belief

Pope Francis is trying to remake the Catholic Church by reforming the Vatican. He's definitely got his work cut out for him.

Bengali American blogger Avijit Roy, an atheist, "carried a huge target on his back" in increasingly conservative Bangladesh for his writings. His death by machete on Thursday is just the latest sign that religious dissent is under threat in Roy's native country.

What's the difference between a "good" Muslim and a "bad" one? Two women and their podcast are on a mission to find out.

Munching on pomegranates and nuts, listening to music and poetry: It's all part of a winter festival that's celebrated in Iran and by Iranians abroad.

Time magazine has named Pope Francis "Person of the Year." He's the third Pope to have that distinction. Tom Reese, of the National Catholic Reporter, says, even though he hasn't been in office very long, he has rebranded Catholicism.

China's atheistic communist rulers now say that certain religious beliefs are worth promoting for the sake of national development. Only a generation ago, nearly all forms of religious worship were essentially banned in China. The World's Matthew Bell toured a park in the Chinese city of Nanjing, where people seek help from "higher powers."

Jews scattered across the world are celebrating the last of the eight nights of Hannukah. And while the texts and songs and traditions are remarkably similar, Hanukkah in Israel is more a public affair than a private one.