Religion News Service

The history of Black Christianity in America came to television screens this month in a documentary series based on a new book, The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song, by Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr., a Harvard University historian. An interview with Stacey Holman, who produced and directed the series.

A group of Apache peoples and other Native American and non-Native supporters has filed an emergency motion to stop the U.S. government from transferring an Apache sacred site in Arizona to a mining company in the next two weeks.

A Catholic social justice activist who police knocked down during a protest over racism last year has sued the city of Buffalo, its mayor, the police commissioner and several police officers.

Following months of lockdown, the historic collection at the Vatican Museums reopened to the public last week but drew criticism from guides and visitors for the excessive crowds and lack of social distancing.

I suggest we should use our digital gadgets to celebrate Lent better, especially during the pandemic that has made it so difficult to go to church. 

There are filters that blur "imperfections" in photos and filters that turn lawyers into cats on Zoom. Now there are filters to help Christians safely display the very visible Ash Wednesday mark on social media.

References to faith were a constant at last week's impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump, with Democrats appearing especially comfortable invoking religion when discussing the attack on the U.S. Capitol by insurrectionists on Jan. 6.

Most Black Americans attend predominantly Black congregations, but a majority think such congregations should welcome people of other races, a study from Pew Research Center shows.

Signs of the Times: After the Obama and Trump administrations, the Biden administration has been left to pick its way through a minefield regarding the Little Sisters of the Poor and the contraceptive mandate.

Since Biden's inauguration, the bishops' conference has been busy putting out press releases that for the most part welcome the new administration's policy initiatives, including those that reverse core policies of the Trump administration.

Germany's Catholic bishops are planning a set of conferences slated to address questions such as women's roles and LGBTQ acceptance, as the country faces another scandal of sexual abuse by clergy.

In a recent interview, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the second-highest official at the Vatican, addressed the institution's recent financial scandals, the pope's upcoming trip to Iraq and the Vatican's controversial deal with China.

Fantasy novel enthusiasts wish to turn the house of famed Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien in Oxford, where he wrote "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit," into a meeting place for writers, screenwriters and filmmakers from all cultures and faith backgrounds.

U.S. Catholic bishops are getting ready to wage war on the new administration — and possibly each other — over the Catholic president's positions on abortion, gay rights and religious freedom.

The morning of Jan. 21, I received my first COVID-19 vaccination, which means that two weeks after my second shot, I will be free to leave my house. What will I do with that freedom?

A small but vocal minority wants to punish the new president for his support of legalized abortion, gay rights and birth control. These are the bishops who consider Biden a bad Catholic who should not be allowed to go to Communion. But even the late Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, no liberal, thought this was a bad idea and told his priests not to play cop at the Communion rail.

Faith groups and religious leaders are urging newly inaugurated U.S. President Joe Biden to steer away from hard-line policies that would make it difficult for migrants to seek asylum. 

The Rev. Kevin O’Brien said: As you live out this mission as servant leaders, I also remind you of the Lord’s promise ... "The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. .... Then the God of peace will be with you."

The Bible is so big — with a leather cover, metal clasps and 5 inches of thickness — that Jill Biden held it with two hands when her husband was sworn in as President Barack Obama's vice president.

"Joanne was a brilliant and accomplished musician, a wonderful advocate for the arts, and a dear friend to everyone in our organization," said the account of Fred Rogers Productions on Twitter.