David Crary

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis formally approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, the Vatican announced Monday, a radical shift in policy that aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its ban on gay marriage.

In the midterm elections, evangelical Christians across the nation reconfirmed their allegiance to conservative candidates and causes, while Catholic voters once again showed how closely divided they are – even on abortion.

NEW YORK (AP) – Amid the Boy Scouts of America's complex bankruptcy case, there is worsening friction between the BSA and the major religious groups that help it run thousands of scout units. At issue: the churches' fears that an eventual settlement – while protecting the BSA from future sex-abuse lawsuits – could leave many churches unprotected.

Facebook ya le pide sus pensamientos. Ahora quiere tus oraciones. El gigante de las redes sociales ha lanzado una nueva función de solicitud de oración, una herramienta adoptada por algunos líderes religiosos como una forma innovadora de involucrar a los fieles en línea.

Facebook already asks for your thoughts. Now it wants your prayers.

At an intense pace, lawmakers in Republican-governed states are considering an array of tough anti-abortion restrictions they hope might reach the Supreme Court and win approval from its conservative majority, overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a nationwide right to abortion.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – The global Christian ministry founded by the late Ravi Zacharias said Wednesday it will suspend fundraising, lay off 60 percent of its staff and overhaul its mission in the wake of revelations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with massage therapists and carried on many amorous extramarital relationships via texts and email.

(AP) – Conservative leaders within the United Methodist Church unveiled plans Monday (March 1) to form a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church, with a doctrine that does not recognize same-sex marriage.

NEW YORK (AP) — A posthumous sexual misconduct scandal involving its founder and namesake has placed Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in a wrenching predicament. The organization faces calls from within its own ranks to change its name, pay reparations to any victims and oust some top leaders, including Zacharias family members.

NOEL, Mo. (AP) — Thirty miles of rural Missouri separate the two churches, and so much else. One is mostly white; the other hosts services in five languages for a flock that spans the world.