Clemente Lisi, Religion Unplugged

A dance troupe performing at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics drew the ire of Christians around the world after they appeared to mock Jesus and the Last Supper.

The ceremony, held on Friday along the Seine River in the French capital, featured the traditional parade of nations. It was the first time in Olympic history the ceremony was held outside a stadium.

The Vatican on Friday excommunicated the outspoken Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, its former ambassador to Washington, finding him guilty of schism after repeatedly questioning Pope Francis’ authority.

The Italian prelate had in recent years become one of Francis’ harshest critics. 

The Holy See’s doctrinal office announced the sanction following a meeting on Thursday. They informed Vigano of their decision the following day. 

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reopened an iconic Byzantine church in Istanbul as a mosque on Monday, four years after his government had designated it an Islamic house of worship.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, a once-powerful prelate and close Pope Francis adviser, was found guilty on Saturday by a three-judge Vatican panel of embezzlement and fraud in a high-profile corruption case that rocked the Holy See’s hierarchy.  

Following a marathon trial that began in July 2021, Becciu was convicted — along with eight others — in a courtroom located inside the Vatican Museums. He was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison for his crimes.

The Vatican’s meeting of bishops — the second phase of a multi-year effort that began in 2021 known as the Synod on Synodality — concluded this past weekend amid a growing debate regarding a number of key issues. 

As Israeli forces mount a ground invasion of Gaza following last week’s Hamas attack on thousands of civilians, Christians across the Holy Land called for both sides to “de-escalate this war” and end this “new cycle of violence.”

Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant leaders said the violence following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 8 that killed 1,300 Israelis should come to an end.

A day after Azerbaijan launched a military assault against ethnic Armenians in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, they halted their offensive on Wednesday following a ceasefire brokered by the Russians in what remains one of the world's longest-running conflicts.

The New Orleans Saints won their season opener in dramatic fashion — defeating the Tennessee Titans 16-15 at the Caesars Superdome — but it was linebacker Demario Davis who stole the spotlight after the game with an amazing story of faith.

Instead of talking about Sunday’s Week 1 win, Davis, who led all players with 10 tackles, took five minutes to thank God after his 4-year-old daughter Carly-Faith quick recovery after she had suffered a seizure just two days earlier.

Pope Francis joined tens of thousands of faithful in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday at a funeral Mass for Benedict XVI, a rare gathering for a dead pope presided by a living one.

The Vatican, enveloped in a thick fog, featured heads of state and bishops from around the world who came to Rome to mourn Benedict’s death and remember his papacy.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who served as head of the Roman Catholic church from 2005 until his surprise resignation in 2013 and known for his writings and defense of traditional values to counter the increased secularization of the West, died Saturday at age 95.   

Benedict’s death was announced by the Vatican. Pope Francis will preside over the funeral Mass on Jan. 5 at St. Peter’s Square.