ArcaMax

MIAMI — Miami’s top Catholic leader Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who turned 75 this month, will be submitting a retirement letter to the Vatican.

But that doesn’t mean he plans to go anywhere — at least just yet.

Sending the letter of intent to retire is “regular protocol” for all Catholic bishops and archbishops when they turn 75, ...Read more

Holidays are not all of the same rank.

Some holidays come to us with outstanding spiritual resumes. There is no question that Easter and Passover and Ramadan arrive in the sacred calendar with the highest religious credentials. They tell the story of our faiths. They are decorated with rituals that both inform and ...Read more

A federal bankruptcy judge Thursday granted a request by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland to dismiss its bankruptcy case, setting the stage for hundreds of sexual assault victims to take their long-running lawsuits against the church to trial in the coming months and years.

Judge William J. Lafferty said his decision would not be official ...Read more

Q: I am the daughter of Holocaust survivors who both recently passed. I was brought up in a very conservative home where we went to synagogue every Saturday. We kept kosher and observed all the holidays. As an adult, I have become much less religious but maintained all of the Jewish traditions with my children. Although I maintain ...Read more

Growing up in a religious family, Florida Republican state Sen. Alexis Calatayud has seen how many church communities are no longer anchored to a single building in the way they used to be. Her small prayer groups take place over chats these days, not necessarily in person or sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in pews.

With churches in her Miami-Dade...Read more

Q: Dear Rabbi Gellman, several weeks ago, you had a column in our Patriot News in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Lilith. I accidentally threw out the paper without cutting that article out. Several times I have tried to access it, but I cannot remember the date and also tried to Google your column on Lilith, to no avail. Could you please send ...Read more

Across America, churches meant to be sanctuaries are facing deadly threats in the 21st century, and safeguarding congregations from attacks has become increasingly challenging.

Church security is a hugely complicated field, experts say, one that brings no one-size-fits-all solutions and few easy answers. Churches range in size from tiny ...Read more

BALTIMORE — The Rev. Rodney Hudson has had enough scary confrontations in and around his churches that he has taken safety measures many would consider extreme.

There was the day he was giving the eulogy at a funeral and the son of the deceased rose to attack him in the pulpit. And another day, when two men mugged him in the church parking ...Read more

Q: I just read your column about Heaven, and loved it. I, too, believe our souls are reunited with those we have lost. My question is, when you said the concept of Heaven began in the rabbinic times, do we know what caused them to think this after never having believed in Heaven before? Thank you for your columns. I find them enjoyable and ...Read more

We are in a Heaven mode here at the God Squad and I can tell you absolutely that one of the most frequent questions I am asked by my dear Christian readers is whether Jews believe in Heaven. Here is an example:

Q: As an evangelical Christian, I am still puzzled: do Jews believe there is a physical Heaven, or not. I admit that I am most ...Read more

Every year I offer a brutally condensed version of my Jewish High Holiday sermon along with my wishes for a happy and healthy new year to all my readers, Jewish and not, because such wishes are needed by us all. Shana Tova!

One of the very best questions I ever heard was from a young Jewish woman. She asked this question, “Who will shelter us...Read more

Q: What if you have no family and few friends? And you're ill and in pain and only death will end it? And you'd rather leave what money you have to various charities then use it up paying for care that may prolong life but won't cure or even reduce pain, but keep one around increasingly unable to do self-care, etc.? – (From S)

A: ...Read more

On 9/11 I was the president of the New York Board of Rabbis, and because of my position I was asked to deliver one of the speeches at the 9/11 memorial service at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 24, 2001. I offer it up this year once again as a memorial to the dead and remembered ones but ...Read more