Religion News Service - March on Washington anniversary; Aftermath of UMC schism; AI faith influencers

Top Stories March on Washington renews focus on voting rights after Supreme Court gutting WASHINGTON (RNS) — 'The fact that we still have to fight to maintain and renew voting rights in this country is beyond abysmal and a truly national disgrace,' Martin Luther King III said Friday. The schism in the UMC ended two years ago; but not in this Dallas church DALLAS (RNS) — Two years after a schism led 7,600 churches to leave the United Methodist fold, its reverberations are now being felt in a battle between one of its most elite churches and a Texas conference. They look like religious teachers. But they’re AI — and millions are listening (RNS) — 'AI can help maybe with information and training and insight, but it can’t actually transmit spirituality,' said Swami Sarvapriyananda, a Hindu monk. Mohan Bhagwat’s US visit puts RSS’s vision of Hindu unity in spotlight (RNS) — The event has sparked widespread backlash from a coalition of faith-based and secular organizations, but organizers say Bhagwat will share the stage with leaders from other faiths to celebrate shared goals. CIA and Vatican visits converge in Moscow amid rising tensions over Ukraine VATICAN CITY (RNS) — As the CIA director quietly carried warnings to Moscow, Pope Leo’s foreign minister arrived offering dialogue and humanitarian cooperation — two contrasting missions that one Vatican expert likened to a 'good cop, bad cop operation.' Opinion Why critics oppose RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s US visit (RNS) — To understand the true scale of the RSS's institutional reach normalizing Hindu nationalism, it is necessary to look beyond the RSS itself.   ICYMI ‘Our immigrants are invisible’: A pastor ministers to the frightened at immigration court (RNS) VIDEO — For years, the Rev. Eduardo Fabian Arias, a Lutheran pastor in Manhattan, has ministered to immigrants. Now, much of his work takes place inside and around Federal Plaza immigration court in Midtown Manhattan. More Israelis are leaving as war, economy and political divisions reshape the country JERUSALEM (RNS) — Emigration has always been part of Israel’s history. What is different now is that some are leaving because they lost faith in the country's direction, said Yossi Klein Halevi of the Shalom Hartman Institute.     Support Our Work As a nonprofit newsroom that covers all faiths, RNS sits uniquely at the intersection of freedom of the press and freedom of religion. News tips or feedback? Email comments@religionnews.com. Like the Morning Report? Share it with a friend. Forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. We rely on reader donations to power our reporting. Donate here. Or send a check to: Religion News Foundation PO Box 1808 Columbia, MO 65205

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