March Madness 2019: Catholic schools look to maintain winning tradition

(COMMENTARY) Can a Catholic school once again win the NCAA men’s basketball tournament? If the past is any gauge, the odds are very good that a few Catholic institutions of higher learning will emerge as contenders over the next few weeks.

Pilgrimage: Fort St. James National Historic Site

A unique bed and breakfast where one can experience life in 1896 is in a Canadian fort named after a saint in central British Columbia. Fort St. James is the only national park in the country where people can sleep in historic dwellings, making it one of the best-kept secrets of the Canadian parks system.

Travel, Primary Feature, North America, NewsJulia DuinMarch 17, 2019Primary Feature, Julia Duin, Fort St. James, Canada, Canadian parks system, Yellowhead Highway, Nak’azdli First Nation, New Caledonia, Secondary Feature, Catholic missionary, Catholicism, Christianity, Catholic church

Pilgrimage: Inside New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral

New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral is considered one of the most visible symbols of Roman Catholicism in the United States. It takes up an entire block in the center of the city and at the heart of the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

India-Pakistan Conflict: When War Reporting Takes Sides

(COMMENTARY) Fake news and biased reporting characterizes the military conflict between India and Pakistan, with some news channels parroting government claims that haven’t checked out.

Asia, Religion, Politics, OpinionStephen DavidMarch 14, 2019Steve David, Stephen David, India, Pakistan, Asia, Kashmir, Pulwama attack, suicide bomber, John Bolton, Vijay Gokhale, JeM, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Rajnath Singh, Muslims, Islam, Hindu

Philippines President Duterte Prophesies End of Catholicism in 25 Years

The president’s remarks over the weekend denounced clerical sexual abuse and corruption, but come after a string of insults hurled against Catholics that many believe encouraged religious violence.

Asia, Conflict, NewsBaby Lyn Cacho ResultaMarch 13, 2019Baby Lyn Cacho Resulta, Philippines, Catholic church, Filipino, Duterte, Rodrigo Duterte, Samira Gutoc, sexual abuse, Jolo bombing, Primary Feature, Secondary Feature, Catholicism, ChristianityComment

Big trend piece to consider: Could the Catholic church in New York file for bankruptcy?

(COMMENTARY) Whether Cardinal George Pell of Australia was found guilty because of anti-Catholic bias is one theory, but the overall takeaway here — editors and reporters take note — is that this case may serve as a bellwether of more to come.

Justice, North America, Religion, Analysis, OpinionClemente LisiMarch 13, 2019Catholic Church, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Clemente Lisi, Andrew Cuomo, Clergy sex abuse, Sexual Abuse, Christianity, Catholicism, bankruptcy

In Jerusalem's Muslim quarter, an Austrian Hospice serves peace and strudels

The oldest Christian guesthouse in the Old City is a hub for interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

Travel, Religion, Middle East, NewsGil ZoharMarch 11, 2019Gil Zohar, Israel, Primary Feature, Muslim, Austrian Hospice, Islam, Muslim Quarter, Christianity, Catholic Church, Old City of Jerusalem, Second Intifada

Big story brewing if religious colleges are destined to die

(COMMENTARY) Harvard Business School predicts that half of America’s colleges will die during the coming decade, and many are Christian schools.

North America, Opinion, SocietyRichard OstlingMarch 11, 2019Richard Ostling, Christian colleges, private colleges, tuition, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, Christianity, religious colleges, Harvard Business School

Vatican Sexual Abuse Summit: Nigerian nun speaks up

(COMMENTARY) Didn't any of these priests and bishops, she asked, go to confession?

Religion, Opinion, AfricaTerry MattinglyMarch 11, 2019Terry Mattingly, Vatican sexual abuse summit, Nigerian church, Catholic Church, Veronica Openibo, Pope Francis, Vatican, Catholicism, Christianity, Sexual Abuse, sexual abuse, Nigerian nun

Nigeria’s Buhari wins in election tainted by Muslim-Christian divide

(NEWS ANALYSIS) Nigeria’s election was polarized by a Muslim North and Christian South, with theories that the elected president Muhammadu Buhari will “Islamize” the country.

Africa, News, Analysis, Politics, ReligionTheophilus AbbahMarch 8, 2019Theophilus Abbah, Nigeria, Nigerian election, Muslims, Christians, Islam, Christianity, Secondary Feature

How 'American Gods' On Starz Excludes American Gods

The new imaginative TV show American Gods takes us on a cross-country road trip to encounter the Gods of America. However, the show barely mentions Jesus or other manifestations of the Christian faith. The show’s season two premier airs on Sunday, March 10th.

Film & TV, Primary Feature, Religion, North America, Culture, NewsPrincess JonesMarch 8, 2019Primary Feature, American Gods, Charles Pulliam-Moore, Neil Gaiman, Princess Jones, Starz, Gizmodo, Divon Sanceda, Christianity

'A Good Wife' is Samra Zafar's story of leaving an abusive marriage without leaving Islam

Zafar agreed to an arranged marriage at age 17, believing the man and his family that the move from Pakistan to Canada would give her more educational opportunities. She didn’t expect to become a prisoner in her own home.

Vatican archives coverage was a missed chance to dig into John Paul II's Jewish outreach

(COMMENTARY) A general sweep of the coverage shows that news organizations barely took on the issue — or even bothered to give a deeper explanation — of past Christian persecution of Jews and the efforts made since the Second Vatican Council, and later by Saint Pope John Paul II, to bring healing to this relationship.

Analysis, Religion, Opinion, EuropeClemente LisiMarch 7, 2019Clemente Lisi, Pope John Paul II, pope francis, Catholic church, Jews, holocaust, Christianity, Catholic-Jewish relations, Judaism, CatholicismComment

Kenyan media calls New York Times racist for images of terror attack

(NEWS ANALYSIS) The Media Council of Kenya, the sector's regulator in the country, is demanding that the New York Times take down a graphic photo of a terrorist attack in Nairobi, threatening to withdraw accreditation of its journalists working in Kenya.

Africa, Analysis, News, Press FreedomTom OsanjoMarch 7, 2019Tom Osanjo, Kenya, Nairobi, Nairobi terror attack, terrorism, New York Times, Al Shabaab, Media Council Act, Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura, David Omwoyo, Primary, Primary Feature, Secondary Feature, racist

Being a Buddhist President in Exile

Should the head of a government live out his religious beliefs in office? The Tibetan President-in-Exile Lobsang Sangay argues that that does not necessarily violate the separation of Church and State or the freedom of religion or belief.

Asia, Interview, Politics, Religion, Religion News, NewsVishal AroraMarch 5, 2019Tibet, Dr. Lobsang Sangay, Vishal Arora, Dalai Lama, Central Tibetan Administration, Secondary Feature, News, Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism

Religious Tension on the Rise in Indonesia

Ongoing Indonesian elections are marked by blasphemy convictions, political imprisonment and a patchwork of laws aimed at preventing pornography, ethnic conflict and religious persecution.

News, Religion, Religion News, Religious Equality, Primary Feature, Asia, Conflict, Justice, PoliticsPaul MarshallMarch 4, 2019Indonesia, Religious persecution, Religious Freedom, Secondary Feature, News, Paul Marshall, Christianity

Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?

(COMMENTARY) In February, Pope Francis met with Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayebb, and together, they acknowledged the “God who has created all human beings”.

Middle East, Religion, OpinionRichard OstlingMarch 3, 2019Richard Ostling, Muslims, Christians, Catholic Church, Pope Francis, Pope Paul VI, nostra aetate, Islam, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestant, Ahmed Al-Tayebb, Christianity

Prayers for Venezuela: Faith and famine in the ongoing economic crisis

Every day, state control intensifies at every level. All forms of demonstrations are prohibited. Cities across Venezuela have become militarized zones littered with heavily-armed soldiers and tanks. My friends, who are also journalists, have been fired from reporting the truth.

How Christianity's roots in Africa help racial reconciliation in America

A crowd of diverse scholars and Christian influencers gathered in the Central Presbyterian Church on the Upper East Side to remember the life and legacy of the late Dr. Thomas C. Oden.