religion

Archbishop José Gomez, 67, was elected to lead the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Tuesday. He's seen here blessing a dog with holy water during the annual Blessing of the Animals ceremony in Los Angeles last year.

U.S. Catholic Bishops Elect Their First Latino President: Archbishop José Gomez

3:56pm November 12, 2019

by Bill Chappell

Gomez has been archbishop of Los Angeles, the largest Roman Catholic diocese in the U.S., for most of the past decade. He has been vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops since 2016.

Evangelical Christians On Faith And Politics

4:51pm November 11, 2019

In, Part 1 of a two-part conversation with evangelical Christians in Fayetteville, N.C. about faith and politics, we talk about issues on their minds and impeachment.

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Flanked by Buddhist monks, the Dalai Lama, 84, greets visitors in September at a prayer ceremony at his monastery in Dharamsala, India.

Who Will Decide On The Dalai Lama's Successor — His Supporters Or Beijing?

9:25am November 10, 2019

by Lauren Frayer

"The Dalai Lama's reincarnation is a civilizational struggle between China and Tibetans over who controls Tibetan Buddhism," says Amitabh Mathur, a former Indian government adviser on Tibetan affairs.

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A Hindu devotee waves an Indian national flag and celebrates a verdict in a decades-old land title dispute between Muslims and Hindus, in Ayodhya, India, on Saturday.

Indian Supreme Court Rules Disputed Territory Belongs To Hindus

5:47pm November 09, 2019

by Sushmita Pathak

The territory, in northern India, was the site of a 16th century mosque, torn down in 1992 by Hindu extremists. Judges paved the way on Saturday for a Hindu temple to be built there.

Religion

The History Of Mormons In Mexico

5:02pm November 09, 2019

NPR's Michel Martin talks with Patrick Mason, professor of Mormon history and culture at Utah State University, about the history of Mormon communities in Mexico.

Relatives And Friends Mourn Mormons Killed In Mexico Attack

7:32am November 08, 2019

by Kendal Blust

Funerals for the three mothers and six children who were killed in Monday's ambush were held near their homes in Mexico Thursday. Security was tight as family members grieved.

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Augustine of Hippo was among those in the Catholic Church who championed its eventual rejection of intrafamily marriages, which researchers say may have paved the way for a breakdown of extended family networks in Western Europe.

Western Individualism May Have Roots In The Medieval Church's Obsession With Incest

6:15pm November 07, 2019

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Researchers combed Vatican archives to find records of how ancient church policies restricting whom one could marry shaped Western values and family structures today.

Roger Severino, director of the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services, was a major driver of the rule struck down Wednesday. A federal judge found the rule issued earlier this year — making it easier for health care work

Judge Scraps 'Conscience' Rule Protecting Doctors Who Deny Care For Religious Reasons

3:09pm November 06, 2019

The U.S. judge found that the Trump administration's rule violates the law in "numerous, fundamental, and far-reaching" ways. Critics said the rule prioritized providers over patients.

Members of the extended LeBaron family were caught in a brutal attack, Mexican officials say. Here, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador looks on as Security Minister Alfonso Durazo discusses the attack during a news conference Tuesday morning.

9 Family Members, All U.S. Citizens, Die In Highway Attack In Mexico

6:03pm November 05, 2019

by Bill Chappell

Three women and six children were killed as they drove in a small convoy. Mexican officials say they are investigating whether the family members were targeted or were victims of mistaken identity.

Sergei Klimov is the eighth Jehovah's Witness to be sentenced since ban calling the banned the religious group as an extremist organization went into effect in 2017, Reuters reports.

World News

Russian Court Sentences Jehovah's Witness To 6 Years In Prison For 'Extremism'

5:36pm November 05, 2019

A string of Jehovah's Witnesses have been convicted since Russia's Supreme Court banned the Christian denomination as an "extremist organization" in 2017.