Live updates and latest news as the first North American pope steps into his role as the new leader of the Catholic Church.

Joan of Arc is accused of relapsing into heresy by donning male clothing again, providing justification for her execution.

They also shed light on the increasingly reckless approach to security taken by Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s prime minister since ...

state-sanctioned church and the underground church which remained loyal to the Vatican. While some hailed the deal as a diplomatic breakthrough, others criticized the move, including Hong Kong's ...

Another 6 million are believed to be members of the underground Church, putting the total number of faithful on par with the population of Belgium. File photo: Pope Leo XIV, left, appears with ...

Since the deal, China has also intensified its crackdown on the underground Church, including pressure on the clergy to join the state-run CCPA. Critics of the deal say it helped China buy Vatican ...

Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), urged Leo to review the 2018 agreement, press Beijing to end the persecution of underground churches, clergy, and parishioners — who ...

From the underground house churches of Iran to secret gatherings in Saudi Arabia, from former imams in Egypt to young seekers in Europe and China, a new song is rising—a song of freedom ...

Chinese Catholics are split between an underground church swearing loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association. Taiwan puts no curbs on freedom of religion.

As the Trump administration has moved to end protections for thousands of Afghan nationals, faith leaders and advocates are sounding the alarm over the potential deportation of Christian converts ...

There’s a long history of hate groups using new technologies to spread their message. In the 1930s, it was radio. In the 2010s, it was social media. In 2025, it ...