Pope Francis visited a record 10 African countries throughout his pontificate, often venturing to areas ravaged by war, poverty or natural disaster.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace faced criticism over legal wrangling concerning universities and allegations of antisemitism during a town hall at a gated island community in her South Carolina district.

In the last 18 months of his life, Pope Francis had a frequent ritual: He would call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping with a devastating war.

As many as four in five immigrants at risk of deportation from the United States are Christian, according to a new report that calls on their fellow believers to consider the impact of aggressive deportation policies pursued under the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump says at a private religious group's Washington prayer breakfast he's forming a commission on religious liberty.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is heading to Syria to encourage the transition in the country following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by Islamist insurgents.

United Methodist News Service reports that a religious schism has turned deadly in Nigeria, with a church member fatally shot and two young children killed as homes were set ablaze.

In churches across long-stifled Syria, Christians have marked the first Sunday services since Bashar Assad’s ouster in an air of transformation.

At noon on Sundays in Worthington, Minnesota, an overflow crowd is still swaying to the Guatemalan band at Spanish-language Catholic Mass, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians are wrapping up their six-hour-long service, and at town’s edge among the cornfields, refugees from Southeast Asia gather to pray and sing in Karen at the Baptist church founded by Swedish farmers.

Donald Trump has received strong support from white evangelical Protestants in his presidential bids.

Dozens of members from Pakistan’s civil society have rallied in the southern port city of Karachi against the death sentence handed down to a Christian man on blasphemy charges, nearly a year after one of the worst mob attacks in the country on Christians.

The heads of major Christian denominations in Israel say that local governments across the country are demanding they pay property tax, violating a longstanding arrangement in a manner they say reflects growing intolerance for Christians in the Holy Land.

An evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, is considering revisions to its sexual standards.

Christian voters and faith leaders have long been in the frontlines of providing assistance to migrants.

The Cove is a pop-up, 18-and-up Christian nightclub in Nashville, Tennessee.

Former President Donald Trump is promising to use a second term in the White House to defend Christian values and is suggesting he’ll protect the faith's central icon, warning a convention of religious broadcasters that the left wants “to tear down crosses.”.

Christians around the world are striving on Christmas Eve to put aside worries and fears of an unsettled, war-torn world.

Supporters of Israel have rallied by the tens of thousands on Washington's National Mall, voicing solidarity in the fight against Hamas and crying “never again.”.

The public health department in Ottawa County in Michigan is facing deep cuts to its funding.

Police in eastern Pakistan have arrested 129 Muslims after a mob angered over an alleged desecration of a Quran by two men attacked more than a dozen churches and homes of minority Christians, prompting authorities to summon soldiers to restore order.

Police say a Muslim mob has attacked a Christian area in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, burning a church, damaging four others and demolishing a man's house after accusing him of desecrating Islam’s holy book.

For eight years, Donald Trump has managed to secure the support of many evangelical and conservative Christians despite behavior that has often seemed at odds with teachings espoused by Christ in the Gospels.

Pope Francis’ peace envoy for Ukraine has blasted war as a “pandemic” and said all Christians are called to be peacemakers.

From dressing as Roman soldiers in Antigua, Guatemala, to carrying palm fronds on the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, Christians around the world are celebrating Holy Week.

Many Christians around the world flock to Jerusalem each Easter to try and relive firsthand the events written about in the Bible on what is the most important week and day on the Christian calendar.

Leaders of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church have agreed to resolve their differences peacefully after weeks of deadly confrontations between rival followers of the synod and security forces that have left at least 10 people dead.

The religious makeup of the incoming 118th Congress looks more like what America used to be than what it is today.

The latest U.K. census has found that less than half of people in England and Wales consider themselves Christian.

Evangelical Christians across the U.S. reconfirmed their allegiance to conservative candidates and causes in the midterm elections.

An ancient Christian monastery possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

As Donald Trump considers another White House run, polls show he's the most popular figure in the Republican Party.

Pope Francis has expressed his spiritual closeness to Catholics in China and voiced hope that the church there operates in “freedom and tranquility.

Christian worshipers gathered in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Seplucher, the traditional site of Jesus’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection, to observe the Easter holiday.

Pope Francis invoked “gestures of peace in these days marked by the horror of war” in an Easter vigil homily in St. Peter’s Basilica attended by the mayor of the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol and three Ukrainian lawmakers.

Pakistani police have widened their manhunt for two unidentified assailants who shot and killed a Christian priest and wounded another the previous day in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

Authorities say a Nigerian leading the movement for the secession of southeast Nigeria from the rest of the country has been arrested.

Clerics and faithful from Eastern Orthodox churches are marking the annual Holy Fire ceremony inside Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulcher church.

South Korea’s daily increase in coronavirus infections exceeded 500 for the fourth straight day, a pace unseen since January, as experts raise concern about another viral surge amid a slow rollout in vaccines.

For a second year, Christians in the Holy Land are marking Good Friday without the mass pilgrimages usually seen in the Holy Week leading up to Easter because of the coronavirus.

Authorities have arrested 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long in the shootings at massage parlors in Atlanta and one in Cherokee County. Asian Americans were already rattled by a wave of racist attacks amid the spread of the coronavirus pandemic across the United States. Yoon said the woman, who was arrested, did not make any racist comments during the assault, but she couldn't help but think about rising attacks against Asian Americans. “God can handle even the rage and the devastation that comes out of us at times.”Catanus said he was glad to see that people are now “more awakened” to the experiences of Asian Americans. “There’s opportunities among faith communities that we need to stand up together and reach out to communities that are hurting, not only Asian American communities but other communities of color,” he said.

FILE - Pope Francis delivers his speech during a meeting with the Qaraqosh community at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, in Qaraqosh, Iraq, Sunday, March 7, 2021. The pope heard Abdallah’s testimony at a church ceremony in Qaraqosh last Sunday. AdQaraqosh, a majority Christian town in Ninevah, is just one of many that was attacked by IS seven years ago. The militants overran the town, damaged its church and scrawled the proclamation “Islamic State will remain" on town walls. “It was incredible to see the pope, I never dreamed I would be so close to him” she said.

A Malaysian court ruled Wednesday, March 10, 2021, that non-Muslims can use the word Allah to refer to God, in a major decision in a divisive issue for religious freedom in the Muslim-majority country. (AP Photo/Annice Lyn, File)KUALA LUMPUR – A Malaysian court ruled Wednesday that non-Muslims can use the word “Allah” to refer to God, in a major decision over a divisive issue for religious freedom in the Muslim-majority country. “The court has now said the word Allah can be used by all Malaysians,” Xavier said. AdThe United Malays National Organization and the conservative Islamic Party in joint statement said they viewed the court ruling with concern and demanded the government pursue the case in the Appeals Court. Anger over a lower court ruling against the government ban in 2009 led to a string of arson attacks and vandalism at churches and other places of worship.

Following a Mass on Sunday in the Iraqi city of Irbil, Francis met with Abdullah Kurdi and spent a long time with him, the Vatican said. Through an interpreter, the pope listened to Kurdi’s story and expressed sympathy for the loss of his family. Francis issued the appeal during a joyful visit to the Christian community of Qaraqosh, on the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq. Chaldean Catholic Patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako said Francis’ visit to Iraq was “miraculous” and had already borne fruits. AdChristian and Muslim leaders in Mosul have welcomed Pope Francis' visit to the Iraqi city devastated by war and are calling on Christians who fled the Islamic State group's onslaught to return.

Pope Francis celebrates mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Irbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)IRBIL – Pope Francis urged Iraq’s Christians on Sunday to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the community’s historic heartland, which was nearly erased by the Islamic State group’s horrific reign. Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, was at the heart of the IS so-called “caliphate” and witnessed the worst of the group’s rule inflicted on Muslims, Christians and others, including beheadings and mass killings. Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, became IS’s bureaucratic and financial backbone. Things are difficult for those living here.”At Qaraqosh, Francis urged its residents to continue to dream, and forgive.

Pope Francis, center arrives to concelebrate a mass in the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021. Francis honored Iraq’s persecuted Christians by celebrating Mass on Saturday at the Chaldean Catholic cathedral in Baghdad. ___6:30 p.m.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he is pleased to see the historic visit by Pope Francis to Iraq. Iraqi and Vatican church officials had promised social distancing and other health measures would be enforced during Francis’ four-day visit to Iraq, especially at his indoor events. Francis’ interfaith meeting in Ur came after his historic encounter in nearby Najaf with Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Pope Francis delivers his speech during a meeting with bishops and priests, at the Sayidat al-Nejat (Our Lady of Salvation) Cathedral, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. The pontiff’s landmark visit has been months in the making and is the first papal visit to Iraq, one that eluded his predecessors. The Alitalia flight, with both Vatican and Iraqi flags, carrying the pope and his delegation landed just before 2 p.m. (1100GMT). Dozens of Christians are gathering at the Church of the Virgin Mary in Baghdad hours before Pope Francis was due to land in Iraq for a first papal visit to the war-weary country. The papal visit has raised alarm among public health experts, who fear large crowds will inevitably gather to see the pope.

Pope Francis is welcomed upon his arrival at the Sayidat al-Nejat (Our Lady of Salvation) Cathedral, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. Pope Francis has arrived in Iraq to urge the country's dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns. They received a further blow when IS in 2014 swept through northern Iraq, including traditionally Christian towns across the Nineveh plains. Few have returned — estimates suggest there are fewer than 300,000 Christians still in Iraq and many of those remain displaced from their homes. Many Iraqi Christians cannot find work and blame discriminatory practices in the public sector, Iraq’s largest employer.

Iraq was estimated to have more than 1 million Christians before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Iraq was estimated to have nearly 1.5 million Christians before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. AdHere’s a look at disasters Iraq’s Christians have endured, from Saddam's ouster to the brutal campaign by Islamic State militants:U.S. It was the deadliest single assault ever recorded against Iraq’s Christians. To this day, the memory of the massacre is etched in the minds of Iraq’s Christian community.

AdBruni noted that Iraq has a predominantly young population, that the current daily caseload was small compared to the overall population. The pope will use a covered probably armored car for all his transfers, which the Vatican says should limit the formation of crowds on the street. The trip will mark the first-ever papal meeting with a grand ayatollah, the Iranian-born Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani. “Perhaps the best way to interpret this journey is as an act of love for this land, its people, its Christians,” Bruni said. “Every act of love can be interpreted as extreme, but as an extreme confirmation to be loved and confirmed in that love.”He acknowledged there might be consequences.

The Vatican on Monday released the itinerary of Francis’ March 5-8 visit to Iraq, his first foreign trip since being grounded for 16 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 84-year-old pontiff, who has been vaccinated against COVID-19, apparently intends to go ahead with the trip despite the pandemic and lingering security concerns. Francis had intended to visit Iraq that year, as did St. John Paul II in 2000, but both had to call off their trips due to security concerns. The next day, Francis travels to Najaf, home of al-Sistani, one of the world’s leading Shiite leaders. AdThe slow return of displaced Christians to northern Iraq since the territory was liberated from the Islamic State in 2017 remains a contentious issue.

FILE - in this Sunday, April 14, 2019 file photo, Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako addresses the faithful during the Palm Sunday service at Mar Youssif Church in Baghdad, Iraq. The Chaldean patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, provided the first details of Francis’ March 5-8 itinerary during a virtual news conference hosted by the French bishops' conference. The Vatican has confirmed the visit, but it still could be called off given the coronavirus pandemic. Sako dismissed the significance of the bombing on the overall security situation in Iraq and said, “There is no risk for the pope." Francis and the Vatican delegation will have been vaccinated by the time of the trip.

“It doesn’t feel like Christmas anyway, there’s no carols being played on the streets,” she said. "It’s Christmask,” the Daily Nation newspaper declared in Kenya, where a surge in cases led to doctors ending a brief strike Christmas Eve. Sypniewski, 58, bought her daughter pajamas, compared to a diamond bracelet last Christmas. Meanwhile, church services shifted online. A Christmas Eve pageant that is normally performed in person was recorded and shown online.

Few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened Christmas Eve celebrations. The Philippines prohibited mass gatherings and barred extended families from holding traditional Christmas Eve dinners. On Christmas Eve in Italy, church bells rang earlier than usual. In Athens, Christmas Eve was eerily silent. The schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas day included Masses in English and Spanish, and a bilingual jazz vespers service.

– The Nativity stable at Canton Lutheran Church will be silent this year, breaking from a community tradition of gathering for a live Christmas performance. Instead, churches in this rural corner of South Dakota are grappling with how to approach an Advent filled with quiet mourning after the coronavirus tore through the region. South Dakota and North Dakota, states largely spared from the worst of the pandemic during the spring and summer, have seen a frightening pace of death since October. “Advent is the season when we look forward, and long and wait for that new life to come upon us,” the Rev. How do you do that when you can’t give them a hug?” said Thies, the pastor at Canton Lutheran.

Christmas tree is lit outside the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)BETHLEHEM – Only a few dozen people attended the lighting of the Christmas tree in the biblical city of Bethlehem on Saturday night, as coronavirus restrictions scaled back the annual event that is normally attended by thousands. Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman said Christmas is being observed this year in ways like no time before. “We resorted to modern technology and to the virtual world to celebrate the lighting of the Christmas tree, wishing hope and optimism would flutter upon Palestine and the world,” Salman said. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists typically visit Bethlehem, fill hotels and dine at restaurants during the Christmas season, bringing the area a much-needed injection of cash.

As his administration draws to a close, some of those backers are approaching President-elect Joe Biden with skepticism, but not antagonism. During the Obama administration, Graham attended a conversation Biden convened among faith-based advocates about gun legislation. However, some groups such as Perkins' may find occasional opportunities to work with the Biden administration even while remaining critical of it in their messaging to members and fundraising, according to evangelical writer and analyst Napp Nazworth. Meanwhile, evangelicals outside those most closely associated with Trump already are identifying commonalities where they could partner with Biden. The Trump administration had slashed the refugee target to historic lows.

The conservative evangelical Christians who helped send Trump to the White House four years ago stuck by him again in 2020. But even if Trump doesnt get a second term, some conservative Christians see reasons to celebrate in this years election results. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)WASHINGTON – The conservative evangelical Christians who helped send Donald Trump to the White House four years ago stuck by him in 2020. But even if Trump doesn’t get a second term, some conservative Christians see reasons to celebrate in this year’s election results. White evangelical voters made up 23% of the vote nationwide and overwhelmingly favored Trump this fall, with about 8 in 10 backing him, according to AP VoteCast.

Shira Kline, a director of worship for Lab/Shul, a Jewish community-based organization, leads a group in song during an interfaith gathering outside of the Judson Memorial Church near Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. Muslims, Jews, Christians and Buddhists came together to show solidarity among faith communities as the country awaits the final result of the U.S. presidential election. “We’ve been here before," Lewis said outside the Judson Memorial Church near Washington Square Park. The group of about 20 broke into a call-and-response led by Lewis, who pumped her right fist in the air. Chris Long, assistant minister of the Community Church of New York closed his eyes and lifted his palms.

FILE - In this Nov. 21, 2019 file photo, Pope Francis blesses a statue of the Mother Mary as he celebrates Mass at the National Stadium, in Bangkok, Thailand. Pope Francis is giving his blessing to a new Vatican think tank that is seeking to prevent the Mafia and organized crime groups from exploiting the image of the Virgin Mary for their own illicit ends. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)ROME – Pope Francis is giving his blessing to a new Vatican think tank that is seeking to prevent the Mafia and organized crime groups from exploiting the image of the Virgin Mary for their own illicit ends. The Catholic Church in Italy has long been associated with the Mafia, thanks in part to their post-war common cause against communism. Marian devotion is particularly important to Francis, history's first pope from Latin America, where displays of such popular piety are common.

Two authoritative religious bodies are calling on Christians to band together to fight sins laid bare or aggravated by the pandemic, including racism and economic injustice. The document declared that Christians are compelled to work to heal inequalities, including between men and women. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)VATICAN CITY Two authoritative religious bodies on Thursday called on Christians to band together to fight sins laid bare or aggravated by the pandemic, including racism and economic injustice. The World Council of Churches brings together churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories, representing more than a half-billion Christians. Now is the time for discovering new forms of solidarity for rethinking the post-COVID-19 world, the document said.

(AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)NEW DELHI Indias coronavirus caseload has risen to 425,282 as infections soar in rural areas to which migrant workers fleeing major cities have returned in recent weeks. Indias government planning body Niti Aayog says infections have now emerged in 98 out of 112 of the countrys poorest districts. The figures released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday brought the national caseload to 12,438 cases, including 280 deaths. ___SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- An inmate from Avenal State Prison in California has died from what appear to be complications from the coronavirus. Its the first death at Avenal State Prison in Kings County, where 131 inmates have tested positive for the virus.

(CNN) - The US government is honoring an 83-year-old Muslim cleric who hid 262 Christians in his home and mosque during an attack in central Nigeria. Imam Abubakar Abdullahi, along with four religious leaders from Sudan, Iraq, Brazil and Cyprus, were awarded the 2019 the International Religious Freedom Award, which is given to advocates of religious freedom. The cleric refused to give them up when their attackers asked about their whereabouts, International Religious Freedom Ambassador Sam Brownback said at the awards ceremony in Washington on Wednesday. "His actions bear witness to true courage, true selflessness, and true brotherly love," he said. The State Department, organizers of the award, given to advocates of religious freedom, said the Muslim cleric selflessly risked his own life to save members of another religious community who without his intervention would have been killed.