Father Ignatius Rai, pastor of the cathedral parish, said "unknown persons" broke into the church premises and started a fire that partially damaged the priest's residence and the western part of the church.

The outcome of the court case could make it easier to use state money to pay for private, religious schooling in many states.

A total of 40 percent of surveyed countries registered "high" or "very high" levels of overall restrictions, according to Pew Research Center’s annual study on global restrictions on religion.

Egypt's Coptic Christians have become the preferred target of the Islamic State group, an apocalyptic cult seeking religious war.

Justices considered the cases of three church-affiliated nonprofit hospital systems being sued for underfunding pension plans.

Supporters of state proposals to prevent Islamic code from being used in American courts argue they aren't overtly anti-Muslim and are needed to safeguard constitutional rights for average Americans.