Lawyers

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  Maryland Man Accused of Throwing Fruit at Churchgoers After Pouring Whiskey in Their Holy Water

  A Maryland man has been arrested for disrupting Christmas Eve services by allegedly pouring whiskey into holy water and assaulting a parishioner with fruit.

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  Alabama Bishop Ruled Credible Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Priest As 'Unsubstantiated,' New Report Finds

  Report details how diocese handled years of abuse allegations.

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  Catholic Church Sex Abuse Scandals Push Chileans to Join Temple of Satan As Hundreds Apply for Membership

  There are about 100 members of The Temple of Satan of Chile, but hundreds more have since applied for membership.

• Catholic school in Massachusetts broke state law by withdrawing job offer to gay man

  Judge Douglas Wilins ruled that Catholic school Fontbonne broke state's anti-discrimination law. An all-girls prep school will pay damages to gay man Matthew Barrett.

• Jeb Bush hardens position, says he opposes gay marriage

  Republican Jeb Bush said in a weekend radio interview that he does not believe the U.S. Constitution grants a right to gay marriage, moving away from his previous urging of "respect" for all Americans on the gay and lesbian marriage issue.

• At Christian University, Jeb Bush seeks support from evangelicals

  Republican Jeb Bush sought to bolster his support among evangelical Christians on Saturday in remarks at a Christian university, accusing liberals of trying to undermine religious freedom.

• German Catholic Church opens labor law more to divorced and gays

  Germany's Roman Catholic Church, an influential voice for reforms prompted by Pope Francis, has decided lay employees who divorce and remarry or form gay civil unions should no longer automatically lose their jobs.

• In losing gender bias trial, Pao's lawyers denied millions in fees

  Former Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers partner Ellen Pao is not the only person who lost when a California jury rejected her claims of gender discrimination against the venture capital firm. Her lawyers also missed out on a payday that could have reached into the millions of dollars.

• Pope Francis' Mexico remark not meant to offend, Vatican says

  A remark by Pope Francis to the effect that he hoped his homeland Argentina could avoid "Mexicanization" was not intended to offend Mexicans or to undervalue the government's efforts to fight drug trafficking, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

• Deadly clash in Philippines a setback to peace with Muslim rebels

  A deadly clash between Philippines police and Muslim rebels in the south of the country has dealt a temporary setback to peace talks, Manila's chief peace negotiator said on Saturday, appealing for renewed efforts to keep the process on track.

• Pope says Mass for huge Manila crowd, appeals for suffering children

  Pope Francis said a huge open-air Mass for a rain-drenched crowd of millions in the Philippine capital on Sunday, after appealing to the world to "learn how to cry" over the plight of poor, hungry, homeless and abused children.

• Sri Lanka's new government promises end to repression

  Sri Lanka's new government promised a tolerant era of harmony and political freedom after years of mounting repression under a decade-old administration that unraveled in electoral defeat this week.

• Pope's Asia trip to address poverty, dialogue, climate change

  Pope Francis returns to Asia for the second time in less than six months, traveling to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in coming days to underscore his concern for inter-religious dialogue, poverty and the environment.

• Key House Republican spoke to white nationalist group in 2002: report

  U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, gave a speech at a conference of white nationalists when he was a state lawmaker in 2002, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing his spokeswoman.

• Vote for same sex marriage would be 'grave injustice': Irish church

  Ireland's church said it would be "a grave injustice" if gay and lesbian couples were granted equality in marriage as it began an uphill battle to persuade voters to reject same sex marriage in a referendum next year.

• Pope Francis says Big Bang theory does not contradict role of God

  Scientific theories including the "Big Bang" believed to have brought the universe into being 13.7 billion years ago and the idea that life developed through a process of evolution do not conflict with Catholic teaching, Pope Francis said on Tuesday.

• Brazil's evangelicals gain clout, close to electing first president

  Brazil's increasingly powerful evangelical Christians are tantalizingly close to electing one of their own as president next month in what would be a historic shift for the world's largest Catholic nation.

• Britain to convene all-party talks to resolve Northern Ireland deadlock

  Britain announced on Sunday that it would convene all-party talks to try and resolve a political deadlock in Northern Ireland caused by a row over welfare reforms that has threatened to bring down the devolved government.

• Pope Francis marries couples who have cohabited, had children

  Pope Francis married 20 couples on Sunday, some of whom had already lived together and had children, in the latest sign that the Argentine pontiff wants the Catholic church to be more open and inclusive.

• Lesbian teacher says fired by Detroit Catholic school over pregnancy

  A Detroit-area teacher says she was fired from her post at a private Catholic all-girls high school after she and her lesbian partner announced they were expecting a child through non-traditional means.

• Jessa Duggar is engaged to boyfriend Ben Seewald; critics slam Ben's anti-Catholicism post

  A recent post by Jill Dillard, Jessa Duggar's sister, has sparked new rumors of Jessa's engagement to Ben Seewald. According to reports, the two are already engaged or even secretly married.