Adrien Brody took home his second leading man Oscar for “The Brutalist,” Mikey Madison took home the best actress statuette and “Anora” was crowned best picture on its way to five awards Sunday. Kieran Culkin won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his work on “A Real Pain” and Zoe Saldaña won for her work in “Emilia Pérez.” Sean Baker had a stunning night, winning the screenplay, director and editing awards for “Anora.” (AP News)
Read MoreLike a dark horse candidate for the papacy, the movie “Conclave,” a sort of papal procedural drama, has become a late favorite to win the Oscar for Best Picture, possibly outlasting “Emilia Pérez,” a movie musical that ran into a social media scandal, and “Anora,” the comedy-drama about a young sex worker caught up with a Russian oligarch’s family that might be losing pace just before the wire. (Hertzler-McCain, Religion News Service)
Read MoreMartin E. Marty, a pre-eminent religious historian, prolific author, dependable exponent of mainstream Protestantism and staunch champion of pluralism, died on Tuesday in Minneapolis. He was 97. His death at a retirement home, where he had lived since 2022, was confirmed by his son Peter. (Roberts, The New York Times)
Read MoreDr. Francis Collins, the legendary former director of the National Institutes of Health, has retired, NPR has learned. Collins, who notified the NIH on Friday of his decision, did not specify the reasons for his departure. But his retirement comes as the world's largest public funder of biomedical research is in turmoil under the Trump administration, facing cutbacks and layoffs. (Stein, NPR)
Read MoreNormally more likely to voice support for President Donald Trump’s decisions, attendees and speakers at a gathering of conservative Christian broadcasters expressed ambivalence this week about the White House’s resolve to bar The Associated Press from presidential events. (Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Read MorePope Francis has created a Vatican task force to urge believers to give more money as the Catholic Church tackles a cashflow crisis. Announced this week but signed off by Francis on February 11 — three days before he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia — the initiative reveals the extent of financial problems at the Vatican. (Kington, The Times)
Read More