Lead story
Editor's note:
One week into 2026, the quiet of the holidays already feels long gone. Venezuela, vaccine schedules, Greenland – amid the past few days’ flood of news, it’s hard to hold on to any feelings of rest, reflection and resolve for the new year.
But about 1 in 3 Americans tend to make a resolution, with the most common ones focused on well-being: health, mental health, relationships. For some, that means starting to meditate. And one form of mindfulness meditation, called “metta,” is focused on cultivating loving-kindness, reaching out from within.
In Buddhism, metta practice “is meant to grow people’s ability to be present for themselves and others without fail,” explains Jeremy David Engels, a professor at Penn State. But there are both secular and religious forms of metta meditation, all aimed at strengthening connection with other people.
Loving-kindness, Engels argues, is a practice that benefits democracy, where we must all “work together with friends, strangers and even purported ‘opponents.’ This is difficult to do if our hearts are full of hatred and resentment.”

Religion News
How Maduro's Indian guru became a household name in Venezuela
The very first, unofficial Sai Center, named for guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba, opened in Caracas in the 1970s. Now, there are almost 30 centers or groups connected to the guru across the country. By Richa Karmarkar/Religion News Service
Israel clears final hurdle to start settlement construction that would cut West Bank in two
Israel has cleared the final hurdle before starting construction on a contentious settlement project near Jerusalem that would effectively cut the West Bank in two, according to a government tender. By Julia Frankel and Abby Sewell/The Associated Press
'Whatever you're doing here in San Francisco is more important than everything everybody's doing in Christian work in the rest of the world, combined,' said tech billionaire Peter Thiel in a recent lecture for evangelical group ACTS 17. By Hayden Royster/Religion News Service
The pope convenes cardinals and signals reforms ahead
Pope Leo XIV opened a new phase of his pontificate by gathering the world’s cardinals to Rome and indicating some reform-minded priorities by calling the modernizing teachings of the Second Vatican Council the 'guiding star' of the church. By Nicole Winfield/The Associated Press
Faith leaders minister to an anxious diaspora with Venezuela's future in flux
Faith leaders who minister to Christians in Venezuela and the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States are urging prayers for peace as they attend to congregations roiled by uncertainty and high emotions following the U.S. capture of deposed leader Nicolas Maduro. By Luis Andres Henao and Giovanna Dell’Orto/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
Just war theory, a centuries-old field of ethics, deals with how and when to start conflicts. It can also guide decisions about how and when to end them. By Valerie Morkevicius for The Conversation
Security for one people should not come at the expense of another’s freedom. By Daoud Kuttab/Religion News Service
Mainstream medical organizations have criticized ‘restorative reproductive medicine,’ but some Catholics who follow church teachings consider it a welcome alternative. By Emma Kennedy for The Conversation
‘The Testament of Ann Lee,’ Mona Fastvold’s 2025 film, depicts part of the long history of Shaker worship. By Christian Goodwillie for The Conversation
Worshippers gather on the eve of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas, hosted by the Ethiopian Jandereba Generation, at Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/ Amanuel Sileshi)
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