Religion/ Spirituality

After Pope Leo XIV hosted an exorcist summit at the Vatican this month, we held our own conference with renowned exorcist Father Dan Reehil ... and he tells us the Devil is real -- and definitely busy!

Reehil stopped by "TMZ Live," telling us there was a big spike in demonic activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused significant concern about the global rise in Satanism.

He said, "During COVID, the cases tripled, and I think that was primarily because the churches were shut down, people were locked up at home with idle time on their hands to do nothing but get into mischief and the cases skyrocketed."

Kathie Lee Gifford is asking the LGBTQ community to simmer down when it comes to the letters in its title ... but she doesn't want you to think she's being judgmental!

In an interview with Tomi Lahren, Gifford weighed in on the community's identifying letters, saying, "I don't even know how many letters there are now. They've really got to stop with that. We know what you mean, you know?"

She continued ... "I'm not telling anybody how to live their life. I never have. I just know what Jesus said -- 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' Love God first."

The woman accused of shooting at Rihanna's home on Sunday seems to have shared multiple videos making incoherent accusations concerning the singer ... even what will happen when Rihanna dies.

Watch the clip ... in a YouTube video posted January 4, Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, clutches a 'Praying Woman's Journal' and appears to accuse Rihanna of trying to kill her. Even more disturbing ... Ortiz appears to say that when Rihanna dies, God will take Ortiz to her "future."

In another video, uploaded to YouTube on January 21, Ortiz seems to give a similar rant while holding the same book. In the second clip, Ortiz appears to liken Rihanna's face to the devil before delving into a tirade about homework.

Ivanka Trump was snapped walking her children to a synagogue Saturday ... hours after her father launched a devastating attack on Iran with Israel.

Dressed in all black, Ivanka made her first public appearance in months ... joining her family for a synagogue service in Miami, Florida.

In the pics, you can see Ivanka leading her 2 sons, who follow behind on scooters. She keeps a low profile in black shades and a large sunhat with a matching black ribbon around it.

A woman who claims to have been attending service during the Minnesota church protest covered by Don Lemon last month is now suing Lemon and other protesters, saying she suffered severe emotional distress as a result of the incident.

In court documents, obtained by TMZ, Ann Doucette claims she was attending a worship service at The Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, on January 18 ... when she alleges Don and others "unlawfully interfered" with her ability to "freely exercise her religion in a private place of worship."

Remember ... the demonstration was held in the wake of Renee Good's death and was meant to confront the Cities Church pastor David Easterwood, who is a Minneapolis ICE official.

Doucette is suing for an unspecified amount, claiming she suffered "severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma" as a result of the protesters' conduct.

Mel Gibson and a controversial archbishop chopped it up during a visit to the set of "The Resurrection of the Christ" ... but there's no consulting going on, TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... a Friday report stated excommunicated Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò is a consultant on Mel's follow-up to his blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ." It was a shocking development to some, given that Viganò was booted by the Vatican in 2024 for refusing to recognize Pope Francis’ authority.

A source close to 'Resurrection' production tells TMZ … Viganò is NOT a consultant on the film. Viganò visited the set, and the two conversed … but that’s the extent of their relationship. Viganò posted some snaps of his set visit, which likely kicked the rumors into high gear.

Savannah Guthrie and her family are clinging to faith amid their nightmare ... and a message of hope is coming straight from her mother Nancy’s pastor, who is vouching for the power of prayer when tragedy threatens to take over.

Michael Rudzena, the pastor at Good Shepherd New York in Manhattan -- who Savannah introduced to her mother a decade ago -- sat down with Hoda Kotb on Tuesday ... explaining how prayer fights against a sense of fatality and despair that clouds hearts when bad things happen.

Rudzena described 84-year-old Nancy as strong and fiercely loving ... saying over the years he came to understand her faith deeply when she streamed his church services from Arizona and attended in person when she was in NYC.

As the search for Nancy Guthrie continues, her church delivered a powerful and emotional message not just for her safety, but for the conscience of those who may be responsible for her abduction.

During Sunday's service, Pastor John Tittle of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church told the congregation they had been given one clear request from the Guthrie family ... pray.

"We are seeking to just honor the family's privacy and their desires," Tittle said. "It was communicated to me, 'pray.' We’re going to keep praying through this horrific ordeal."

Tittle led the church in prayer, asking God to protect the 84-year-old, allow her to feel the love surrounding her, and guide authorities in their search. But he also included a pointed plea asking that the hearts of "those who are responsible" be softened so they may do what is "humane and right."

Kanye West's most recent apology for his antisemitism is falling flat ... at least as far as Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is concerned.

Rabbi Shmuley, an influential American rabbi and TV personality, took a blowtorch to the full-page ad Ye took out in The Wall Street Journal apologizing to "Those I've Hurt."

Ye, in part, blamed a car crash that nearly killed him 25 years ago for his hate speech ... but the rabbi says Kanye is far from the first person to blame a blow to the head on antisemitism. Then he doubled down and insisted his apology is not a P.R. stunt ahead of his album release Friday ... Boteach is calling B.S.

That photo of Harry Styles lurking at the Pope Leo XIV announcement last May had the internet spiraling ... was he finding religion -- or just lost? Turns out, neither!

Harry jumped on BBC Radio Friday and finally spilled the sacred truth -- and it all started in a barber chair ... he said he was five minutes from the Vatican, mid-haircut, when people suddenly started screaming, sprinting, and losing their minds outside.

Even his barber was freaking out ... but finished the cut first. Respect! But once the scissors stopped, Harry wandered over to St. Peter’s Square to see who was pulling this kind of crowd. And boom, someone snapped a pic of him, which made its way online in seconds! And somehow ... he was wearing a hat in the photo ... 🤔

At the time, fans were tearing the pic apart -- wondering if Harry had gone full religion, while others clocked he was facing away from the crowd, looking like he was plotting a smooth escape.

11:40 AM PT -- Don Lemon posted a statement from his attorney, Abbe Lowell, on his official IG account Thursday after the judge rejected the DOJ's attempt to charge him … noting journalists' First Amendment rights were properly reinforced by the federal judge.

The statement concludes … "Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to silence and punish a journalist for doing his job, Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court."

Don Lemon looks like he's off the hook in Minnesota ... because a judge reportedly swatted away the U.S. Department of Justice's first attempt to charge him with a crime over an anti-ICE protest that tore through a church service.

CNN reports a federal magistrate judge rejected the DOJ's bid to bring charges against the former CNN host, who reported live from Sunday's protest at Cities Church in St. Paul.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is in meeting with federal prosecutors in Minnesota, is reportedly "enraged" at the judge's decision.

A lawyer and activist who allegedly helped organize a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this week has been arrested.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Nekima Levy Armstrong was taken into custody at her direction Thursday morning, writing in a social media post ... "Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP."

Bondi said Chauntyll Louisa Allen was also arrested.

Local and federal authorities are investigating after a group of anti-ICE protesters crashed a Minnesota church service ... and one of the demonstrators tells TMZ she'd still do it all over again.

Here's the deal ... the DOJ and local police are investigating after protesters interrupted a service at the Cities Church in St. Paul ... which is getting major headlines because Don Lemon was in the mix live-streaming the incident.

Chauntyll Allen, leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, who was among the group, tells TMZ … the jarring protest inside the church was necessary to make clear to the parishioners that having a pastor who is also an ICE official is unacceptable.

Don Lemon is apparently in the DOJ's crosshairs after he was covering a group of ICE protesters who interrupted a church service in Minnesota's Twin Cities ... and at least one parishioner wants them all charged.

Here's the deal ... The former CNN host -- now an independent journalist -- live-streamed from Cities Church in St. Paul, MN, where a bunch of demonstrators interrupted the Sunday service to protest the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the state. One of the pastors is allegedly an ICE official.

Cities Church parishioner Caleb Phillips tells TMZ … the protesters rocked the church and scared the hell out of a lot of good people … but ultimately, they accomplished nothing.

1:27 PM PT -- The Miami nightclub, Vendôme, has announced that three employees have been terminated following an internal review. The venue also says it has “permanently banned the individuals involved in this incident from the Vendôme premises,” though members of the group -- including Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes -- are not named directly.

The nightclub adds that it has implemented new protocols and policies to ensure a similar incident does not occur again.

Andrew and Tristan Tate are distancing themselves from backlash after they were seen partying while Kanye West’s song “Heil Hitler” played ... making it clear they were not singing along, and they're denouncing antisemitism.

ICYMI ... the influencer bros were seen alongside Nick Fuentes, Sneako, Myron Gaines, and Clavicular on a party bus and later at a Miami nightclub as the controversial song blared in the background this weekend -- with members of the group singing along and even flashing Nazi salutes.

While Andrew and Tristan are not seen singing along in the footage, they do appear to be enjoying themselves -- with Tristian even bopping along in the party bus beforehand.

The St. Paul Police Dept. has opened an investigation after anti-ICE protesters crashed a church service ... and Don Lemon may be ensnared.

St. Paul police tell TMZ … the department is actively working the Sunday incident as a disorderly conduct investigation.

Due to the open case, police declined all other questions ... including whether Lemon was exempt from the investigation.