MATERA, Italy — Matera, in the south of Italy, is known as the “City of Stones” for its architecture. For the next season of “The Chosen,” it’ll be known by another name: Jerusalem. With its ancient caves, breathtaking scenery, dramatic cliffs and houses made of stone, Matera is ...
DALLAS (AP) — Southern Baptist representatives on Wednesday fended off two efforts to move the staunchly conservative body even more sharply to the right, giving a vote of confidence to its public-policy agency and defeating a proposed constitutional ban on churches with women pastors. The ...
With Memorial Day behind us, we now focus our attention on the coming of summer. For those of us who prefer the more tropic-like temperatures, yet choose to live in the northeast (why did we do that?), we look with anticipation to the sunny days of summer. We live with expectation: “the ...
There are some holidays that are celebrated on the same day by the Jewish and the Christian faiths. The term “holiday” originally referred to “holy days.” Last week was Pentecost in the Christian faith; it is also Shavuot or the Festival Of Weeks in the Jewish faith. There are some ...
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV declared himself a Roman on Sunday as he completed the final ceremonial steps cementing his role as the bishop of Rome. The first American pope formally took possession of the St. John Lateran Basilica, which is Rome's cathedral and seat of the diocese, with an evening Mass attended by Roman priests and faithful. He then took the popemobile for a visit to St. Mary Major, where he prayed before Pope Francis' tomb and an icon of the Virgin Mary beloved to many Roman faithful. In his homily, Leo said he wanted to listen to them "in order to learn, ...
VATICAN CITY (AP) — With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals on Wednesday began the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis, opening the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith's 2,000-year ...
