Religion and Faith

Getting a religious exemption to a vaccine mandate may not be easy. Here's why
With COVID-19 vaccine mandates taking effect around the country, requests for religious exemptions are on the rise. Under federal law, employers have a lot of discretion in granting the requests.
Canadian Catholic bishops apologize for residential schools
The bishops’ apology is the latest expression of remorse from the Canadian arms of the Catholic Church, but falls short of calls for the pope himself to apologize in Canada. Pope Francis is preparing to meet with Indigenous leaders at the Vatican later this year.
Twin Cities mosque bomber gets 53 years in prison
“It was clearly an act of domestic terrorism against a religious group,” Judge Donovan Frank said Monday as he sentenced Emily Hari, previously known as Michael Hari, in the 2017 bombing of Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center. Prosecutors were seeking life in prison.
Two decades after 9/11, Muslim Americans still fighting bias
Muslim Americans who grew up under the shadow of 9/11 have faced hostility and surveillance, mistrust and suspicion. In the 20 years since the terrorist attacks, they've also dealt with questions about their Muslim faith and doubts over their Americanness. But they've also found ways to fight back against bias.
Unvaccinated pastor who almost died of COVID now preaches the importance of vaccines
Pastor Danny Reeves encouraged some members of his congregation to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but thought he didn't need to get vaccinated himself. That changed after COVID-19 almost killed him.
Cardinal hospitalized with COVID, breathing with ventilator
One of the Catholic church's top officials and fiercest critics of Pope Francis has COVID-19 and is breathing through a ventilator. Cardinal Raymond Burke tweeted on Aug. 10 that he had caught the virus, was resting comfortably. His staff tweeted Saturday that he has been hospitalized and is breathing through a ventilator.
Ex-Cardinal McCarrick charged with sexually assaulting teen
Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked after a Vatican investigation confirmed he had sexually molested adults as well as children, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy during a wedding reception in Massachusetts in 1974, court records show.