Church
Brian Houston on his father's child abuse: 'a nightmare that would change my life'
Hillsong's Brian Houston has detailed his own slide toward depression after discovering that his father had sexually abused underage children.
'No kindness towards strangers': Defector describes forbidding life in North Korea
In what is claimed as the "greatest nation on earth" ruled by then "benevolent god-leader" Kim Il-sung and now his son Kim Jong-il, "kindness towards strangers is rare," said a defector and now-human rights advocate.
8 major religious groups in US prohibit same-sex marriage, according to study
Eight of the largest religious institutions in the United States oppose same-sex marriage, which has recently been legalised by the Supreme Court across the country.
Fearing intense pain, woman with terminal cancer asks California to allow her to die
Although faith groups oppose doctor-assisted suicide, a 46-year-old Christian woman diagnosed with terminal cancer is asking the state of California to allow her to die.
Pope Francis hints willingness to retire as he talks about 'time limit' for church posts
The Roman Catholic Church should not have leaders who cling to their positions for a long time similar to dictators, Pope Francis told Christians in Vatican City.
Pope heads to South America to champion the poor and the planet
Pope Francis leaves Rome on Sunday for his first trip to Spanish-speaking Latin America, a "homecoming" to a continent where he will champion the rights of the poor and of the planet.
Pope Francis to speak about 'protection of creation' in July 5-12 Latin America visit
Pope Francis is set to return to his home continent on Sunday on a swamped seven-day apostolic visit to Latin America's peripheries: Ecuador, Bolivia, and Paraguay, with the pontiff expected to speak about the "protection of creation" and social justice.
Iraqi Christians' fate hangs in balance as they wait for West aid, Kurdish autonomy
The fate of Christians in Islamic State-ravaged Iraq hangs in the balance as the minority waits for the US and the West for help and hopes for the Kurdish Regional Government's support for their eventual autonomy.
Mexico: Three elderly nuns tied up, gagged and assaulted
Three elderly nuns have been tied up, gagged and assaulted in a village in Mexico, nine months after the parish priest in the same village was subject to a similar attack.
Exclusive: Most Catholics do not accept Church doctrine on contraception, divorce or cohabitation - study
Most Catholics do not accept Church doctrine on contraception, divorce and remarriage or cohabitation, a new study shows.
Darlene Zschech, Andrea Bocelli sing at prayer for persecuted church event hosted by Pope Francis
Australian worship leader Darlene Zschech will join renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli at an ecumenical prayer and worship event for the persecuted church hosted by Pope Francis at the Vatican today.
Pope Francis on Greece debt crisis: 'Human dignity must remain at centre of any debate'
Pope Francis has encouraged the faithful to pray for Greece and her people amid the country's debt crisis and maintained that dignity should be the heart of political debates.
Pistol-packing US bishop: 'We're not going to turn the other cheek while you shoot us'
A church in Jackson, Michigan has chosen to guard their congregation through a secret armed security team embedded among the parishioners following the June 17 shootings in a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina that killed NUMBER people.
Church of England leadership shake up continues: Evangelical given traditionally Anglo-Catholic post
A sixth woman bishop has been appointed in the Church of England, along with a male evangelical into a post once associated traditional Anglo-Catholicism.
Church of England divests from oil firm over 'allegations of corruption'
The Church of England has decided to sell all its shares in the British oil company SOCO International following a series of allegations of bribery, corruption and human rights abuses.
Fires at black churches in America's southern states fan racial fears
Some were deliberately lit. Others were caused by an electrical fault or lightning. But regardless of the origins, a spike in fires at black churches is fraying nerves at a time of heightened racial tensions across the United States.