US church creates Covid-19 themed nativity scene

In a new documentary titled The Making of Rocky vs. Drago, Stallone described being flown to an intensive care unit after filming with Dolph Lundgren for the 1985 sports drama.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Saturday⁣

This week, France 24 commemorates the 30 years of the dissolution of the USSR. We continue our journey through former Soviet republics in Georgia, where the Georgian Orthodox Church enjoys considerable power and influence. After 70 years of communist oppression, it turned into a driving force to achieve independence and rebuild the country. Today, its position is threatened by the country’s pro-European liberal youth.

In a bid to question the high rates of hospitalisation due to Covid-19, certain publications are claiming that actors are pretending to be patients. We take a look at one example in France and another false claim in Germany.

A stampede at a church gathering in Liberia's capital Monrovia killed 29 people overnight, the deputy information minister told state radio on Thursday. A large rush of people at a church gathering in Liberia's capital Monrovia has left at least 29 people dead overnight into Thursday, according to authorities.

Former Pope Benedict XVI has apologized for giving false testimony during a child sexual abuse probe. For many Catholics, the statement isn't enough; they are bitterly disappointed and demand an admission of guilt.

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx has said he is still willing to step down in response to a damning report on decades of sexual abuse in his archdiocese. The cardinal once again asked victims for forgiveness, "personally and in the name of the diocese."

A man interrupted Pope Francis' general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday, shouting "This is not the Church of God" in English and waving a medical mask he had removed from his face before being taken away by police, a Reuters witness said.

For the past 65 years, the Danish Church has brought together Danes of all generations in the French capital. It's a haven of peace located a few steps from the Champs-Élysées. Frederikskirken is part of the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Denmark. For Pastor Malene, the sense of community this institution offers is important. It's also a place for Danes to introduce Parisians to their culture and broaden their horizons. Our team reports.

More than 120 priests and employees of the Catholic Church in Germany have come out as queer and launched a campaign demanding an end to discrimination against LGBTQ people. DW met with one of them in Frankfurt.

The Saudi capital is changing, as demonstrated by the MDLBeast Soundstorm festival, an electronic dance music event held late last year on the outskirts of Riyadh. After trying to diversify its oil-dependent economy, Saudi authorities are now looking to develop the entertainment industry. Partying legally in Riyadh is rare, but is now possible. However, human rights groups are warning that this change, however welcome, should not overshadow the kingdom's crackdown on free speech. Our regional correspondent reports.

The Russian Orthodox Church supports the invasion of Ukraine. But in Germany, a Russian Orthodox monastery is providing shelter and safety to Ukrainian refugees. Politics, they say, are left at the door.