Religion News

6:01 PM on Tuesday, October 7

California is the third U.S. state to designate Diwali as an official statewide holiday

2:25 PM on Tuesday, October 7

Sukkot, the Jewish holiday celebrating the traditional gathering of the harvest, has begun

11:35 AM on Tuesday, October 7

11:35 AM on Tuesday, October 7

8:32 AM on Tuesday, October 7

A Catholic bishop in Peru’s Amazon is warning that mercury from illegal gold mining is contaminating rivers, fish and people across the region

5:22 AM on Tuesday, October 7

Pope Leo XIV will visit Turkey and Lebanon next month on his first foreign trip as pope

5:12 AM on Tuesday, October 7

The Vatican announces first trip of Pope Leo XIV's papacy, to Turkey and Lebanon from Nov. 27-Dec. 2. (CORRECTS: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously left out Leo's full title.)

4:13 AM on Tuesday, October 7

Peace talks between Israel and Hamas have resumed in Egypt

2:55 AM on Tuesday, October 7

Two years after Hamas’ attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip, the militant group is weakened but not defeated

11:17 PM on Monday, October 6

It’s been two years since thousands of Hamas-led militants poured into southern Israel after a surprise barrage of rockets

11:04 PM on Monday, October 6

Two years since the war in Gaza began, thousands of Palestinians there are looking for relatives who have gone missing in one of the most destructive conflicts of the past decades

10:59 PM on Monday, October 6

Mourners reflected on the life and legacy of Russell M

9:10 PM on Monday, October 6

Israelis are mourning the dead and fearing for the remaining hostages as they mark two years since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack plunged the region into a devastating war

8:34 PM on Monday, October 6

Authorities have found the body of a missing priest in Mexico’s violence-torn state of Guerrero, the same area where a retired bishop who had tried to mediate between local cartels was kidnapped last year

8:13 PM on Monday, October 6

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has asked Pope Leo XIV to help maintain peace in Venezuela

2:21 PM on Monday, October 6

As talks got underway to end the war in Gaza, the top Catholic leader in the Holy Land called on Christians in the region to be a bridge and help restore trust between Israelis and Palestinians

8:47 AM on Monday, October 6

Israeli authorities say they have deported another 171 activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, including Greta Thunberg

3:43 AM on Monday, October 6

Israeli and Hamas officials launched indirect talks on a U.S.-drafted peace plan to end the war in Gaza

2:39 AM on Monday, October 6

The United Nations reports that 18 children under 15 have been killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank this year

11:54 AM on Saturday, October 4

Israel and Hamas have begun indirect talks on ending the war in Gaza after both sides signaled support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan