Religion News Service

Leo is unlikely to match perfectly the positions of either American political party and will disappoint many as he runs a church that operates far outside of any local political faction. But he knows the U.S. political culture more intimately than any other pope in history — knowledge that may prove useful, as he is unlikely to escape politics altogether.

Papal transitions subtly but unmistakably reshape the church — and the religious goods business.

There is broad public support for continuing bipartisan investments in the environment and green energy.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is raising concerns about several cardinals who are being discussed as papabili, or potential popes.

The voting is highly choreographed and time-consuming to avoid any possibility of fraud or doubt about the results. 

Although overtly campaigning to be pope is discouraged and would be counterproductive, the cardinals do a lot of politicking in private prior to the conclave.

Becciu was sentenced to nearly five years in prison after a Vatican criminal court found him guilty of fraud and embezzlement.

"He was a source of inspiration for many artists, even those who have nothing to do with religion, because he was a transparent person — for better or for worse. A real person," said the street artist Maupal.

President Trump’s presence at the Vatican funeral marks a rare moment of reverence amid a complex relationship with the late pope.

Francis' 12-year reign saw small steps advancing women in the church. We may not know for years what the aims of a new papacy will be.

Ordinary Catholics saw Pope Francis as a compassionate pastor who cared about people, especially the poor and the marginalized, writes Thomas Reese.

A student at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., has had their visa revoked by the federal government, adding a Catholic school founded by U.S. bishops to the growing list of colleges where international students have had their visas revoked by President Donald Trump's administration.

The New Yorker magazine has managed to insult Christians and Jews alike with a cartoon depicting the Last Supper in an April issue, writes columnist Phyllis Zagano.

They did to Jesus what they do to all troublemakers: They arrested, tortured and killed him.

A federal judge has denied a request by the Trump administration to reconsider a ruling in a lawsuit brought by faith-based refugee resettlement agencies, ordering the government to begin immediately processing and admitting refugees who were conditionally approved before Jan 20.

While congressional co-sponsors are all Catholic, the Religious Workforce Protection Act has substantial support from a variety of religious leaders, including evangelical Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and Episcopalians.

The clergy-led gathering stood in defiance of ICE policies, drawing on shared interfaith values.

Dropping bombs and killing drug dealers may look good on television, Thomas Reese writes, but the real war on drugs occurs in treatment programs, which are terribly underfunded.

"As an alumna of the school, I'm just enraged," said Atalia Omer, a professor of religion, conflict and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame who co-taught the Harvard Divinity School class. Omer is Jewish and a native of Israel.