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Religious issues

State Dept: Reports of anti-Semitism increase
The State Department appointed a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism Monday as a new report documents a global increase in incidents of ...
Retired Anglican priest jailed for sex abuse
A retired Church of England priest was jailed for 10 years Monday after a jury found him guilty of 36 separate sex offenses against children in the ...
Pope leads pep rally at Vatican, meets with Merkel
Pope Francis lamented that investment losses by banks trigger more alarm in the economic crisis than the struggle of people to feed their families, ...
Attacks kill 16 in Iraq, 8 police kidnapped
A string of attacks killed at least 16 people in Iraq on Saturday, while gunmen abducted eight policemen guarding a post on the country's main highway ...
Nigeria military declares 24-hour curfew in city
Nigeria's military declared a 24-hour curfew Saturday on neighborhoods in a northeastern city that's the spiritual home of an Islamic extremist ...
Afghan lawmakers block law on women's rights
Conservative religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation on Saturday aimed at strengthening provisions for women's freedoms, arguing that ...
Egyptians targeted with blasphemy charges
The pale, young Christian woman sat handcuffed in the courtroom, accused of insulting Islam while teaching history of religions to fourth-graders.
Bombs targeting Sunnis kill at least 76 in Iraq
Bombs ripped through Sunni areas in Baghdad and surrounding areas Friday, killing at least 76 people in the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight ...
Georgia governor engaged in Bible dispute
When Ed Buckner and his family went to a north Georgia state park to celebrate his son's birthday, he was surprised and concerned to find Bibles in ...
Syrian troops repel rebel attack on Aleppo prison
Syrian rebels withdrew from a prison in the northern city of Aleppo Thursday after heavy fighting with government troops, an activist group said, as ...
Polish exports of meat for Jews, Muslims in limbo
For some, it was a barbaric way to treat animals. For others, it was great business. Until January, slaughterhouses across Poland — a deeply Catholic ...
APNewsBreak: Deal reached in Catholic lawsuit
A lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Bishop Robert Finn by a girl who was 2 years old when Kansas City priest Shawn ...
Court denies US asylum to German home-schoolers
A federal appeals court has denied asylum to a Christian family that fled Germany so they could home-school their children, after ruling that U.S.
Scottish cardinal to atone for sexual misconduct
The Vatican on Wednesday ordered a disgraced Scottish cardinal to leave Scotland for several months to pray and atone for sexual misconduct, issuing ...
Egyptian judges suspend talks with president
In the judiciary's latest face-off with Egypt's Islamist rulers, the country's top council of judges decided Wednesday to suspend its participation ...
Wave of bombings kills at least 33 in Iraq
A car bomb exploded near a bus station in Baghdad's main Shiite district Wednesday, the deadliest in a series of explosions that killed at least 33 ...
Sharif's win sparks hope for Pakistan-India ties
Over a decade ago, the man now set to become Pakistan's next prime minister stood at this border crossing with archenemy India to inaugurate a ...
Confrontation looms as Tunisia moves on salafis
Tunisia is taking a harder line on preaching by ultraconservative Muslim groups, a crackdown that has sparked demonstrations by rock-throwing ...
Singapore church on trial in pop star scandal
Singapore opened a long-anticipated corruption trial Wednesday of six church leaders accused of embezzling more than $40 million to fund the pop music ...
Attacks against Lebanese Alawites deepen fears
Lebanese members of the Syrian leader's Alawite sect fear their tiny community will be a casualty of the civil war raging in the neighboring country.
Egypt: detained Christian teacher released on bail
An Egyptian Christian teacher detained over charges of insulting Islam has been released on bail on Tuesday, her lawyer said. A history and geography ...
Court urged to reject Jackson doctor's appeal
The involuntary manslaughter conviction of Michael Jackson's doctor should not be overturned because there were no serious errors made by the judge ...
Ex-Philippine president leading in race for Manila
Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada was leading in the vote-count for mayor of Manila on Tuesday in what could be his first elected post since ...
Ex-yeshiva teacher admits sex assault of NJ boy
With other accusers stepping forward, a former yeshiva teacher changed pleas Monday in the middle of his trial, admitting he sexually abused a boy he ...
Attacks on Sunni mosques fuel fears in Iraq
A sharp rise in attacks on Sunni holy sites in Iraq is feeding fears that the country could spiral into a new round of sectarian violence similar to ...