Religion News

Church of England gets first female bishop despite protest

York - The Church of England ended centuries of male-only leadership on Monday as Libby Lane became its first female bishop in a ceremony briefly disrupted by a traditionalist priest's protest.

Church of England gets first female bishop despite split

London - Libby Lane becomes the Church of England's first female bishop on Monday despite entrenched opposition from traditionalists, who say that the clergy's top rung is no place for a woman.

Thousands join anti-Islam rally as Germany worries about image

Berlin - Thousands of people joined a march by the German anti-Islamisation PEGIDA movement on Sunday, the group's first rally since threats surfaced against the group and its leader resigned over "Hitler" photos.

Anti-Muslim acts soar in France since Paris attacks

Paris - The number of anti-Muslim incidents in France has soared since the Paris attacks, with 128 such acts registered over two weeks, almost the same amount as all 2014, a watchdog said Friday.

Beggars taken off the streets for Philippines papal visit

Manila - The Philippines government came under fire Friday after admitting that hundreds of homeless people were taken off Manila's streets and put into luxury accommodation during Pope Francis's recent visit, when he preached compassion for the poor.

Pope sees 'shadows and dangers' amid Vatican attack fears

- Pope Francis on Thursday told Italian police officers in charge of security around the Vatican that he saw "shadows and dangers", but urged them not to give in to fear.

UN meets to confront anti-Semitism after Paris attacks

New York - French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy on Thursday led calls at the United Nations to confront a global rise in anti-Semitism, during a special session held two weeks after the Paris attacks that shocked the world.

Myanmar to look into monk 'whore' slur after UN reproach

Myanmar Thursday said it would look into incendiary comments by the country's most notorious hardline monk who branded a UN envoy a "whore" after strong condemnation from the United Nation's, but indicated it was unlikely to act against the cleric.

Jews, Muslims, Christians tackle religious violence at Davos

Davos - What do a rabbi, an archbishop, a top Islamic academic and former British prime minister Tony Blair have in common?

Pope rows back from 'rabbits' comments, praises large families

- Pope Francis on Wednesday described large families as a "gift from God", just days after he said Catholics did not need to "breed like rabbits".

Op-Ed: Are the Paris massacres religious?

New York - Some human beings are violent. Some are religious. Some are one or the other. Some are both. Some are neither. Is there such a thing as religious violence per se?

Pope Francis leaves door open to Dalai Lama meeting

Rome - Pope Francis left the door open to a meeting with the Dalai Lama, denying that he refused to receive the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader in December over fears of upsetting China.

Pope says Catholics do not need to breed 'like rabbits'

Rome - Pope Francis has said that good Catholics do not have to breed "like rabbits", defending the Church's stance on artificial contraception and appealing to the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics to practise responsible parenting.

Islamic State marauders release 200 captives

Irbil - Scores of Yazidis being held captive by Islamic State were released Saturday in the Iraqi city of Irbil, Kurdish military officials reported.

Pope ends record-setting Asia tour

Manila - Masses of cheering believers in the Philippines turned out to bid farewell to Pope Francis on Monday, a fitting end to a week in Asia that saw him draw record crowds and campaign relentlessly for the poor.

Pope attracts world-record crowd in wet Philippines

Manila - Pope Francis drew a record six million people as he celebrated mass in the rain-swept Philippine capital Sunday, a triumphant finale to an Asian tour in which he championed the plight of the poor.

Weeping Philippine girl challenges pope on prostitution

Manila - A weeping 12-year-old Philippine girl, asking how God could allow children to become prostitutes, moved Pope Francis on Sunday to hug her and appeal for everyone to show more compassion.

Pope celebrates mass with millions in wet Philippines

Manila - Pope Francis celebrated mass with millions of singing and cheering Catholics in the Philippine capital on Sunday, in one of the world's biggest outpourings of papal devotion.

Pope flees Philippine storm, cuts short typhoon mercy trip

Tacloban - Pope Francis was forced Saturday to flee a fierce storm in the Philippines that killed a papal volunteer, cutting short a mercy mission to weeping survivors of a catastrophic super typhoon.

U.S., UN warn Myanmar over growing religious tensions

A top American diplomat Friday decried growing religious intolerance in Myanmar and warned the use of faith for political ends was "playing with fire" in a crunch election year for the former junta-run country.

Kerry to meet Hollande as Belgium holds anti-terror operation

Paris - US Secretary of State John Kerry was to meet with French President Francois Hollande Friday, hours after police in neighbouring Belgium launched an anti-terrorist raid that left two suspects dead and raised fresh alarm in Europe.

Pope demands Philippine leaders end graft, fight poverty

Manila - Pope Francis on Friday demanded leaders in the Philippines end "scandalous social inequalities", hitting out at corruption in a nation where tens of millions of Catholics endure brutal poverty.

Pope top billing in Philippines from cathedral to arena

Manila - Pope Francis will celebrate mass at a centuries-old cathedral and later meet worshippers in a stadium setting more familiar to rock stars as his trip to the Philippines gets into full swing on Friday.

Op-Ed: Pope Francis wrong in saying 'one cannot make fun of faith'

Though Pope Francis has condemned the terrorist attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which killed twelve innocent people, he has erred terribly by insisting "one cannot make fun of faith." Words do not justify hitting.

Kerry arrives in France as anti-terror raid underway in Belgium

Paris - US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in France Thursday "to share a big hug for Paris" hours after funerals were held for five of the 17 people killed in last week's jihadist attacks.

Hollande says Muslims 'main victims of fanaticism, intolerance'

Paris - French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that Muslims suffered the most from fundamentalism and intolerance, as the country grapples with the fallout from a string of Islamist attacks.

Security 'nightmare' for Philippine papal visit

Manila - Philippine troops are facing a security "nightmare" during Pope Francis's visit starting on Thursday, with potential stampedes, Islamic militants and lone-wolf assailants all concerns.

Pope leads joyous million-strong mass on Sri Lanka seafront

Colombo - A million worshippers packed the Colombo seafront to greet Pope Francis as he canonised Sri Lanka's first saint on Wednesday in the biggest public celebration the city has ever witnessed.

'Exhausted' pope cancels meeting with Sri Lanka bishops

Colombo - Pope Francis on Tuesday cancelled a planned meeting with Sri Lankan bishops, with one security official saying he was "exhausted" after a long journey from the airport exposed to the hot sun.

Pope urges respect for human rights on Sri Lanka trip

Colombo - Pope Francis urged respect for human rights as he began a two-nation Asia tour in a windswept Sri Lanka Tuesday, bearing a message of peace and reconciliation after a decades-long civil war.