US military chaplaincy marks 250 years

Well-known Palestinian activist committed to nonviolence killed by an Israeli settler 
Religion News Service: Awdah Hathaleen, who worked as an English teacher, was a beloved leader in his community’s nonviolent resistance. In June, he was denied entry to the U.S. on a speaking engagement.

LA archdiocese to deliver food and medication to parishioners homebound due to Ice raids 
The Guardian: As White House continues its immigration crackdown, church steps up to assist members too afraid to leave home

Has the Billboard Hot 100 caught the Holy Ghost? 
NPR: For the first time, multiple Christian musicians are charting on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time — and staying there for weeks. Has the mainstream music industry found Jesus Christ?

New Jersey mayor says town won't seize Episcopal church if public doesn’t support plan* 
The Christian Century: The mayor of Toms River, New Jersey, has delayed a council vote on his plan to seize an Episcopal church’s property and said he would end his effort to turn the church’s 11 acres into parkland if town officials confirm the public doesn’t support it.

US military chaplaincy marks 250 years of providing spiritual support to service members 
Religion News Service: Chaplains serve in hospitals, hospices and manufacturing plants, and while chaplaincy researchers see commonalities among them, there are also key differences in the military.

Evangelizing on social media

How a Catholic priest led the Church’s ‘significant’ contribution to Deaf history

The National Institute for Deaf Youth of Paris was founded in 1760 by Father Charles-Michel de l’Épée.

New Jersey hospital receives largest-ever gift to a U.S.-based Catholic health center

Holy Name Medical Center in New Jersey announced it has received a $75 million gift, the largest-ever donation to a U.S.-based Catholic hospital.

Christian groups sue over Trump administration policy allowing ICE arrests at churches The Department of Homeland Security in January rescinded previous guidelines that had prevented ICE agents from conducting immigration arrests at churches.

Evangelizing on social media more than just gaining followers, Leo XIV reminds influencers Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday participated in the Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on the occasion of the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers.

Canon law expert Edward Peters is third faculty member fired by Detroit archbishop Canon law professor Edward Peters, 68, had taught at Sacred Heart Major Seminary since 2005.

Vatican communication office urges 2-state solution

Vatican communication office urges 2-state solution as France backs Palestinian statehood

The editorial manager for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, Andrea Tornielli, called for a “two-state solution” and recognition of Palestine as a state.

Iconic Notre Dames des Champs church in Paris closed after 2 fires in 48 hours Notre Dame des Champs, a Catholic church in Paris, was targeted in an arson attack just 24 hours after an accidental fire broke out in its choir loft.

Trump administration acts to protect religious expression of federal workers U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has issued new guidance to safeguard the right of federal employees to express their religion in the workplace.

Federal judge orders government to keep funding Planned Parenthood, despite new law The One Big Beautiful Bill Act included a one-year freeze on some abortion facilities receiving Medicaid reimbursements for non-abortive services.

Vatican reports 2024 asset management earnings of 62 million euros The Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See presented its financial statement for the 2024 fiscal year, with net profits of 62.2 million euros ($72.1 million).

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association preps for more European court battles

Gaza’s Christians feed the starving across faiths
Religion Unplugged: Christian Mission to Gaza served about 2,000 hot meals over the weekend in the name of Gaza Baptist, said Hanna Massad, who served as the church’s first Palestinian pastor before founding CMG. But the meals only touch a small fraction of those in need.

Community demands release of Maryland pastor who was arrested by ICE
CBS News: Fuentes Espinal, a church pastor and construction worker, has lived in the U.S. since 2001. He is a father of three with no criminal record.

Religion News Service: Fourth group of religious organizations sues US over ICE raids at churches

Trump administration says federal employees can encourage co-workers to ‘re-think’ their religious beliefs
CBS: The Trump administration on Monday told federal workers they can talk about religion at work, including by trying to “persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views.”

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association preps for more European court battles*
Christianity Today: The evangelistic association headed by Franklin Graham has a legal fund that has grown to $1.25 million to help conservative Christians in Europe going to court in freedom-of-speech and freedom-of-religion cases.

Christianity is sexy now! How ‘hot priest’ influencers are drawing young people to the church in droves
Daily Mail: The face of Christianity is changing as a slew of handsome, fit priests are drawing new fans — and believers — over social media.

A less than Christian nation?

Faith leaders hope bill will stop the loss of thousands of clergy from abroad serving US communities
Associated Press: Faith leaders across the U.S. are hoping a bipartisan bill, recently introduced in the U.S. Senate and House, might finally bring resolution to an immigration issue that has been hindering their service to their communities for more than two years.

A less than Christian nation?
Baptist News Global: Mary and her Son capture the heart of Christianity from the beginning by declaring God’s care for the hungry, the humble, the poor, the blind, the oppressed and Jesus’ commitment to act on that calling.

Why government support for religion doesn’t necessarily make people more religious
The Conversation: The IRS will offer religious congregations more freedom to endorse political candidates without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status, the agency said in a July 2025 court filing.

Detroit archbishop fires 3 Sacred Heart Seminary theologians who criticized Pope Francis
National Catholic Reporter: Archbishop Edward Weisenburger of Detroit has fired three prominent theologians from their longstanding roles at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

A sanctuary for banned stories*
The Christian Century: When truth is being cast as lies, the sacred work of storytelling is urgent.

Where St. Francis slept on stone, pilgrims still find peace

Massacre in Congolese Catholic church kills at least 31 worshippers

According to the BBC, members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) stormed a church in the town of Komanda, where they shot and killed the worshippers.

Catholic moms launch ‘Dorothea Project’ to help migrants The Dorothea Project seeks to defend human dignity, respond to injustice, and educate others in Catholic social teaching.

Pope Leo XIV urges ‘full respect for humanitarian law’ in Gaza

Pope Leo XIV called for peace negotiations and respect for humanitarian law in Gaza, 10 days after an Israeli strike killed three people at the only Catholic church there.

PHOTOS: Where St. Francis slept on stone, pilgrims still find peace

The Hermitage of St. Francis is a little known sanctuary in Assisi that still preserves the spirit of St. Francis.

The Our Father explained by Pope Leo XIV

Why did the Israeli army attack a Catholic parish in Gaza? Israel “holds itself accountable” after investigation

ZENIT Staff

Days later, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the incident as the result of a “technical failure,” not a human miscalculation. In a report, military investigators claimed the damage had been caused by an unintentional munition deviation during an operation in the area.

How to build a solid priest in formation and happiness? 3 answers from Pope Leo XIV

ZENIT Staff

Address of the Pope to participants in the course for seminary formators at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum and to participants in the General Chapter of the Xaverian Missionaries

Relic of Saint Thomas More could be exhumed from Anglican church to be venerated by Catholics

ZENIT Staff

More’s head, once placed on a pike above London Bridge as a warning to traitors, was rescued by his daughter, Margaret Roper. After her death, both she and the relic were interred in the Roper family vault beneath St Dunstan’s — a space that has been opened several times in the past two centuries, most recently in 1997, confirming the presence of the skull in a niche.

Navigating Compassion: Sailor Honored for Transforming a Journey into a Lifeline

ZENIT Staff

Behind the scenes, Fairman assumed every role: skipper, engineer, communicator, host, fundraiser, and even press liaison. With his wife Deirdre anchoring efforts from land, he chronicled his odyssey with humility and clarity, engaging local and national media while continuing the day-to-day labor of sailing and outreach.

USA: 4th Circuit upholds WV law that protects women, the unborn

ZENIT Staff

A chemical abortion drug manufacturer is challenging West Virginia’s pro-life laws that protect unborn lives and maternal health and safety.

Oregon Department of Human Services denied single mother Jessica Bates’ application to adopt siblings from foster care because of her religious beliefs

ZENIT Staff

9th Circuit rejects gender-ideology mandate for adoption, Oregon mom now free to care for kids in need

Pope Leo XIV Meets Russian Orthodox Envoy Amid Hopes and Hurdles for Dialogue

ZENIT Staff

Metropolitan Anthony, who also attended the funeral of Pope Francis as Kirill’s representative, came bearing a message of goodwill and congratulations from the Moscow Patriarch to Leo XIV, recently elected Bishop of Rome

These are the top 5 states for religious freedom in the United States (and these are the 5 worst rated)

Tim Daniels

The index evaluates 47 legal safeguards across six domains: government policy, healthcare, economic life, religious institutions, family, and education. These are then grouped into 20 core safeguards, offering a comprehensive framework for analyzing how far states go to actively defend the rights of individuals and communities to live according to their beliefs.

UN Women’s Rights Czar Fights Back Against Trans-Feminist Smears

ZENIT Staff

Alsalem has been ostracized by the global women’s rights establishment and is being attacked viciously by government-backed trans-friendly women’s rights organizations and their media allies. The attacks are also coming from within the UN system, including the very UN rights office that should support her mandate.

The Our Father explained by Pope Leo XIV

ZENIT Staff

Address on the occasion of the Angelus prayer on Sunday, July 27, 2025

 

 

 

 

One Million Young People Are Expected in Rome

 

On Saturday, August 2nd, the doors of the large space at Tor Vergata will open at 9:00 a.m. From 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., the stage will host moments of entertainment with music and testimonies by Rudy Zerbi, Lorena Bianchetti and Paola Arriaza Avilés, Luigi Santarelli and Wallace Freitas, Victor Hernández and Fabiola Inzunza. Guests taking the stage will include the world-renowned Italian trio II Volo, Sergio Bernal, Matt Maher, Christian bands The Sun and Reale, Thiago Brado, Missionario Shalom, and Hakuna Group Music. The Diocesan Choir of Rome, directed by Monsignor Marco Frisina, with approximately 450 members, including the choir and orchestra, will animate the arrival of the Holy Father and the Vigil. The Prayer Vigil with the Holy Father will begin at 8:30 p.m., during which three young people will ask Pope Leo XIV questions on the themes of friendship, courage, and spirituality. At the end of the Vigil, the young people present will prepare for the night, with tents and sleeping bags.

Create Church 07.27.2025

Create Church San Diego

Based in North Park, we’re all about real faith and real community. Whether you're exploring faith or looking to grow, you’ll find teaching that challenges and encourages you. We believe everyone was made to create-real connections with the creator, healthy lives, fulfilling careers, and loving relationships. 

covenantchurchsd 07.27.2025

Covenant Presbyterian Church

Covenant Church at 30th & Howard  is a Christian church in the tradition of the Protestant Reformation and allied with the EPC [The Evangelical Presbyterian Church] We believe the Scriptures to be the infallible Word of God and our final authority in faith and practice, and we find the historic creeds of the early church (the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed) to be vital expressions of the most important tenets of the global church universal. When the EPC started in 1981, we determined that we would not disagree on the basic essentials of the Christian faith, but on anything that was not essential—such as the issue of ordaining women as officers or practicing charismatic gifts—we would give each other liberty. Above all, we committed ourselves to loving each other and not engaging in quarrels and strife. The result is that when we get together in our regional and national meetings, we spend most of our time in worship and fellowship and almost none in arguing with each other.