FAITH & BELIEF

Pope Francis said Thursday in his Christmas address that the Catholic Church should be vigilant for "elegant demons" in people who have holier-than-thou attitudes and "the evil that quietly lurks among us."

Apparently, having many, or no lifetime sexual partners is connected to lower sexual satisfaction in women.

A video shows the accused questioning the weeping and terrified child, who was unable to comprehend what was happening and couldn't respond.

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin has voiced opposition to the French President Francois Hollande and his administration's efforts to craft legislation legalizing marriage and adoption for same-sex couples.

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year known as the first of the High Holy Days, is being celebrated as the holiday comes from sundown on Sept. 16 to nightfall on Sept. 18.

The Yemen wing of al Qaeda has asked Muslims to kill more U.S. diplomats in Islamic countries, terming the anti-Islam film made in the U.S. as a another chapter in the "crusader wars" against Islam, stated a Reuters report citing a posting on an al Qaeda website.

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Lebanon Friday amid heightened tensions in the Muslim and Arab world as protests spread, some violent, in response to an anti-Islam movie produced in the U.S. The pope's three-day visit is focused on expressing support for Christians throughout the region who increasingly feel threatened amidst the rising influence of Islamists following the Arab Spring.

Anger over the film 'Innocence of Muslims' has reached Sudan, where 5,000 protesters attacked the German embassy in Khartoum.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed the subject of the controversial anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims,” which has sparked riots and violence across the Middle East, including the murder of the U.S. envoy to Libya.

Pew reports the largest demographic of Republicans are white evangelical protestants, while the biggest chunk of Democrats are -- surprise! -- religiously unaffiliated.

Pakistani Hindus arriving in India are demanding refugee status, citing a pattern of persecution and discrimination in Muslim-dominated Pakistan.

A Roman Catholic priest in northern Connecticut has been rebuked by the archbishop of Hartford after he participated in his cousin's same-sex marriage ceremony. Archbishop of Hartford Henry J. Mansell rebuked the Rev. Michael DeVito, of the Sacred Heart Church in Suffield, following the Aug. 17 wedding in New York.

In a rare official complaint from a Vatican senior official in Jerusalem, Friar Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custodian of the Holy Land, said in a Friday statement that Israel has failed to respond adequately to frequent discrimination against Christians.

Monica Lewinsky's rabbi will be delivering the benediction at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night, just after Bill Clinton speaks, ABC News reported.

The Rev. Sun Myung Moon -- a self-proclaimed messiah from South Korea who founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, or Unification Church, businessman, convicted U.S. tax evader and friend of North Korea -- died at the age of 92 on Monday.

The former archbishop of Milan and papal candidate Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini said the Catholic Church was "200 years out of date" in his final interview before his death, published on Saturday.

"Rosh Hashanah," commonly known as the Jewish New Year, is one of the most important religious holidays Jews. The celebration lasts for two days and this year, it begins in the evening of Sunday, Sept. 16 and ends in the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 18.

Raila Odinga, the nation’s prime minister has called for calm.

The victims violated at least three of the Taliban’s taboos: unrelated men and women mixing socially; dancing; and listening to music.

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney isn't too thrilled about releasing his tax returns, because he and his family don't want their contributions to the Mormon church made public.

"Denial of evolution is unique to the United States," Bill Nye claims in a video posted on the Big Think channel at YouTube on Friday. The scientist and former TV personality had harsh words for the creationist theory, saying it could have a negative effect if it is taught to children.

Norwegian news portal VG Nett reported Muslim extremist terrorist group Ansar al-Sunna has threatened the Norwegian government with an attack similar to 9-11.

France foreign minister Laurent Fabius has condemned the attack on Gharbi’s family as “unacceptable.”

Naidoo’s inflammatory comments have been sharply criticized.

At one point, Mintoff said Malta was part of the ?Arab world? ? a stark symbolic separation from its long British identity.

Assad is a member of the Shia Alawite minority of Syria which rules over a predominantly Sunni populace.

Muslims around the world celebrated with prayer before the Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of Ramadan 2012 or the Islamic holy month of fasting. The three-day festival, sometimes abbreviated as Eid, marks the end of the month-long fasting during Ramadan, which began on July 20.

During state-sponsored protests across Tehran, Iranians shouted "Death to America, death to Israel!"

The Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abune Paulos, died on Wednesday aged 76.