The Associated Press

Most California Roman Catholic bishops are asking a judge to throw out a 2019 law that allowed accusers of clergy sexual abuse to sue even if they were molested decades ago.

New anti-government protests broke out in Polish cities Wednesday, shortly after the country's top court confirmed its highly divisive ruling that will further tighten the predominantly Catholic nation’s strict anti-abortion law.

The Vatican rejected lay experts' determination that a half-dozen claims were credible and instead slapped the retired bishop on the wrist for what it called "flagrant" imprudent behavior.

President Joe Biden attended Mass for the first time since taking office, worshipping Jan. 24 at the church he frequented when he was vice president.

The first comprehensive internal inquiry on sex abuse allegations by a religious order in Spain has identified 81 children and 37 adult victims by 96 Jesuits since the late 1920s.

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.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris heard from a diverse group of faith leaders Jan. 21 in the National Prayer Service, a day after their inauguration.

Muslim Americans and advocates are breathing a sigh of relief after President Joe Biden reversed the travel ban, which has separated thousands of families since it was issued under former President Donald Trump.

"We'll press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities. Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain."

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.

Trump-supporting extremists were storming into the U.S. Capitol. Rear Adm. Margaret Grun Kibben, who has served in combat, was not rattled. Instead, she gathered herself and prayed.

The Vatican has never been a democracy, but the incongruity of a government that is a moral authority on the global stage and yet an absolute monarchy is becoming increasingly evident. 

Pope Francis' personal doctor, Fabrizio Soccorsi, has died of complications due to COVID-19 on Saturday, a day before the pontiff announced he will receive the vaccine this week.

Democrats won both Georgia Senate seats — and with them, the U.S. Senate majority — as final votes were counted Wednesday, serving President Donald Trump a stunning defeat in his last days in office while dramatically improving the fate of President-elect Joe Biden’s progressive agenda.

A total of 294 out of 535 House and Senate members are Protestant — nearly the same as the last Congress, while religiously unaffiliated Americans are vastly underrepresented.

More than 2,000 faith leaders and activists are calling on Congress to honor the election result and avoid a "drawn out objection" when President-elect Joe Biden's win is set to be certified. 

Many religious leaders — some admired worldwide, others beloved only locally — died in 2020. Here are some of them.

Argentina's Senate passed a law legalizing elective abortion early Dec. 30 after a marathon 12-hour session, a victory for the women's movement that has been fighting for the right for decades.

Pope Francis has formally stripped the Vatican secretariat of state of its financial assets and real estate holdings following its bungled management of hundreds of millions of euros.