RNS Morning Report: US Catholics more polarized than ever about still-popular Pope Francis, survey says

Top Stories US Catholics more polarized than ever about still-popular Pope Francis, survey says (RNS) — The Republican and Republican-leaning favorability rating represents a decline, creating the largest partisan gap in approval of Francis since his papacy began.   An Episcopal seminary found a solution to its fiscal woes. Then 7 bishops intervened. (RNS) — A group of seven New York-area bishops have objected to a long-term lease for General Episcopal Seminary, saying the lessee, a Catholic school, has a donor that does not support rights for gay, transgender and queer people.   Photos of the Week: Eid al-Fitr; LDS General Conference (RNS) — This week’s photo gallery includes Eid al-Fitr marking the end of Ramadan, the twice-annual LDS General Conference and more.   In Northern Ireland, a long-awaited gurdwara opens with a wedding LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland (RNS) — Derry’s growing population of Sikhs have been meeting in living rooms and kitchens since a fire destroyed one of only two gurdwaras in the country. RNS Opinion Mormonism is still growing, but slowly (RNS) — There's something for everyone to cheer — or boo — in the most recent data on the LDS church.   How OJ Simpson changed the male-only way I talk, think and pray about God (RNS) — OJ's violence toward his wife convinced me to pursue a more gender-balanced liturgy. ICYMI Experts call for Vatican judicial reforms to promote transparency and a fair trial VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Speakers at the conference said the institution still has a lot to do to better inform victims during canonical trials.   The worship of Shiva, Hinduism’s ‘inconceivable’ deity, finds a home in the tech sector (RNS) — Often cast as the most transcendent sect of Hinduism, Shaivism’s appeal to scientific-minded Hindus is becoming more visible. In Other News Palestinians forgo Eid celebrations to mourn for Gaza The mental-health benefits linked to going to church   Talk to Us We want your feedback on the RNS Morning Report — what you think we're doing right and what we should be doing differently. Send us an email at Comments@ReligionNews.com Subscribe to other RNS Newsletters. Forward this email to a friend. View the archive of past newsletters. RNS is free to read, but it's not free to produce. If you value our reporting, please consider making a donation today at religionnews.com/donate. If you prefer to mail a donation, please address to: Religion News Foundation, PO Box 1808, Columbia, MO 65205. Yes, I support the work you're doing! Forward this email to a friend

Religion News Service Audio - So much for ‘Modest is Hottest’

On Calendars and King James Sunday, April 14 So much for ‘Modest is Hottest’ Fun week! On Saved By the City Roxy and Katelyn catch up with a few hot items in evangelical circles, in particular with that USA Bible everyone is talking about, and the new Conservative Dad's Real Women of America 2024 Calendar. It’s not an episode to miss. Turning from HAWT to GAWD, The State of Belief welcomes Royal G. Cravens III, who comes on to talk about his recently published “Yes Gawd: How Faith Shapes LGBT Identity and Politics in the United States.” It's no accident that pseudoscience has become a potent anti-LGBTQ weapon. Cravens has been working to document how the political and religious opponents of LGBTQ rights work to legitimize myths and fears to manipulate public opinion. Roxy and Katelyn are joined by Micha Boyett to talk limits. Plus, a little side dishing on raunchy Christians and a certain Bible being hawked by a certain former president.  State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talks Dr. Royal G. Cravens III, Senior Research Analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center. RG has recently published the book Yes Gawd: How Faith Shapes LGBT Identity and Politics in the United States. Liking this newsletter? We have others!

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RNS Photos of the Week: Eid al-Fitr; LDS General Conference

(RNS) — Each week Religion News Service presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world. This week’s photo gallery includes Eid al-Fitr marking the end of Ramadan, the twice-annual LDS General Conference and more.   Muslim women take photos as they gather to perform an Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, at Washington Square Park, Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)   Muslims offer Eid al-Fitr prayers at Jama Masjid, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)   Muslims attend prayers at National Mosque for the Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)   People gather in the aftermath of a shooting at an Eid al-Fitr event in Philadelphia, Wednesday, April 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)   The imam leads the morning prayers at the historic Yeni Cami, or New Mosque, in the port city of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Eid prayers were held in the historic former mosque in northern Greece for the first time in 100 years. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)   Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr outside al-Seddik mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)   Vendors sell balloons to Muslims during Eid al-Fitr in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, April, 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)   Muslims and non-Muslim migrants eat their meals together during an Iftar, the sunset meal when Muslims break their fast in the holy month of Ramadan, at the migrant shelter on Randall’s Island, on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)   Muslims pray outside a mosque as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)   Bangladeshi Muslims maneuver their way onto the roof of an overcrowded train to travel home for Eid al-Fitr celebrations, at a railway station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Hundreds of thousands of people working in Dhaka left their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with their families. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)   Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill releases a bird celebrating the Annunciation preceding the celebration of Orthodox Easter in front of the Annunciation Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, April 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)   Horseback riders known as “Huasos,” take part in the Quasimodo Feast, a celebration held on the first Sunday after Easter, in Colina, Chile, Sunday, April 7, 2024. The “Huasos” accompany priests to give communion to the sick, in a procession to pay tribute to the Virgin of Carmen. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)   Congregants gather for the twice-annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Saturday, April 6, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)   Archival Photos   Director Christopher W. Kemp, left, leads the Johnson C. Smith University Choir during a recording session in Charlotte, N.C., in 1964. Some 20 national radio broadcasts are scheduled during the year for the Johnson C. Smith University Choir of Charlotte, N.C., a 75-voice group named as the 1964 Official Broadcasting Choir for the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. It is the first Black choir to be selected by the denomination to produce recordings for use over ABC, NBC and CBS network programs. (RNS archive photo. Photo courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society.)   Sister Benedict gives some pointers on playing billiards to guests at the Sacred Heart Home for the Aged in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1964. The nun is a member of the Little Sisters of the Poor who operate the residence. Donated by the Knights of Columbus, the pool table makes it possible for the home to incorporate billiards as part of its program to keep the senior citizens amused and active. (RNS archive photo by Henry F. Under. Photo courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society.)   Talk to Us We want your feedback on the RNS Photos of the Week — what you think we're doing right and what we should be doing differently. Send us an email at Comments@ReligionNews.com Subscribe to other RNS Newsletters. Forward this email to a friend. View the archive of past newsletters. RNS is free to read, but it's not free to produce. If you value our reporting, please consider making a donation today. If you prefer to mail a donation, please address to: Religion News Foundation, PO Box 1808, Columbia, MO 65205. Yes, I support the work you're doing! Forward this email to a friend

This Week in Religion - Vatican blasts gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy

Lead story

Vatican blasts gender-affirming surgery, surrogacy and gender theory as violations of human dignity

Editor's note:

The document, titled “Infinite Dignity,” had been in the works for five years within the Vatican’s doctrine office. Released this week, on the order of Pope Francis, it touched on poverty, war, human trafficking and numerous other issues but attention focused on its declaration condemning gender-affirming surgery and surrogacy. They were deemed “grave violations of human dignity,” putting them on par with abortion and euthanasia as practices viewed as rejecting God’s plan for human life. From a pope who has made outreach to the LGBTQ+ community a hallmark of his papacy, the document was received as a setback, albeit predictable, by trans Catholics. But as AP Vatican correspondent Nicole Winfield reported, its message was also consistent with the Argentine Jesuit’s long-standing belief that while trans people should be welcomed in the church, so-called “gender ideologies” should not. 

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Religion News

For Latino Muslims, Eid is a celebration of ‘Islam and Latinidad’

'The beauty is that we're not expected to commit cultural apostasy when we convert to Islam.' By Fiona André/Religion News Service

Conservative Christians praise Trump’s anti-abortion record but say he’s stopped short of the goal 

Donald Trump makes clear he won’t be leading the push for a federal abortion ban as he vies for his second term as president. Some anti-abortion religious leaders criticized his approach; others gave thanks for his past anti-abortion wins and vowed to keep pressing for federal restrictions. By Holly Meyer and Tiffany Stanley/The Associated Press

An Argentine judge recognizes gender abuse suffered for years by 20 nuns in a breakthrough ruling 

An Argentine judge rules that 20 cloistered nuns had suffered abuse for more than two decades at the hands of high-ranking clergy in the country’s conservative north, and ordered the accused archbishop and church officials to undergo psychological treatment and training in gender discrimination. By Almudena Calatrava/The Associated Press

Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Fitr, but the festivities are marred by the war in Gaza 

Muslims around the world celebrated the Eid al-Fitr holida, marking the end of the Islamic holy month with family reunions, new clothes and sweet treats. But the celebrations were overshadowed by the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s expected offensive in the city of Rafah. By Niniek Karmini/The Associated Press

Catholic bishops silent as Ascension hospital system shrinks maternity care

The bishops have urged more support for mothers and families, even as Ascension, one of the largest Catholic health care providers in the US, has been closing labor and delivery units at its hospitals. By Aleja Hertzler-McCain/Religion News Service

 

Commentary and Analysis

A dramatic schism over social issues? The United Methodist Church has been here before – but this time, America’s religious landscape is far different

The United Methodist Church will hold its General Conference, delayed several years by the pandemic, in April 2024. The meeting comes amid a dramatic divide over LGBTQ+ rights. By Christopher H. Evans for The Conversation

In 1877, a stained-glass window depicted Jesus as Black for the first time − a scholar of visual images unpacks its significance

A stained-glass window, which shows Jesus as a Black man for the first time, tells a story not only of race but of gender, class and ethnicity. By Virginia Raguin for The Conversation

What the Buddhist text Therigatha teaches about women’s enlightenment

The Therigatha, a collection of poems written in Pāli by Buddhist nuns, reveals that women's enlightenment may not necessarily require renunciation of domestic life. By Jue Liang for The Conversation

Conservative Christians just lost their scholarly trump card on same-sex relationships

Theologian Richard Hays' reversal comes at a bad time for those who oppose accepting LGBTQ Christians. By Jonathan Merritt/Religion News Service

 

Photos of the Week: Easter; colorful Bali festival

Local residents of the region wearing traditional costumes make their way to get blessings for men and animals at the St. George Church in Traunstein, Germany, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

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