“Laïcité has increasingly become an expression of French identity. It now acts as a touchstone for ‘le vivre-ensemble’: how French people can live together”
The month-long demonstrations – triggered by a controversial abortion ruling – are the country’s largest since Solidarity, drawing nearly half a million women and their supporters daily
“The sheer scope makes you feel some kind of shock. There are some things that indicate that there is an anger directed at us”, denounces parish priest
The terrorist attacks in France aren’t just about “religion” – they also involve a whole series of intricate historical, geopolitical and economic factors
Pope’s moving ‘Urbi et orbi’ blessing at the height of the pandemic was a farewell to the “Church triumphant”, says Protestant theologian and sociologist Reimer Gronemeyer
Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation process has put focus not only on the would-be justice’s faith but also on the religious makeup of the court itself
The first church built from scratch in Turkish territory since 1923 – the year of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey – is going up in record time.
Founded in 2010 by Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, SJ and Timothy R. Busch, the Napa Institute aims to provide American Catholic leaders with formation to counteract growing cultural secularism.
In the wake of the massive protests around the world against racism and colonialism, calls have been made to do away with the cross on the Swedish flag because it represents the nation’s Christian heritage and the oppression it allegedly stands for.
On 10 July, in a speech to the nation, President Erdoğan announced that the ancient Basilica of Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, would be reopened for Muslim worship on 24 July.
Since its origins in the sixth century A.D, the Hagia Sophia has served as a church, a mosque, and, since 1934, a museum.
Islamic prayers were held on Friday in Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia basilica for the first time in 86 years.
The Greek president has lobbied Pope Francis to pressure Turkey to backtrack on Hagia Sophia.
On 10 July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, after a court ruled that the site’s secularisation was unlawful.
By turning Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque, Turkish authorities have fixed a historical mistake made in 1934, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Tuesday.
The Vicar Apostolic of Anatolia has recalled that most Turks want Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia to be a mosque, and as such the decision to reconvert the monument was “not the whim of the president”.
A Vatican advisor has denied that “Islamic aggression” is behind Turkey’s decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia into a mosque, recalling that “Istanbul is not Mecca”.
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that he had signed a decree converting Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia into a mosque which will open for Muslim prayers on 24 July.
The head of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches has written to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressing “grief and dismay” from WCC members at his decision to convert the world famous Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
At the Angelus today, Pope Francis said he was “very saddened” by the decision of Turkish authorities Friday to convert into a mosque again the Istanbul icon of Hagia Sophia.