Edward Robinson and Eli Smith — set out for the Holy Land, spades in one hand and Bibles in the other, as the famous saying goes.

Ultimately, the Bible reveals that forgiveness is not weakness—it is divine strength. It interrupts cycles of harm and opens the door to peace. It transforms enemies into family, guilt into freedom, ...

New genealogical research traces the Pope’s ancestry back to the 1500s, revealing what Harvard historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. calls ‘one of the most diverse family trees’ he’s ever come across.