Pope Francis offered Christmas wishes Wednesday for a better world, praying for protection for Christians under attack, battered women and trafficked children, peace in the Middle East and Africa, and dignity for refugees fleeing misery and conflict around the globe.
The United Methodist church defrocked a pastor from central Pennsylvania on Thursday for violating doctrine by officiating his son’s gay marriage, leaving the minister shocked and upset that he could be punished for an “act of love.”
Time magazine selected Pope Francis as its Person of the Year on Wednesday, saying the Catholic Church’s new leader has changed the perception of the 2,000-year-old institution in an extraordinary way in a short time.
More than three decades after reversing its prohibition of black having the priesthood, the Mormon church has disavowed the ban, saying it was put into place during an era of great racial divide that influenced early teachings of the church.
