Ó£ÌÒÊÓƵ

Judaism January 11, 2017

Israeli court signals support for letting women pray at Western Wall

In a move seen by activists as a win for women's rights, the Israeli High Court ruled Wednesday in interim injunction that the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and other state agencies must explain why women should not be allowed to pray in accordance with their custom at the traditional plaza.

CRIME January 11, 2017

Another priest goes missing in northern Mexico, Catholic Church demands action

Rev. Joaquin Hernandez Sifuentes was a parish priest in the northern state of Coahuila, which has been plagued by drug cartel violence.

RELIGION January 11, 2017

High court: Israel must explain lack of access to holy site

Israel's Supreme Court has given the government a month to explain why it prevents women from praying from a Torah scroll at a key Jewish holy site.

RELIGION January 11, 2017

Mexico's Catholic church calls for search for missing priest

The Mexican Council of Bishops is calling on authorities to search for a priest who has been missing since Jan. 3.

RELIGION January 10, 2017

Palestinians seek weekend prayers to protest US Embassy move

An official says Palestinian leaders are calling for mosque and church prayers "from Pakistan to Tehran, from Lebanon to Oman" this weekend to protest the possible move of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to contested Jerusalem.

Europe January 10, 2017

Knights of Malta refuse to assist "irrelevant" papal probe

The Knights of Malta, the ancient Catholic lay order, is refusing to cooperate with a Vatican investigation into the sacking of a top official over a condom scandal — and is warning its members to toe the line if they do.

Islam January 10, 2017

Muslim girls can be ordered to swim with boys, European court finds

A Muslim family must allow its teenage daughters to take part in their school’s mixed-sex swimming classes -- even though their parents object, the European Court for Human Rights ruled Tuesday, deciding that Swiss authorities had not violated the family's religious liberties.

Europe January 10, 2017

5 Things to Know about the pope's trip to Mexico

History's first Latin American pope travels to Mexico on Friday for a weeklong tour of some of the most violent, poverty-stricken and peripheral places in the Americas.

RELIGION January 10, 2017

Jordan dismisses 15 mosque preachers in wake of IS attack

Jordan's Religious Affairs Ministry says it has dismissed 15 mosque preachers and is disciplining seven for refusing to pray for the souls of Jordanian troops killed in recent gun battles with Islamic militants.

Europe January 10, 2017

Court backs Swiss that Muslim girls must attend swim class

Europe's court of human rights has rejected an appeal by a Turkish-born couple who were fined in Switzerland for keeping their daughters out of mixed-gender, mandatory public-school swimming lessons for reasons linked to their Muslim faith.