Days after Pope Francis laid his hands on a young man in a wheelchair in the Vatican and fueled suspicion that he performed an exorcism, the Catholic archdiocese in Madrid is reportedly considering hiring at least eight more trained clergy to help some of the faithful deal with demons.

"The devil exists. That's a fact," a spokeswoman of the Madrid archdiocese told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. She said the one exorcist the diocese has is not enough to deal with the problem.

According to a Spanish-language website, religionenlibertad.com, the number of people asking for help in driving out demons is on the rise due to the country's secularization. more >>

After about 20 years of a divisive debate on allowing women to be bishops, the Church of England published proposals on Friday to approve the ordination of female bishops by 2015.

The mother church of the global Anglican Communion published on its website new legislative proposals to enable women to become bishops, which will be debated by the General Synod, the denomination's legislature, in July.

Synod members last met in November 2012, when the previous legislation failed to secure the requisite majority in all three Houses with a thin margin. more >>

With a major protest against same-sex marriage coming up on Sunday in Paris, France, the country's Interior Minister Manuel Valls said Thursday that he is contemplating banning the opposition group French Spring.

Valls said in a Thursday radio interview with France Info that he is contemplating banning the group, which has modeled its name after the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt, due to recent statements made by the group in reference to the French government.

Valls said that he takes the recent comments by the activist organization as a "call to violence." more >>

God TV, an international television company promoting Christian programs, has announced plans to set up headquarters for the United Kingdom in a red light district in Plymouth. As SWNS reported, the new office would rest "next door to a LAP DANCING club."

The building they plan to renovate – "a derelict cinema" – would become "an entertainment venue and production studio beaming out Christian content across the globe." more >>

Pope Francis, the leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics around the world, said that non-Catholics and atheists can do good and that God has redeemed everyone, in a recent speech that is making waves.

"The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! 'Father, the atheists?' Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace.

"If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. 'But I don't believe, Father, I am an atheist!' But do good: we will meet one another there," the pope said during Mass on Wednesday at the Domus Santae Martae in the Vatican. more >>

A man was killed and then decapitated by two armed attackers Wednesday on a street in Woolwich, located in the southeast section of the London.

The attack, which is being regarded as an Islamist terrorist attack, happened around 2 p.m. local time and witnesses described that the man was first struck by a car and then attacked by two men. The attackers used a large knife and a meat clever to sever the man's head.

Police responding to the attack shot both of the suspected assailants and both of the attackers were taken to local area hospitals, where they are being treated. more >>