Religion news and stories by mail.com

Religion

Lawyer: Vatican expert had little motive to steal
A Vatican computer expert accused of helping the pope's former butler steal secret correspondence did not know the man well and had little motive to ...
'I do?' Opposition dogs French gay marriage plans
A plan to legalize same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt was a liberal cornerstone of Francois Hollande's election manifesto earlier this ...
Gulf squeeze on dissent raises alarm with allies
The Gulf has been the slow burn of the Arab uprisings. The fraternity of rulers in the oil-rich region has remained intact with tactics ranging from ...
AP Photos: Egypt's Copts choose new pope
A blindfolded child reached into a crystal chalice and pulled out a slip of paper — and Egypt's Coptic Christians had a new pope. The colorful but ...
Egypt's Copts choose new pope for uncertain times
Egypt's ancient Coptic Christian Church named a new pope on Sunday to spiritually guide the community through a time when many fear for their future ...
Gov't: BBC could face public inquiry over Savile
Britain's government could order a full public inquiry into the British Broadcasting Corp.'s handling of the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal, the ...
Brazil's 'pop-star priest' gets mammoth new stage
Brazil's "pop-star priest" is already packing in the crowds at the newly opened mammoth sanctuary that he built for his campaign to stem the exodus ...
Israel's Barak rejects Egypt remark made by aide
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has distanced himself from remarks made by one of his senior aides, who dubbed Egypt's government a "shocking ...
IRS not enforcing rules on churches and politics
For the past three years, the Internal Revenue Service hasn't been investigating complaints of partisan political activity by churches, leaving ...
Judge backs NASA lab in work discrimination case
A California judge has tentatively ruled in favor of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a former computer ...
Flowers, ritual, horse race mark Day of the Dead
Mexicans cleaned the bones of dead relatives and decorated their graves with flowers and candy skulls. In Haiti, voodoo practitioners circled an iron ...
Holy Sepulchre bank account blocked for water bill
A clergyman from the church built on the site where Jesus Christ is said to have been crucified said Friday that its bank account has been frozen as ...
Egyptian Islamists hold pro-Shariah protest
Hundreds of ultraconservative Egyptian Islamists have held a protest in Cairo to demand the imposition of Shariah, or Islamic law. Protesters, many ...
Ethiopia Muslims rally on Fridays as tension rises
As midday prayers came to an end at the Grand Anwar mosque in Ethiopia's capital, worshippers continued on to what has become a regular second act on ...
Iraqi tourist sector hurt by Iran's currency pain
The plunge in Iran's currency is proving bad for business in neighboring Iraq. Yousif Jassim Mohammed would know. The Iraqi merchant's gift shop sits ...
Judge: Employee not let go over intelligent design
A former computer specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory was not dismissed because he advocated his belief in intelligent design while at ...
Bahrain activist sentenced for anti-king web posts
A civil court has sentenced an online activist to six months in prison on charges of insulting the Gulf nation's king in Twitter posts, the official ...
Armed men occupy Libya parliament vicinity
Around 200 mostly armed protesters and militiamen occupied an area near Libya's parliament building on Thursday, blocking nearby roads and beating up ...
Syrians wary of US push to overhaul opposition
Members of Syria's opposition-in-exile bristled Thursday at the Obama administration's suggestion that Washington will handpick more representative ...
Hobby Lobby asks judge to block health care law
An arts and craft supply company owned by a Christian family asked a judge Thursday to block a portion of the new federal health care law, claiming ...
Iraq court hands Sunni VP 2nd death sentence
An Iraqi court on Thursday unexpectedly convicted the country's fugitive Sunni vice president on charges of instigating bodyguards to assassinate a ...
Egypt's Brotherhood: Shariah must be charter base
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said Wednesday it is committed to enshrining Islamic Shariah law as the main source of a new constitution, seeking to ...
Syria war puts anti-US alliance on the defensive
When the Hamas rulers of Gaza recently gave a hero's welcome to the ruler of Qatar, an arch foe of the Syrian regime, it sent a strong message ...
Despite volume, no plan to limit Sistine tourists
Five centuries after Michelangelo's ceiling of frescoes was inaugurated in the Sistine Chapel, Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday celebrated the "symphony ...
Israeli official vows to end draft exemptions
Israel's new hawkish bloc will do away with a contentious system of draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men if it forms the next government, Israel's ...