West Virginia advances mandate to display ‘In God We Trust’ in schools

Republican Sen. Mike Azinger, who introduced the bill, says he wants to give students something to look up to and to tell them it's okay to “say God” in school. The bill requires that the phrase appears in an area in each school building.

Gunman kills seven outside Jerusalem synagogue

A gunman killed five people and wounded three others in a shooting near a synagogue Friday night in east Jerusalem in one of the deadliest attacks on Israelis in years. The gunman was shot and reportedly killed.

Pope Francis says homosexuality is a ‘sin,’ but ‘not a crime’

Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust” and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.

Church of England refuses to preside over same-sex marriages

"Blessings" from the Church of England for same-sex marriage are allowed, but same-sex couples are still not allowed to marry in its churches.

Taliban orders Kabul's mannequins, hooded or masked

Under the Taliban, the mannequins in women’s dress shops across the Afghan capital of Kabul are a haunting sight, their heads cloaked in cloth sacks or wrapped in black plastic bags.

Public can visit Pope Benedict XVI's tomb

The public can now visit the tomb of Pope Benedict XVI in the grottoes under St. Peter’s Basilica.

Man smashes church altar with sledgehammer, steals 1,500-year-old relics

“The sheriff reported that the man had wanted to break into the tabernacle, but looked up at the statue of Mary and decided he couldn't do that to her."

Tens of thousands view Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's body at Vatican

Vatican security officials estimated that by mid-afternoon Monday, some 40,000 people had filed by the retired pontiff's body.

Health of retired Pope Benedict XVI 'worsening,' Vatican says

Earlier Wednesday, Pope Francis asked the faithful to pray for Benedict and went to visit his predecessor in the monastery on Vatican grounds.

Pope Francis orders return of Parthenon Sculpture fragments to Greece

The Vatican on Friday termed the gesture a “donation” from the pope to His Beatitude Ieronymos II, the Orthodox Christian archbishop of Athens and all Greece.

NYC synagogue throws Christmas party

A group of Jews threw a Christmas party. It was for a good cause.

Pope laments 'icy winds of war' in Christmas address

"Indeed, we must acknowledge with sorrow that, even as the Prince of Peace is given to us, the icy winds of war continue to buffet humanity," Pope Francis said.

Pope on Christmas: Jesus was poor, so don't be power-hungry

During his homily Saturday evening, the pontiff hailed Jesus' birth in a stable and admonished people against being “ravenous” for power and wealth. He decried war, poverty, injustice and greedy consumerism.

Pope Francis warns Vatican staff the devil, an 'elegant demon,' lurks among them

Francis said Thursday that Vatican bureaucrats are in fact "in greater danger than all others, because we are beset by the ‘elegant demon’ who does not make a loud entrance, but comes with flowers in his hand.”

Mural honoring Holocaust hero unveiled in Manhattan

A building in Manhattan now features a mural honoring a man who stood up to fascism during World War II and is credited with helping save thousands of Jews.