Ancient Rome didn’t abandon its gods overnight. The rise of Christianity was a slow transformation of the cult-based religious order that had structured Roman life for centuries ...

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Disillusioned by their experiences in Catholicism, some Romans are turning to paganism and finding a connection to their roots through worshipping the gods of antiquity, whom they ...

Site has been sacred ground for nearly 3,000 years, and counting According to legend, Rome was born April 21, 753 B.C., when Romulus, the survivor of its feuding twin founders, hitched his plow and ...

Christianity is just one chapter in the Eternal City’s rich spiritual history. Judaism, Islam and ancient Roman religions are also a big part of the picture. The Temple of Hercules Victor, above, is ...

Having fought his way into power, Augustus used religion as a tool to protect his position and promote his political agenda. Having gained power by force in a bitterly fought civil war, Augustus was ...

(The Conversation) — There may have been fear of gender-diverse people in the ancient world, but they played a crucial role. In Rome, they were viewed as vital to the city’s safety. (The Conversation) ...

Inside the basilica, Pope Pius XII read the Easter homily for the Holy Year: “When men follow Jesus, they know perfect peace even in the midst of affliction, persecution and injustice.” It had been ...