Lead story
Editor's note:
As the COVID-19 pandemic isolated families from their loved ones, the work of chaplains, as spiritual care providers, became even more crucial. Many were declared essential care workers as they sought to bridge the distance between critically ill patients and families by connecting them through phone, FaceTime or Zoom and offering words of solace. Some extended much-needed support to the exhausted hospital staff, often on the verge of burnout.
It was a big change from the counseling and ritual help that health care chaplains traditionally performed, but only the latest in the decades long evolution of this role, which emerged as a profession in the 20th century. Scholars Wendy Cadge and Michael Skaggs write in The Conversation how back then chaplains were mostly retired or volunteer clergy, until clinical pastoral education was formalized.
Also, this week, as part of collaborative coverage on the role of faith leaders in mental health, Associated Press and Religion News Service reported on how chaplains and psychologists are teaming up to provide post-pandemic mental health care. Another piece highlights how clergy in communities of color also have had to take on the role of counselors and caregivers.
To hear about the role of faith and clergy in managing urgent mental health issues, join us on Wednesday, June 8 at 2 p.m. EST for our webinar, “Does faith have a place in mental health?”
Religion News
Campus ministries, counselors join to tackle mental health
On Ivy League campuses, large public institutions and faith-based colleges, chaplains and psychologists are teaming up. By Giovanna Dell’Orto/Associated Press and Kathryn Post/Religion News Service
Clergy of color face unprecedented mental health challenges
Clergy members in communities of color have been forced to take on the role of counselors and caregivers. By Deepa Bharath/The Associated Press and Adelle Banks/Religion News Service
The Rev. Deanna Hollas urged Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations to host Guns to Gardens events at their churches, inviting — and sometimes incentivizing — gun owners to hand over their weapons to be turned into garden tools. By Emily McFarlan Miller/Religion News Service
Muslim call to prayer arrives to Minneapolis soundscape
Mosques in Minneapolis are preparing to publicly broadcast the Islamic call to prayer over loudspeakers after the community became the first large U.S city to allow it. By Giovanna Dell’Orto/The Associated Press
Christian nationalism on the rise in some GOP campaigns
Christian nationalism is making its presence known in many Republican primary races this year. Most prominent is the campaign of Doug Mastriano, who easily won the Republican nomination for governor of Pennsylvania. By Peter Smith and Deepa Bharath/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
In examining media coverage of Muslims over a 21-year period, in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, scholars found that articles mentioning Muslims were far more negative than other faith groups. By Erik Bleich and A. Maurits van der Veen for The Conversation
The pope has made the College of Cardinals more Asian and African — and more likely to elect a successor who will follow his policies. By Thomas Reese/Religion News Service
The Jewish festival of Shavuot dates back to biblical times, but its significance has changed over the centuries. By Alan Avery-Peck for The Conversation
In the 1960s, the Catholic Church sought to downplay demonic possession, but its views since then have changed. By Joseph P. Laycock for The Conversation
People gather at a memorial site to pay their respects for the victims killed in this week's elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Thursday, May 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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- This Week in Religion is a publication of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative, a collaboration among the Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation U.S.
- The three news organizations work to improve general understanding and analyze the significance of developments in the world of faith.
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