Author: Reporter

Friction has been simmering within the global Anglican Communion for many years over its 42 provinces’ sharp differences on whether to recognize same-sex marriage and ordain LGBTQ clergy. This year, the divisions have widened, as conservative bishops – notably from Africa and Asia – affirmed their opposition to LGBTQ inclusion and demanded “repentance” by the more liberal provinces with inclusive policies. Caught in the middle of the fray is the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is the top bishop of the Church of England and ceremonial leader of the Anglican Communion, which is one of the world’s largest...

Dusty Baker’s run to a World Series title win was one of the several memorable sports stories in 2022, on and off the field. One of the most respected people in baseball, the one thing missing from Baker’s resume: a World Series ring as a manager. Baker finally got the elusive ring with the Houston Astros while erasing some of the taint of sign-stealing 2017 title in one of the best moments of the year in sports. “Had this happened years ago, I might not even be here,” Baker said. “So maybe it wasn’t supposed to happen so that...

Most adults in the United States, including a large majority of Christians and people who identify with other religions, consider the Earth sacred and believe God gave humans a duty to care for it. But highly religious Americans – those who pray daily, regularly attend religious services and consider religion crucial in their lives – are far less likely than other U.S. adults to express concern about global warming. Those are among the key findings in a comprehensive report released on November 17 by the Pew Research Center, which surveyed 10,156 U.S. adults from April 11 to April 17....

Recalling Jesus’ birth in a stable, Pope Francis rebuked those “ravenous” for wealth and power at the expense of the vulnerable, including children, in a Christmas Eve homily decrying war, poverty, and greedy consumerism. In the splendor of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis presided over the evening Mass attended by about 7,000 faithful, including tourists and pilgrims, who flocked to the church on a warm evening and took their place behind rows of white-robed pontiffs. Francis drew lessons from the humility of Jesus’ first hours of life in a manger. “While animals feed in their stalls, men and women in...

The 117th Congress opened with the unfathomable January 6, 2021, mob siege of the Capitol and is closing with unprecedented federal criminal referrals of the former president over the insurrection, all while conducting one of the most consequential legislative sessions in recent memory. Lawmakers are wrapping up the two-year session having found surprisingly common ground on big bills, despite enduring bitter political divisions that haunt the halls, and the country, after the bloody Capitol attack by supporters of the defeated president, Donald Trump, that threatened democracy. The Congress passed monumental legislation — including a bill making one of the...

Congress gave final passage to legislation on December 23 changing the arcane law that governs the certification of a presidential contest, the strongest effort yet to avoid a repeat of Donald Trump’s violence-inflaming push to reverse his loss in the 2020 election. The House passed an overhaul of the Electoral Count Act as part of its massive, end-of-the-year spending bill, after the Senate approved identical wording on December 22. The legislation now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature. Biden hailed the provisions’ inclusion in the spending bill in a statement on December 23, calling it “critical bipartisan...