LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s been 126 years since cricket — the second most watched sport in the world — made an appearance in the Olympics. That’s about to change in 2028. On Wednesday, shovels hit the ground in Pomona, a city in the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, where construction has begun for…
Deb Haaland, the former congresswoman and interior secretary, might have expected a cakewalk after she declared her candidacy for the open governorship of New Mexico. A political celebrity in her Democratic state, she would make history as the first Native American woman elected governor. But Sam Bregman, district attorney of New Mexico’s most populous county…
A Connecticut diocese has a new fundraising officer on its team, and her name is Maria – but don’t expect to find her sitting at a desk in the pastoral center or making the rounds at parishes. That’s because she was generated by artificial intelligence. “We are piloting an AI Virtual Engagement Officer, Maria, to…
“There is no such thing as ‘separation of church and state’ in the U.S. Constitution,” the leader of the White House’s Religious Liberty Commission recently declared. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who sometimes preaches at Houston’s Second Baptist Church, made headlines when he made this pronouncement. It was a striking statement from a Baptist, given…
(RNS) — Last month, Muslims marked Eid al-Fitr amid war in Iran and surrounding countries, continued bombings in Gaza, violence in Sudan, crushing immigration enforcement and rising anti-Muslim attacks and verbiage, coupled with fear permeating in American Muslim communities as Islamophobic political efforts rise. That didn’t stop about 480 Muslims and interfaith allies from gathering…
Catholic theology informed from Vatican Council II WEST ORANGE, N.J. — Bishop George R. Lucey, FCM, Presiding Bishop of the American National Catholic Church, has released two new books offering timely reflections on faith, community, and the healing presence of Christ in the lives of those often overlooked by institutional religion. Together, Where Else Shall…
Rev. Vicki Garlock spent 30 days in September moving across Chicago, entering churches, mosques, temples and other sacred spaces. By the end of the month, she had visited 185 places of worship, setting a Guinness World Records title for the most visited in a single month. The previous benchmark stood at 76 and was raised mid-attempt…
Amid the failure of an attempt to bring in new laws allowing assisted dying for terminally ill people with less than six months to live, campaigners on both sides of the debate vented their anger and frustration with the opposing side. Its supporters, including terminally ill people, blamed the failure of the terminally ill adults…
President Trump announced a three-week extension of a cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon that had been set to expire in a few days, after hosting a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats at the White House on Thursday. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group that has been attacking Israel from southern Lebanon, did not have representatives…
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (RNS) — Pope Leo XIV departed Equatorial Guinea on Thursday afternoon (April 23), concluding an 11-day tour of four African nations that blended pastoral connection with pointed calls for justice, leaving behind both renewed hope and questions about what comes next. Hours after presiding over his final Mass in Malabo, the pope…
