Queen Elizabeth has met Pope Francis for the first time and gave the bemused pontiff culinary delights from the royal estates, including a dozen eggs and a bottle of whisky. “I’ve also brought something from all our estates, which is for you personally,” said the Queen, wearing a lavender dress and a purple hat, as Read more
You don’t necessarily need to go to mass to receive the teachings and wisdom of your local pastor, thanks to modern media. In the USA, more than a dozen Tallahassee churches are making use of podcasts of their sermons and lectures to get beyond the pew, and the congregations are responding. continue reading
In comparison to their male counterparts, female pastors have limited opportunities and face serious pay discrepancies. Never mind that half of people in mainline seminaries today are women – so if many churches are to survive in the future, it may be with a woman at the helm. But too many congregations are not willing Read more
Since 2012, about 900 workers have died while working on infrastructure in Qatar, in a building boom anticipating the World Cup. Last month, the Guardian reported that over 400 Nepalese migrant workers had already died at building sites. Between 2010 and 2012 more than 700 workers from India lost their lives working on construction sites in Qatar, too. A report by the International Trade Union Read more
As part of a continuing series “On the Road,” Steve Hartman meets an 8-year-old boy who found $20 in a parking lot and was thinking of spending it on a new video game. That changed when he saw the man in uniform. View YouTube video
Some claim that it was James, not Peter, who was the leader of the early Church after the time of Christ. What evidence can they provide for this claim? And what evidence is there against it? Which James? “James” was a common name in first century Judea, and there were several men named James who Read more
SoulCore is a workout that pairs core stretches with meditation on the Catholic devotional prayers of the Rosary. Each decade (or “mystery”) of the Rosary is paired with an exercise designed to build a particular virtue, like humility, love of neighbor, material detachment, sacrifice and joy. Participants reflect on the mysteries silently while following along with Read more
A biblical booklet in a shirt pocket apparently helped an Ohio bus driver survive a shooting, and authorities were looking for three suspects. The driver for the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority told Dayton police he was standing outside the bus when the men shot at him three times, with one bullet hitting his leg. Read more
A church in Tiverton, Rhode Island, made it easy to receive the Ashes this year. The Holy Trinity Episcopal Church hosted Ashes to Go, a drive-by distribution of ashes for the faithful. “We are trying to get our church outside the four walls of our church building,” said the Rev. John Higginbotham, priest-in-charge of Holy Read more