1+ day, 10+ hour ago (412+ words) Pope Leo XIV marked a high point of his his first foreign trip as pontiff Friday with a pilgrimage to the site in Turkey where early Christian church leaders met 1,700 years ago under the auspices of the Roman Emperor Constantine to host the Council of Nicaea. The brief... Pope, Eastern Patriarch Mark Creed's Anniversary Pope Leo XIV marked a high point of his his first foreign trip as pontiff Friday with a pilgrimage to the site in Turkey where early Christian church leaders met 1,700 years ago under the auspices of the Roman Emperor Constantine to host the Council of Nicaea. The brief service took place in Iznik, at the site of the AD 325 gathering of bishops that produced the Nicaean Creed, a profession of faith that is recited by millions of Christians today. - Leo's participation in the service, hosted by…...

2+ day, 15+ hour ago (1371+ words) Pope Leo XIV arrived on his first foreign trip to Turkey and later Lebanon, a visit that fulfills the late Pope Francis" plans to mark an important Christian anniversary and bring a message of peace to the region at a crucial time for efforts to end the war in Ukraine and ease Mideast tensions. In Ankara, Leo will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then travel to Istanbul for three days of ecumenical and interfaith meetings that will be followed by the Lebanese leg of his trip until Tuesday. Leo"s main reason for traveling to Turkey is to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity"s first ecumenical council. In 325 AD, that council hashed out the first version of the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that millions of Christians still recite each Sunday. For the…...

2+ day, 21+ hour ago (764+ words) Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Turkey on his first foreign trip, a visit that fulfills the late Pope Francis' plans to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity's first ecumenical council, per the AP . In 325 AD, that council hashed out the first version of... Pope Leo Is Spending Turkey Day in Turkey Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Turkey on his first foreign trip, a visit that fulfills the late Pope Francis' plans to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity's first ecumenical council, per the AP. In 325 AD, that council hashed out the first version of the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith that millions of Christians still recite each Sunday. The pope, who was welcomed on the tarmac of Ankara's Esenboga Airport by a military guard of honor, will meet with President Recep…...

3+ day, 15+ hour ago (195+ words) The Vatican has issued a new decree reaffirming that Catholics should have only one spouse for life, rejecting polygamy (marriage to more than one spouse) and polyamory (multiple consensual romantic relationships) as incompatible with Church teaching. The document, approved by Pope Leo and released by the Vatican's doctrinal office, underscores... Vatican Decree: You Get One Spouse for Life, No Polyamory The Vatican has issued a new decree reaffirming that Catholics should have only one spouse for life, rejecting polygamy (marriage to more than one spouse) and polyamory (multiple consensual romantic relationships) as incompatible with Church teaching. The document, approved by Pope Leo and released by the Vatican's doctrinal office, underscores that marriage should be an exclusive, lifelong union between one man and one woman, reports Reuters. It emphasizes that the intimacy and total commitment required by marriage can't be divided…...

5+ day, 14+ hour ago (255+ words) Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple in the province of Nonthaburi on the outskirts of Bangkok, posted a video on its Facebook page, showing a woman lying in a white coffin in the back of a pick-up truck, slightly moving her arms and head, leaving temple staff bewildered. He said they heard a faint knock coming from the coffin. "I was a bit surprised, so I asked them to open the coffin, and everyone was startled," he said. "I saw her opening her eyes slightly and knocking on the side of the coffin. She must have been knocking for quite some time." According to Pairat, the brother said his sister had been bedridden for about two years, when her health deteriorated and she became unresponsive, appearing to stop breathing two days ago. The brother then placed her in a…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (387+ words) A longtime pillar of kosher drinking has been toppled. For decades, beer has been assumed to be kosher'unlike wine, which has long required certification. But three of the biggest kosher certification agencies in the US'OU Kosher, Star-K, and OK Kosher'now say that's no longer the case, reports... Kosher Agencies Say Beer Now Needs Certification A longtime pillar of kosher drinking has been toppled. For decades, beer has been assumed to be kosher'unlike wine, which has long required certification. But three of the biggest kosher certification agencies in the US'OU Kosher, Star-K, and OK Kosher'now say that's no longer the case, reports the Forward. The agencies say all beer will need to have official certification starting in 2026 if it's to be considered kosher, citing the growing use of unconventional ingredients and flavor additives in today's craft beer scene. Inspectors have recently…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (498+ words) Some 1,700 years ago, bishops from all over the Roman Empire gathered in what is now Turkey to hash out Christian doctrine. The result was the Nicene Creed , one of the most widely-recited statements of faith in Christianity. Next week, Pope Leo XIV will travel to the site of... A Creed That United Christianity Turns 1,700 Some 1,700 years ago, bishops from all over the Roman Empire gathered in what is now Turkey to hash out Christian doctrine. The result was the Nicene Creed, one of the most widely-recited statements of faith in Christianity. Next week, Pope Leo XIV will travel to the site of the original council in Izmir, formerly Nicaea, accompanied by Eastern Orthodox leader Patriarch Bartholomew, to mark the anniversary, the AP reports. - The Nicene Creed remains the most widely accepted creed among Christians. It was drafted in 325 at the…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (452+ words) Orthodox Christianity, the smallest of America's three main Christian branches, is undergoing an unexpected surge in popularity, particularly among young men drawn to its demanding rituals and traditionalist values. Priests across the country report record attendance, forcing parishes to brainstorm on how to handle the influx, per the New York... 'Orthobros' Are Filling Up Churches Nationwide Orthodox Christianity, the smallest of America's three main Christian branches, is undergoing an unexpected surge in popularity, particularly among young men drawn to its demanding rituals and traditionalist values. Priests across the country report record attendance, forcing parishes to brainstorm on how to handle the influx, per the New York Times. This wave is notable for its demographic skew: Orthodox Christians in the US are now younger and more male than other major Christian groups, with more than 60% of adherents being men and about…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (392+ words) Leo, who has previously urged local bishops to take the lead on speaking out on matters of social justice, said he appreciated the U.S. bishops' statement and urged Catholics and all people of goodwill to listen to what they said. "I think we have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have," said the Chicago-born Leo. "If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there's a system of justice." Speaking to reporters as he left the papal country house south of Rome, Leo acknowledged there are problems in the U.S. migration system. But he stressed that no one has said the U.S. should have open borders, and that every country has the right to determine who can enter and how. "But when people are living good…...

2+ week, 5+ hour ago (363+ words) The Vatican returned 62 Indigenous artifacts to Canada on Saturday, including items such as an Inuit kayak, wampum belts, war clubs, and masks'many of which had been in Vatican museums for over a century. The artifacts were handed over to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, which plans to... Vatican Agrees to Return Indigenous Peoples' Artifacts The Vatican returned 62 Indigenous artifacts to Canada on Saturday, including items such as an Inuit kayak, wampum belts, war clubs, and masks'many of which had been in Vatican museums for over a century. The artifacts were handed over to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, which plans to transfer the items to National Indigenous Organizations for eventual return to their original communities, reports Deutsche Welle. Many of the items were sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries during a period marked by cultural suppression and the…...