Faith & Family
Pope Leo calls for dialogue over conflict, says young Catholics are a sign of hope
Pope Leo XIV used a visit to the tiny landlocked San Marino and a major Catholic gathering in the Italian city of Rimini on Saturday to issue one of his strongest appeals yet against war, polarization and social division, urging believers to foster dialogue and friendship in a fractured world.
N.J. teen drops lawsuit against Facebook, Instagram that alleged online addiction
A New Jersey teen has dropped her lawsuit against the owners of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube that alleged the social media platforms try to get users addicted and caused her a mental health crisis.
Late-term abortions could surge in blue states that end gestational limits, researchers say
Researchers are warning that risky abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy could surge in 10 states that have abolished all gestational limits.
From rural routes to desegregation runs, the yellow school bus faces a new reality
They arrived in a kaleidoscope of colors, but one won. For decades, the American school bus has maintained such a standard look that "school bus yellow" is national shorthand for their deep, glossy hue.
How to help your kids make friends at a new school
For students starting at a new school, the first day holds many questions: Will they see any familiar faces? Who will they sit with at lunch? Who will they play with at recess?
Meta defends its child safety efforts but critics say the social media giant falls short
Meta insists it has a long history of protecting its youngest customers as it defends itself against a swath of lawsuits alleging its social media empire harms children.
Christian nationalists’ professed support for religious pluralism is often drowned out by perception
Christian nationalism, a worldview that sees the United States as a Christian nation and believes that Christianity should have a privileged role in American civic life, has been shown to be related to a host of social attitudes.
Appeals court rules against ICE arrests at churches
A Trump Homeland Security policy allowing ICE more freedom to make warrantless arrests at houses of worship tramples on the religious rights of migrants, churches, temples and mosques, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.
Supreme Court asked to review Texas law requiring the Ten Commandments in public schools
Civil rights advocates on Monday said they asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Texas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments, teeing up a case that could set a new national standard for the limits of state-sponsored religious expression in classrooms.
Seoul slammed over weaponized legal system targeting church leaders, new religions
The head of South Korea's largest Buddhist order and the aging leader of a Korean War veterans' association joined visiting European experts in decrying what they described as ongoing assaults on freedom of belief and expression in South Korea.
The ripple effects of the Iran war could threaten education for millions of kids around the world
Sou Sreynich dreams of becoming a teacher. But she knows she's far behind.
Feds accuse hospitals of pushing bogus gender-transition treatments to make money
A new Department of Health and Human Services report charges that hospitals pushed unnecessary gender transitions on vulnerable children because they saw dollar signs.
Hate crime charges filed in Manhattan synagogue attack
Hate crime charges have been filed against a man who disrupted Shabbat services in Manhattan's Central Synagogue and struck two people while being hustled outside Friday night.
Europe’s tallest statue of the Virgin Mary is inaugurated in a small Polish village
An enormous statue of the Virgin Mary that is believed to be Europe's tallest was inaugurated on Saturday in a small Polish village, financed by one of Poland's richest businesspeople.
DNC interfaith meeting exposes party’s Israel-Gaza rift ahead of midterms
The Democratic Party's deep fractures over the Israel-Hamas conflict spilled into the open at its interfaith gathering Friday as Jewish and Palestinian American members squared off over charged phrases like "from the river to the sea" and the word "genocide."
A federal judge blocks Idaho from prosecuting doctors for health-protecting abortions
A federal judge says Idaho can't prosecute doctors who perform abortions to protect a pregnant person's health or prevent self-harm.
In Weimar, Germany, a festival preserves Yiddish culture while reinventing it
In Weimar, Germany, where the streets once echoed with the notes and ideas of Bach, Liszt and Goethe, another European musical tradition has been reverberating for more than a quarter-century: Yiddish.
U.S. military base schools put new emphasis on Western civilization and Christianity
The Department of Defense is introducing a course centered on Western civilization and Christianity this fall in the schools it operates for military families, part of an effort by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to redirect the education system toward patriotic values and classical learning.
France’s top court blocks under-15 social media ban, citing constitutional freedoms
A top court in France on Friday struck down a law banning children under 15 from using social media, saying it infringes on fundamental freedoms.
U.S. missionary kidnapped in Niger is released after 9 months in captivity, his organization says
An American missionary who was kidnapped in Niger in October has been released, his organization said Friday.
