Lead story
Editor's note:
In late July, the Trump administration announced that Haitians are no longer eligible for Temporary Protected Status – a federal program that protects people from deportation if the government considers their own country unsafe. The announcement intensified anxiety Haitian communities in the U.S. had been experiencing since June, when a Supreme Court ruling cleared the way to end their humanitarian protection.
Amid the uncertainty, faith-based groups and other community organizations mobilized to support Haitian neighbors, from rallies and food drives to encouraging people to eat at Haitian restaurants. Gina Perez, a professor at Oberlin College who studies immigration, writes that their actions reflect advocates’ evolving sense of “sanctuary,” rooted in Christian teaching.
During the 1980s “sanctuary movement,” churches offered physical protection to asylum-seekers. Today, she sees broader efforts to assist vulnerable people – those affected by immigration policies, but also other groups – “and to assure them that they are not alone.”
Perez traces the idea to the Catholic concept of “accompaniment, which prioritizes closeness to people who are suffering.” But that concept has grown beyond faith-based groups and is now embraced by many secular activists for immigrants’ rights, too.
Religion News
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'Jewish New Yorkers are being asked to carry the weight of a conflict thousands of miles away, regardless of our individual beliefs, backgrounds or politics,' said Dan Haddad, a Brooklyn resident. By Fiona André/Religion News Service
'They're not real pastors': As clergy run as Democrats, Republicans question their faith
'It's a sign that they are really scared they're gonna lose this seat,' the Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor running for Congress in Iowa, said. She is part of a wave of religious figures running as Democrats for congressional seats. By Jack Jenkins/Religion News Service
Leo will make his first trip to Latin America as pontiff in November, visiting Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. This visit is significant due to his deep ties to Peru, where he spent decades as a missionary and church leader. By The Associated Press
Millions join Shiite pilgrimage in Iraq amid regional tensions and fears
Millions of Shiite Muslims observed the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala, under the shadow of ongoing regional tensions and fears of another round of escalation in the U.S.-Iran war. By Qassim Abdul-Zahra/The Associated Press
Empty pews on Maryland’s Eastern Shore after TPS ends for Haitians
These are harrowing days for the Word of Life Center, a church serving the Haitian community in Maryland’s Eastern Shore region. Many congregants fear arrests and deportation since the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for people from Haiti. By Luis Andres Henao/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
Struggling to feel grateful? Try thinking differently about what caused the person’s actions. By Mark Schroeder for The Conversation
More than half of young adult women who grew up LDS have now left. Many are reacting against politics, purity culture and powerlessness. By Jana Riess/Religion News Service
Each year, millions of Shiite Muslims walk to Karbala to honor Husayn, the prophet’s grandson, whose death continues to shape their faith. By Iqbal Akhtar for The Conversation
Kashmir’s history as a center of learning and the arts for Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims offers another way of understanding the region – one shaped by centuries of religious coexistence. By Peter Dziedzic for The Conversation
Aerial photo shows Shiite pilgrims gathering between the illuminated holy shrine of Imam Hussein and the holy shrine of Imam Abbas, ahead of Arbaeen, the annual Shiite commemoration marking 40 days after Ashura, in Karbala, Iraq, late Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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