Religion/ Spirituality

Kanye West has taken his Sunday Service all over North America -- from Coachella to a Houston megachurch to Skid Row and all the way to Jamaica -- but now he wants to head further overseas.

TMZ's learned the rapper plans to go global with his gospel movement in 2020, and has his sights set on locations in Europe and Africa to start. We're told his muse and sole focus in the new year is to bring the word of God to people via his Sunday Service.

Our Kanye sources say he has no interest in traditional touring for his music anymore, but he does plan to keep recording gospel tunes with his choir ... which he continues to fund on his own.

We're told he's got another album in mind with the choir too. As we reported ... he and his Sunday Service choir dropped its anticipated, "Jesus is Born," gospel album just in time for Christmas.

Pope Francis was almost held back in 2019 by an overzealous fan, who grabbed a hold of him and wouldn't let go ... that is, until Francis gave her a swat and a scolding.

The Pontiff was down in Vatican City Tuesday, ready to ring in the new year with a line of adoring fans and worshippers -- many of whom he was happily greeting and shaking hands with along his route. It was all going great, up to the point some woman got handsy.

Check it out ... it's a pretty surreal scene, especially seeing how PF handles it. Kinda feisty!

You see Francis going down the line -- and as he approaches the grabber, she actually ramps up by doing a crucifix blessing on herself in anticipation of making contact. Sure enough, he ends up shaking her hand, but she clamps on to his arm and yanks him back.

It definitely took the Pope by surprise, and not in a good way either. He slaps her hand a couple time and when his handlers finally step in, she releases him. Looks like his Holiness wasn't too pleased either ... walking away with a stern look on his face 😡

Oh, and that wasn't the only incident along the guard rails either. Apparently, some kid fell right in front of the Pope as he was walking along, and Francis was quick to attend to him and give him a pat on the head once he realized he was alright.

Kanye West had a lot to reflect on a year after starting his Sunday Service -- and he did that and then some in a place you might've never thought you'd see him ... Skid Row.

Ye was in DTLA this weekend holding a Sunday Service at the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row, which is a homeless shelter that offers food and spiritual guidance for the needy. While there with his usual choir, he got on the mic at one point to do some preaching.

He got into a lot of different topics -- including how Sunday Service itself saved him since it began a full year ago. He also talked about the homeless crisis in L.A. and elsewhere ... going on to say he's had a vision for a worldwide solution. That sounds familiar, doesn't it?

At one point, Kanye also ranted a bit about "Devil-approved" and "God-approved" subjects -- and he seemed to allude to T.I.'s highly scrutinized comments from earlier this year about how he once brought his daughter to the gynecologist to make sure she was a virgin.

A man has been arrested in connection with a vicious hate crime against Jews ... and 2 people are now fighting for their lives.

Cops say the suspect entered the home of a rabbi Saturday night to celebrate the 7th day of Hanukkah. The man then pulled out a knife -- which one eyewitness said looked like a broomstick -- and began attacking many of the 100 guests.

Five of the guests were stabbed and 2 are in critical condition. One of the victims was stabbed at least 6 times.

Most of the people who attended the party were Hasidic Jews. The home where the attack occurred is in a New York suburb which has the largest Jewish population per capita in the country.

The rabbi was not about to cower ... after the attack, he continued with the celebration.

It's the latest in a series of violent attacks against Jews.

The wait is over ... Kanye West and his Sunday Service choir have finally dropped its "Jesus is Born" gospel album.

Kanye had everyone waiting with anticipation since he teased the album in an interview back in October. The 19-track album hit all major digital streaming platforms today ... just in time for Christmas. Instead of going with a major label to release his album, Ye chose a New Jersey-based Indie distributor, Vydia.

Some of the track titles include "Count Your Blessings," "That's How the Good Lord Works" and "Satan, We're Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down." Kanye, of course, dropped his "Jesus is King" album back in October after many delays. That album featured 11 tracks.

Yeezy had a massive album listening event at The Forum in L.A. when that album dropped. Fans were also treated to a screening of his "Jesus is King" IMAX project.

Demi Lovato added new ink on her bod for the holidays ... and like much of her last year, it's inspirational.

Demi spent most of her Monday getting inked up by Alessandro Capozzi at a private studio in downtown L.A. We are told he started on Demi's tattoo around noon and finished around 8 PM. The finished product? An angel representing the rebirth of the spirit.

Capozzi says he and Demi created the image together. The dark wings represent the bad times but the fading wings represent how Demi's moved forward. The light from within represents the inner strength that's necessary for the change in her life ... and the doves pulling her up symbolize the reach of a higher state of consciousness. Deep stuff.

The Royals have had a tough year no doubt, but at least some of them tried to put on a happy face for Xmas.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte clutched the hand of parents William and Kate as they made their way to church. They joined grandpa Prince Charles as they entered the Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Queen's Sandringham estate, about 100 miles from London.

Prince Louis wasn't there ... he's 18 months old and too young for the festivities. Louis hung out with Kate's parents.

Kanye West brought his city-hopping opera to NYC -- and while much of it was the same -- Yeezy added some Christmas flare to the latest tour stop.

Kanye, his choir and band hit Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall Sunday to perform "Mary." The stage was decked out in plants, over 100 choir members and props to tell the story of Jesus' birth from the eyes of his mother.

The choir belted out songs from Kanye's "Jesus is King" album -- as they normally have -- but there was also a rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy" added to the setlist.

Dave Chappelle, Bradley Cooper and Kim Kardashian West were among the stars in the crowd ... and Kanye voiced much of the show from offstage.

It's been a family affair for the West's in NYC -- we got Kim, Kanye and the kids leaving The Ritz Friday -- North was definitely in a holiday mood.

Kanye West seems ready to switch things up for his second go-around on 'Mary' -- this time, kids are going to be directly involved, as will a big surprise guest ... supposedly.

The rapper's in NYC right now, where he's hours away from his 2nd performance of his latest opera at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall. On Saturday, he was in rehearsals ... and a bunch of tykes were spotted onstage at the David H. Koch Theater across the way -- where we're told everyone was warming up their pipes and getting the cues down.

People on the scene tell us they saw the kids rehearsing their singing too, as we're told it appears they're going to be incorporated into the chorus of adults -- made up of Ye's Sunday Service choir, of course. That's different than what he did at Art Basel 2 weeks ago.

Kanye West has a simple message on what people should take away from his journey in 2019 -- but his son has an even louder one that might resonate more.

We got the Kardashian-West family Saturday in NYC, where they left a restaurant and boarded a waiting SUV with two of their kids in tow ... North and Saint, who were feeling chatty after dinner. Saint had a firm message for the paps standing by ... they didn't listen.

As Kim got the kids situated in the car, we asked Ye what it was he wanted folks to know or remember about him and his religious awakening from this past year ... which was pretty much a complete 180 from his rocky 2018 and mostly positive, all things considered.

At the start of this year, Kanye pivoted away from politics and dove head first into music -- and as it turned out, God too. His Sunday Services seemed to be his focal point, which started indoors but quickly went outside ... and, eventually, to Coachella and beyond.

Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato have formed a holy alliance with their manager Scooter Braun.

Justin and Demi hit the pews Wednesday night at an L.A. church with Scooter, along with Justin's wife, Hailey.

It seems more than just a trek to a place of worship ... it's a showing of a united front with some of Scooter's most famous clients ... this in the wake of Taylor Swift's campaign against the manager and his Big Machine.

Remember ... when Taylor launched on Scooter at the Billboard Awards, he was in Florida with Ariana Grande ... another client.

There's been a lot of back and forth with Scooter and Taylor. She says neither he nor his team has reached out to her so she could have an opportunity to buy her masters from BM, and he has said on social media he wants to sit down with her but she hasn't accepted his olive branch.

Kanye West and Joel Osteen know a good thing when they see it, and after a massive success at Joel's Sunday Service in Houston, they've talked about a possible national tour.

TMZ broke the story, Kanye and Joel will appear at Yankee Stadium on May 2 and they will almost certainly sell the venue out. Kanye will be responsible for the music ... Joel will perform the sermon.

Our sources say the next venue will be Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago ... Kanye's hometown. We're told that event will go down in September.

But, there's more. We're told Joel and Kanye are talking regularly now ... mostly about religion, but they've also talked about expanding the kind of show they put on in Houston. We're told, although nothing has been locked down, they're talking about Miami, Detroit and Los Angeles. Joel has taken his service to Detroit in the past -- at Comerica Park in 2016, with great success. As for L.A. ... we're told the likely venue is Dodger Stadium.

We're told Detroit, L.A. and Miami would likely be in 2021.

Joel Osteen's making it clear -- he would very much like for Kanye West and him to keep their holy get-togethers going into the new year and all over the country.

We spoke to the megachurch preacher Tuesday in NYC, and asked if he and Ye's Yankee Stadium stop next year is an omen -- meaning, more sermons and shows in multiple cities. Essentially, a national tour. Check it out ... Joel says he'd like that.

Now, he stopped short of a guarantee ... the deets are still being worked out. However, he did confirm at least 1 future location they're working on -- Ye's hometown of Chicago.

JO also told us a little bit about how he and his new partner-in-faith even crossed paths in the first place.

As for their potential collabs -- Joel might be on to something by teaming up with Yeezy. Their partnership has already paid dividends and publicity beyond their wildest dreams. You'll recall, Kanye's visit to Osteen's Lakewood Church turned out to be a ratings bonanza -- raking in millions of unique viewers across multiple platforms.

Our camera guy also got Joel's take on a subject that's been on a lot of people's minds since Ye started fully embracing his Christianity -- is he actually genuine about this???

Kanye West might've been somewhat absent from his first opera in L.A. -- but he seems ready to make up for that tenfold with a silver bullet solution ... oh, mother of God.

We mean that literally!!! Ye's down at Art Basel in Miami right now, ready to premiere his new opera, dubbed "Mary." You might've heard of her -- she was Jesus's virgin mom ... a big deal in Christianity and elsewhere. Looks like Kanye dedicated a whole production to her.

It also appears he and others involved in the opera are actually going to be on stage and involved in the goings-on of the story ... completely covered in silver, head to toe.

Based on a quote Ye included in his description of the opera, it's a safe bet this is basically gonna portray the Nativity story ... in which Mary miraculously became pregnant and gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem, welcoming royal visitors from distant lands for the occasion.

As for what the silver outfits might mean ... it's anyone's guess. Kanye and co. may be playing angels of some sort, or maybe Christmas stars guiding the way? Time will tell ...

You'll recall ... Kanye's 1st opera, Nebuchadnezzar, got mixed reviews when it debuted at the Hollywood Bowl last month. It took forever for the show to actually start, and it ended pretty quickly too. Ye didn't perform either -- he just narrated from behind the curtain.

Jeff Ross is welcoming Tiffany Haddish to the Jewish faith with open arms -- and he's also inviting anyone else of color to get on-board and enjoy the perks of Tribe membership.

The comic gave us his two cents Saturday outside of his Roastmaster's pop-up coffee shop on Ventura Blvd. in L.A. -- telling us what he made of Tiff recently embracing her Jewish heritage and celebrating it with a Black Mitzvah in conjunction with a new comedy special.

Watch ... Jeff seems ecstatic over the news and gives her a couple tips on how live like a Jew. He also has a message for other black celebs who are thinking of converting ... which sounds like great material he might use in a roast setting. That's sorta his thing.

Our photog pivots to Hanukkah, asking if Jeff thinks TH might enjoy that over a traditional Christmas. He's got a hilarious take on that too ... comparing Tiffany to a menorah.

Kanye West is going from the big stage at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church to a truly massive one -- this time they'll be teaming up to fill Yankee Stadium to the brim ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Kanye tell us ... Ye and Joel will take center stage at baseball's cathedral on May 2, 2020 for a mega event that certainly plays like a tour stop. The NYC event is part of Joel's "America's Night of Hope" ... which he takes to several cities across the country.

We're told Joel will do his sermon at Yankee Stadium, and then let Kanye and his choir do their thing with the music. Call it a double play, considering the setting, similar to what they did a few weeks ago in Houston.

If Joel's past appearances at Yankee Stadium are any indication, this one's sure to sell out quickly ... especially now that Kanye's involved. The stadium has a max capacity of 54,251 ... almost 10,000 more than Lakewood.

This will be Joel's third time doing 'Night of Hope' at the Stadium, but his first with Ye.

Our sources tell us the Lakewood get-together went so well, Joel recently asked Kanye about when they will do a sequel ... and they agreed Yankee Stadium would be the perfect backdrop. They're coordinating details now.