefly wearing a full Indigenous headdress, after he apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in Canada’s “disastrous” residential school system for Indigenous children. But some Indigenous people took to social media to express unhappiness with an iconic gesture they found incongruous with the Catholic Church history of abuse.
How a near-death experience could change the way you live
When Randy Schiefer was hospitalized with COVID-19, he wasn't sure he would survive. Now, he looks back at that experience as the most important thing that has ever happened to him.