Fasting is something common to almost all the religions of the world. It is connected often with asceticism — those practices which help the believer overcome the drives of the body and elevate the spirit to a higher reality. However, for members of monotheistic religions who believe in the one God — Judaism, Islam and Christianity — fasting plays a central and important role. Read more
Members of the Anglican Communion’s new Inter Faith Commission will gather for their first meeting next week, in Cairo, Egypt. The AIFC was requested by the Anglican Consultative Council when they met in Lusaka in 2016, and launched at the Primates’ Meeting in Canterbury last October. Its purpose is to “bring mutual understanding and build trust where there is ignorance, fear and hostility” between different faith groups. Read more
The central government of the Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Curia, is an enigmatic institution. It is more criticized than actually understood. Read more
How the Catholic Church could help lead a gun control movement Read more
The Rev. Billy Graham, a North Carolina farmer’s son who preached to millions in stadium events he called crusades, becoming a pastor to presidents and the nation’s best-known Christian evangelist for more than 60 years, died on Wednesday at his home in Montreat, N.C. He was 99. Read more
Social Justice, a ‘Call as Old as the Bible’ Read more
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, chair of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty urge the faithful to flood Congress with emails and calls asking for enactment of the Conscience Protection Act as part of the 2018 funding bill and to pray for this outcome. Congress is currently considering whether to include the Conscience Protection Act in must-pass government funding legislation, and a decision on the Conscience Protection Act’s inclusion will be made prior to March 23, 2018. Read more
Pontificate at Five: Intra-Catholic polarization and the divide between Francis and Trump Read more