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Judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands rule on emergency measures against Israel on Jan. 26, 2024, following accusations by South Africa that the Israeli military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
The World Court ordered Israel on Friday to prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinians and do more to help civilians, although it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire as requested by South Africa. While the ruling denied Palestinian hopes of a binding order to halt the war in Gaza, it also represented a legal setback for Israel, which had hoped to throw out a case brought under the genocide convention established in the ashes of the Holocaust.
Pope Francis greets a member of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican, at the Vatican January 8, 2024. Vatican Media/Simone Risoluti/Handout via REUTERS
Pope Francis called on Monday for a global ban on parenting via surrogacy, calling the practice “deplorable” and a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child. Francis' remarks are likely to antagonize pro-LGBTQ+ groups, since surrogacy is often used by gay or lesbian partners who want to have children, and follow his landmark decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples.
A rainbow flag is seen on the wall of a Catholic church in Cologne, Germany as the building is open for same-sex couples to receive a blessing. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen/File Photo
The Vatican on Thursday moved to calm Catholic bishops in some countries who have balked over last month's approval of blessings for same-sex couples, telling them that the measure is not “heretical” or “blasphemous.” In a five-page statement, the Vatican's doctrinal office also acknowledged that such blessings could be “imprudent” in some countries where people who receive them might become targets of violence, or risk prison or even death.
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter dance at the inaugural ball in Washington, D.C., Jan. 1977. Marion S. Trikosko/White House Photo/Library of Congress/Handout via REUTERS
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who President Jimmy Carter called “an extension of myself” owing to his wife’s prominent role in his administration even as she tirelessly promoted the cause of mental health, died on Sunday at age 96, the Carter Center said.
Pope Francis greets the faithful from his Popemobile ahead of a large mass in Marseille, France, on Sept. 23, 2023. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
The Vatican on Wednesday signed an agreement with German carmaker Volkswagen to replace the city-state’s entire car fleet with electric vehicles by 2030.
Hong Kong's cardinal Stephen Chow holds a Mass in Hong Kong, China November 4, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
The visit is the first trip by a mainland Chinese bishop since the former British colony was returned to China in 1997 and follows a landmark visit to the Chinese capital by his Hong Kong counterpart in April. For decades mainland Catholics have been split between an official church loyal to Beijing and an underground flock loyal to the Pope and the visit by Bishop Joseph Li will be closely watched given lingering tensions between China and the Vatican.
Argentine Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, who signed the Dicastery of the Doctrine of Faith’s document regarding LGBTQ+ inclusion in marriage and baptism sacraments, poses as he meets with relatives and friends during a courtesy visit following his appointment by the Pope Francis, during a Consistory ceremony for the creation of 21 new cardinals on Sept. 30, 2023 at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Photo by Eric Vandeville/ABACAPRESS.COM via Reuters.
Transgender people can be godparents at Roman Catholic baptisms, witnesses at religious weddings, and receive baptism themselves, the Vatican’s doctrinal office said on Wednesday, responding to questions from a bishop.
Pope Francis speaks during the First General Congregation of the Synod at the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Oct. 4, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS
Pope Francis called for an end to attacks and violence in Israel and Gaza on Sunday, saying terrorism and war would not solve any problems, but only bring further suffering and death to innocent people.
The document, known as an apostolic exhortation, titled "Laudate Deum," written by Pope Francis, is displayed in a bookshop near the Vatican in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2023. REUTERS/Remo Casill
Pope Francis on Wednesday appealed to climate change deniers and foot-dragging politicians to have a change of heart, saying they cannot gloss over its human causes or deride scientific facts while the planet “may be nearing the breaking point.”
Peter Isely, survivor of sexual abuse, and founder of ECA (Ending Clergy Abuse) Tim Law attend a march with survivors of clergy sexual abuse and activists near the Vatican, in Rome, Sept. 27, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
A group of Catholic Church abuse victims and their advocates on Wednesday called on Pope Francis to enforce “zero tolerance” against clerical sex abuse, after completing a six-day pilgrimage to Rome carrying a large wooden cross.
Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis arrives to address the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee’s 2023 Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., Sept. 15, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made their cases to evangelical voters who gathered in Washington, D.C., for a pair of events on Friday, seeking an edge with a voting bloc likely to play a pivotal role in selecting a 2024 presidential nominee.
Five former Memphis police officers who have been charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols appear during an arraignment hearing at Shelby County courthouse in Memphis, Tenn., February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Pulfer Focht
Five former Memphis policemen were charged in federal court on Tuesday with violating the civil rights of Black motorist Tyre Nichols by beating him to death after a traffic stop and engaging in a cover-up.
Lab-grown chicken from GOOD Meat is grilled by Chef Daniel Lugo at Jose Andres's China Chilcano, in Washington state, July 13, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Lab-grown meat can be labeled kosher and halal as long as its cells are derived in methods compliant with religious standards, according to two panels of experts commissioned by the nascent industry.
Pope Francis attends a meeting with bishops of the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church at the Vatican, Sept. 6, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS
Ukraine’s Eastern Rite Catholic bishops bluntly told Pope Francis at a meeting on Wednesday that some of his comments about Russia had caused great pain and were being used by Moscow to justify a “a murderous ideology.”
Tennessee Democratic state representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who faced expulsion over their participation in gun control protests, and Gloria Johnson, who retained her seat, speak to members of the media following their meeting with President Joe Biden (D) at the White House in Washington, D.C., April 24, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Justin Pearson ran against Jeff Johnston, and Justin Jones ran against Laura Nelson. According to The Tennesseean, Jones won nearly 80 percent of the vote in Nashville, and Pearson won more than 90 percent in Memphis.
People gather at a makeshift memorial a block from the scene of last Saturday's shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, in Pittsburgh, Penn., Nov. 3, 2018. REUTERS/Alan Freed
A federal jury on Wednesday voted to sentence Robert Bowers to death for killing 11 worshippers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, the New York Times reported.
Pope Francis accompanied by Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (R) at the end of a meeting at Belem Palace in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug., 2, 2023. The Pontiff will be in Portugal on the occasion of World Youth Day (WYD), one of the main events of the Church that gathers the Pope with youngsters from around the world, that takes place until Aug. 6. ANDRE KOSTERS/Pool via REUTERS
Pope Francis promised on Wednesday to continue to “stir things up” in the church as he arrived in Portugal to preside at a mass gathering of young Catholics aimed at energizing a new generation of believers.
Sinead O’Connor, 1989 Grammy Awards, via MPTV through Reuters.
Known as much for her outspoken views on religion, sex, feminism, and war as for her music, she will be remembered in some quarters for ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II during a 1992 television appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” declaring: “Fight the real enemy.”
Delegates attend the Church of England General Synod meeting in London, Britain, Feb. 9, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville
The Church of England will work towards drafting new pastoral guidance and other material needed to allow same-sex couples to receive blessings from priests over the next few months, it said on Saturday.
Web designer Lorie Smith, plaintiff in a Supreme Court case who objects to same-sex marriage, poses for a portrait at her office in Littleton, Co., Nov. 28, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt
In a blow to LGBTQ+ rights, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the constitutional right to free speech allows certain businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings, ruling in favor of a web designer who cited her Christian beliefs in challenging a Colorado anti-discrimination law.