Churches & Religion

Council for the Homeless issues severe weather alert in Clark County, activating additional resources, shelter

November 24, 2023, 4:23pm Churches & Religion

Council for the Homeless issued a severe weather alert Friday for the emergency shelter system in Clark County. Read story

Pope Francis kisses a child at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023.

Pope meets relatives of Israeli hostages and Palestinians in Gaza and sets off firestorm over words

November 22, 2023, 11:25am Churches & Religion

Pope Francis met separately Wednesday with relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinians living through the war and set off a firestorm by using words that Vatican diplomats usually avoid: “terrorism” and, according to the Palestinians, “genocide.” Read story

FBI investigating suspicious packages at Mercer Island Jewish institutions

November 22, 2023, 7:23am Churches & Religion

Mercer Island police investigated two reports of suspicious packages sent to Jewish organizations over the weekend and on Monday, bringing the number of similar incidents in the Seattle area to at least seven in the past month. Read story

FILE - Bishop Carlton Pearson speaks at a news conference accompanied by several other clergy members, April 4, 2013, in Chicago. Bishop Carlton Pearson died Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023 in hospice care in Tulsa due to cancer according to his agent. He was 70. (AP Photo/M.

Carlton Pearson, founder of Oklahoma megachurch who supported gay rights, dies at age 70

November 20, 2023, 8:15am Churches & Religion

The founder of a former megachurch in Oklahoma who fell from favor and was branded a heretic after he embraced the idea that there is no hell and supported gay rights has died, his agent said Monday. Read story

For this group of trans women, the pope and his message of inclusivity are a welcome change

November 20, 2023, 7:50am Churches & Religion

Pope Francis’ recent gesture of welcome for transgender Catholics has resonated strongly in this working class, seaside town south of Rome, where a community of trans women has found help and hope through a remarkable relationship with the pontiff forged during the darkest times of the pandemic. Read story

As a DJ, village priest in Portugal cues up faith

Roman Catholic priest Guilherme Peixoto plays a set Oct. 26, together with the Portuguese Army Symphonic Band, during Army Day celebrations in Viana do Castelo, northern Portugal. Peixoto plans to continue to improve his DJ skills to bring a Christian message to audiences who might have never heard of Jesus — while remaining committed to all regular parish activities.

Guilherme Peixoto, a village priest in northern Portugal, has been busy this month celebrating Masses at his two parishes, presiding over remembrances for the dead — and preparing the electronic music set for his next international DJ gig. Read story

Hearing will take place in religious leaders’ lawsuit challenging Missouri abortion ban

FILE - Clergy who filed suit seeking to overturn Missouri’s abortion law and other opponents of the law hold a March through downtown St. Louis on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. A St. Louis judge on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023 will hear arguments in a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s abortion ban on the grounds that lawmakers who passed the measure imposed their own religious beliefs on others who don’t share them. The lawsuit was filed in January on behalf of 13 Christian, Jewish and Unitarian Universalist leaders who support abortion rights.

A St. Louis judge on Thursday will hear arguments in a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s abortion ban on the grounds that lawmakers who passed the measure imposed their own religious beliefs on others who don’t share them. Read story

Local faith and community leaders call for cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war

Protesters lock their hands together during a Jewish Voice for Peace rally that shut down the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building while demanding that Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, in Seattle.

A group of Washington state faith leaders, elected officials and community advocates released a solidarity statement Monday calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, condemning the escalating violence and “all targeting and killing of civilians” in the region. Read story