Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

"I look forward to seeing who our next Holy Father is and how he is going to move the church into the future,” says Maureen Ferguson, senior policy advisor for the Catholic Association.

John Hamre, president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, remarks on the importance of the religious impulse in foreign policy and government’s “intellectual blinders” when it comes to understanding religion’s role.

Jockin Arputham started his campaign to build a network among the urban poor by organizing a critical mass of India's slum-dwelling population, especially women’s collectives. Today they pressure local governments to be more responsive to their needs, especially toilet and sanitation facilities.

We asked everyday people—tourists, businessmen, students, and others—along with Buddhist monk Nicholas Vreeland what it means to be “awake” in the world.

The word “Sikh” means student or disciple. Sikhs have three basic core beliefs — constant meditation and remembrance of the Creator, the importance of earning a living by honest and hard work, and the importance of justice and freedom for all. The Khalsa is a brotherhood of Sikhs, who publicly take

The Jewish tradition of tahara, the washing and purifying of a dead body, is considered one of the greatest of all good deeds — mitzvot. Those who perform taharas are volunteer members of the burial society, chevra kadisha. Women attend to deceased women, men to men.

“The richness of the melodies, the music—it leaves you with an indelible imprint” during the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, says Rabbi Joshua Maroof.

RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY profiles Peter Steinfels — Catholic, THE NEW YORK TIMES religion columnist, and author of the book A PEOPLE ADRIFT. Steinfels discusses the challenges facing the U.S. Catholic Church, from the sex abuse scandal to ordination of women, that he fears may send the church into an

A Sikh American, Valarie began organizing against hate crimes after a family friend was murdered in Arizona in the first hate crime committed after 9/11. Kaur’s activism is rooted in dispelling stereotypes and telling stories that humanize us as Americans. She talks about her partnership with America Ferrera

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is offering two-year grants to ten seminaries that incorporate more science into the teaching of theology and religious studies. The effort raises debate about the age-old tension between science and religion, but the purpose of the project is to educate more effective

"Candidates do often benefit from talking about their personal faith, but once that becomes politicized it can create some real problems for them, so they tend to stick to other sets of issues,” says University of Akron professor John Green. Watch more of our interview with him about the

Finding out for the families of the missing what happened to border crossers who disappeared is "the sacred baseline” for her work," says anthropologist Robin Reineke, cofounder of the Missing Migrant Project at the Colibri Center for Human Rights in Tucson, Arizona. "Care of the dead is

An overwhelming number of all white evangelicals, 70 percent, are Republican or lean toward the political right. The one reason more than any is abortion, which has been and still is a defining issue for most evangelicals. But not all evangelicals share the same view on abortion or politics.

President Jimmy Carter says "the worst human rights abuse on earth right now is by far the abuse of women and girls.”

After hearing reports of Christian and other minority religious communities in Iraq and Syria being targeted by ISIS, reality TV producer Mark Burnett, who recently produced the NBC series "A.D. The Bible Continues," and his wife, actress Roma Downey, launched "The Cradle of Christianity Fund” to

"A couple of years ago the responses we saw from local communities hosting Syrian refugees—not the government, but just your average person—[] very impressive,” says Daryl Grisgraber, senior advocate at Refugees International. "But four years on that can only be kept up for so long."

According to the fertility industry, 30,000 babies are born each year to women who have been provided with donor sperm. And the demand is growing. Most donors prefer to remain anonymous, but what happens when a child asks, “Who is my father?”

The former British prime minister converted to Catholicism and established a foundation to address issues of faith and globalization. “The big issue of our time,” according to Blair, “is trying to deal with extremism based on a perversion of religion, and how you get peaceful coexistence between people of different

This year is the tenth anniversary of what Amish people in Pennsylvania call “The Happening.” In the village of Nickel Mines, in Lancaster County, a heavily armed young man—not Amish—entered an Amish schoolhouse and murdered five little girls, wounded five more, and then killed himself. Correspondent David Tereshchuk

Almost two and a half million Syrians have fled their country in what the United Nations has called the "greatest humanitarian catastrophe of modern times." Faith-based groups—Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox, Mennonite, and more—in Jordan, home of the largest Syrian refugee camp, are doing what they can

For the first time in 40 years, the “Greatest Story Ever Told” is being retold in a new round of films with religious themes. The first is THE GOSPEL OF JOHN. Visual Bible International, a faith-based media company, has produced a verbatim adaptation from the GOOD NEWS BIBLE — an accessible

In 1965, a change in the law opened up the US to millions of new immigrants from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. They brought their religions with them and — although they are still only a small percentage of the overall population — in the words of Diana Eck of Harvard

Altruism is the phenomenon of generosity to others with no expectation of reward. For many, giving is a religious requirement: the Christian Golden Rule; for Jews, the 613 “mitzvot” — good deeds to be done; for Muslims, it's “zakat” — distributing some of your income to the poor and treating

“Providence,” the president said, “is with us.”

Three distinguished people of faith share their perspectives on the next four years.

Listen to more of our conversation with the conductor of the St. Olaf Choir.

More than 250,000 young Catholics from 169 countries came to Toronto for World Youth Day.

R & E looks at new art and architecture guidelines for Catholic churches.

This Irish-Catholic priest rescues women and children from the sex trade.

Watch more of our interview with Greg Smith on politics and the religiously unaffiliated.

This important Jewish festival celebrates “an indulging of the senses.”

Writing, he says, is “a witness to what God is doing in the world.”

Watch more of our interview about nuns and the Vatican after the Second Vatican Council.

Watch more of our interview about college hookup culture with Laura Sessions Stepp.

Antagonism between the two groups stretches back to Mormon founder Joseph Smith.

Watch our interview about the environment with the founder of Interfaith Power & Light.

This young evangelist was born with neither arms nor legs.

He says that Pope Benedict XVI leaves a "positive" legacy for Christians and Muslims.

Catholic University professor Christopher Ruddy talks about the changing role of the pope.

Watch more of our interview with Christian music artist TobyMac.

Racial diversity is only “one factor among many” in admissions decisions, according to the University of Texas vice president for diversity. But if the Supreme Court decides to abandon racial preferences, what will become of the pursuit of racial justice in education?

Between evangelicals and the secular world around them, who is having the greater influence on whom? In RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY’s national survey, nearly three quarters of white evangelicals said the media are hostile to their values. Yet they have also created their own widely popular alternative music and

World Vision’s Vice President of Advocacy and Government Relations says the leaders attending this weekend’s G8 summit in Washington should invest in agricultural and nutrition programs to lift people out of poverty because “it’s the right thing to do, it’s the moral thing to do, and

We ask Catholics about their expectations for Pope Francis' first trip to the U.S.

Watch more of our interview about aging with the Buddhist teacher and author.

What’s likely to make headlines in the New Year?

What will be among the most important religion stories to watch for in the New Year?

We review the top religion and ethics stories of the past year.

Watch more of our conversation with Rabbi Joseph Telushkin about Rabbi Schneerson's legacy

We discuss the religion and ethics stories we expect to be covering in 2015.

We review the top religion and ethics stories of the past year.

Watch more of our interview about faith and music with the Grammy-award winning artist.

We review the top religion and ethics news of the past year.

What will be among the most important religion stories to watch for in the New Year?

We review the top religion and ethics news of the past year.

Watch an interview with this popular and controversial Benedictine nun.

Chicago Gun Violence; John Danforth on Religion and Politics

The Pope Meets the Patriarch; Israel Boycott Controversy; Teaching Children About Religion

Syrian Refugees in Turkey; Millennials and Religion; Jean Vanier

Watch the reaction of Rev. Soritua Nababan to a church's plans to burn Qurans.

The Aga Khan; The Singing Monks of Norcia

Jordan's Syrian Refugees; The December Project

Ethics and Ebola; Transgenders and Theology; Food Truck Pastor

Nepal Earthquake Relief; Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School; Homeless Female Veterans

Religion and the New Trump Administration; Terry Waite

Millennials and the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr; Katie Meyler

Trump Executive Orders; New Camaldoli Hermitage; "Silence"

Bangladesh Worker Justice; Muslim Community Building in Chicago; Heartbeat

The ethics of using brain scans to predict violent behavior; exploring NYC religions.

Contraception Mandate Case; Behavioral Ethics; Wild Goose Festival

Sanctuary Movement; 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation

Conflict Resolution; Mother Teresa; Imam Omar Suleiman

As our program comes to an end we look back at some of our most memorable stories.

Final look back at some of our most memorable stories and interviews.

Hobby Lobby Ruling; Donor's Gift of Life; Martyrdom of the Bab

We look ahead to the top religion and ethics stories we expect to be following in 2017.

Violence, Law Enforcement, Race and Justice; Catholic Deacons; VTS New Organ

Religious Debate and the Campaign; Fighting Human Trafficking; Old Skool Café

Election 2016: Catholic Voters; Liberian Entrepreneur Chid Liberty

Creating Working Schools in Liberia; Holocaust Denial; Blessing of the Animals

Election 2016: Candidates’ Religious Backgrounds; The Meaning of Peace in the Qur’an

Morally Conflicted Voters; Muslim American Voters; African-American Spirituals

Post-Election Analysis; Three Rivers Spirituality

America’s Incarcerated; Haiti Hurricane Relief Update; F.A.R.M. Café

Salt Lake City Refugee Resettlement; Christmas Music Tells the Story; Packing Meals

Restoring the Buffalo; Larry Brilliant; Bethlehem’s Holy Family Hospital

Brexit and London’s Muslim Mayor; Sean Callahan; Shabbat/Sabbath

Mercy Chefs; The Threshold Choir; Hanukkah on the River

In our final show before the New Year, we review the top religion and ethics stories.