(ANALYSIS) In a big electoral upset, Hungarian voters on Sunday ousted long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orban after 16 years in power — rejecting the authoritarian policies and the right-wing movement he embodied in favor of a pro-European challenger. Orban, in conceding defeat, told supporters: “The responsibility and opportunity to govern were not given to us.”
Read MoreEvery year, between late May and early June, something happens on the 43-mile road to the Catholic sanctuary of Popenguine, outside Dakar, that is unremarkable in Senegal and extraordinary almost anywhere else in Africa or the world: Muslim youth walk the route alongside their Christian peers.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In a world in which the Vatican has only soft power, the pope’s decrees carry only as much power as they are given. But however soft the pope’s power may be, that surreal Vatican visit to the Pentagon suggests that even the best-armed military in the world is afraid of it.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In the midst of a civil war, married couple Ernesto and Linda Fuentes fled their home country of El Salvador and headed for Philadelphia, via Mexico, in November 1983. Ernesto was an activist who dispensed food and medicine in Salvadoran refugee camps. Linda was a union organizer for banks and clothing factories.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Pope Leo XIV will begin his journey to four African countries — Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea — on April 13. Africa represents the fastest-growing part of the Catholic Church worldwide, seeing an increase from 281 million members in 2023 to over 288 million in 2024.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The man who would become one of Christianity's most formidable minds spent his early life doing things he knew were wrong and deploying his considerable intelligence to explain why that was probably fine. Saint Augustine of Hippo would go on to forever change his life, and with it, Christianity.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Christianity is growing globally, especially in the Global South and parts of Europe, with record adult conversions in Monaco, France, Austria, Belgium and rising U.S. Catholic baptisms. But earlier claims of a British revival were debunked, and U.S. secularism, though temporarily declining, remains high among younger generations, suggesting long-term Western decline.
Read More(REVIEW) What will the legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese add to these depictions of Mary that we haven’t seen before? Frankly, not much.
Read More(REVIEW) In the last eighteen months, two Christian publishers have released books reimagining C.S. Lewis’s classic ‘The Screwtape Letters’ as concerning the temptation not of a man, but of a woman. The authors are at their best when they take the Lewisian approach, considering women not just as females, but as humans.
Read MoreAhead of Easter, newsrooms often chase predictable religion stories, but recent reporting highlights a more complex reality. While Catholic and Orthodox churches are seeing notable increases in converts, broader trends show ongoing decline in attendance and affiliation. The result is not a single revival, but a fragmented landscape of growth and loss.
Read More(PHOTO ESSAY) About 200 Catholic workers in Bangladesh’s Zirani industrial area marked Good Friday by staging the Way of the Living Cross. Despite demanding jobs, mostly in garment factories, they practiced and performed the devotion, reflecting their strong faith. In Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Easter Sunday is not an official holiday.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In April 1300, Dante Alighieri stepped into a dark wood and started walking. He didn’t pick that time of year by accident. Holy Week — the week Christians set aside to remember death and resurrection — is precisely when the Italian began his tour of the afterlife in his epic poem “The Divine Comedy.”
Read MoreAt least 53 Nigerians were killed in three Palm Sunday attacks in predominantly Christian communities in North Central Nigeria. Not all of the victims were Christians in the deadliest attack when at least 30 people were killed and several others hospitalized, Open Doors UK reported. But all attacks occurred in areas known to be predominantly or significantly Christian, with a Voice of the Martyrs field worker describing the Jos community as “100 percent Christian.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) “Solo Mio,” a low-budget romantic comedy starring Kevin James, blends classic rom-com tropes with overt Catholic elements, raising questions about whether it’s faith-based or mainstream. Its strong box office return highlights growing interest in profitable, faith-friendly films as Hollywood shifts away from big-budget franchises toward niche genres.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In war-torn Iraq, Muslims will join Christians in celebrating Easter every year, fostering a spirit of solidarity and coexistence. The celebrations have gained prominence since ISIS was forced out of major strongholds. Around 140,000 Christians in Baghdad, Mosul, the disputed territory of Nineveh plains celebrate Lent, which culminates with Easter Sunday.
Read More(REVIEW) Easter traditions like hot cross buns and chocolate eggs are widely enjoyed, but their deeper Christian meaning is often overlooked. Sister Liz Dodd’s book “Easter in Disguise” urges a return to the festival’s spiritual roots, encouraging reflection on justice, peace and radical discipleship during Lent and Holy Week.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Israel briefly barred Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday, citing wartime security and triggering concerns over religious freedom. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reversed the decision, highlighting tensions between security measures and preserving Jerusalem’s sensitive religious status quo.
Read MoreVery few superheroes wear their faith on their sleeves like Daredevil. But the Season 2 opener for Disney+ series “Daredevil: Born Again” has pulled back on those elements. If that reflects the rest of the season, it will be to the show’s detriment.
Read More(ANALYSIS) March 31 marks 50 years since a landmark decision that shapes American patients’ rights every day: the New Jersey Supreme Court ruling in the case of Karen Ann Quinlan, who had suffered an irreversible coma. Quinlan’s case established for the first time that decisions near the end of life should be made by patients and families, not by doctors and hospitals alone.
Read MoreThe affected residents occupy a plot in Kyadondo, West Buganda, under a 49-year lease granted on Sept. 1, 1972, which expired on Aug. 31, 2021. Following the lease’s expiration, the Kampala Archdiocese Land Board formally told occupants to vacate by April 30 to pave the way for what the church describes as a modern estate redevelopment project.
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