Showing posts with label Global Religion Journalism Initiative. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Global Religion Journalism Initiative. Show all posts

Thursday, August 6, 2026

This Week in Religion - ‘Sanctuary people’ caring for immigrants

Lead story

A close-up photograph of two people holding hands, with the rest of the room in front of them blurred.

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.

Molly Jackson, Religion and Ethics Editor, The Conversation U.S.
 

Religion News

'The antisemitism tax': Jewish New Yorkers on fear, safety and Mamdani

'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

Shiite Muslims observe the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage. There is a massive crowd of people from the front to the back of this space.

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

 
An aerial photo of Shiite pilgrims moving between two illuminated shrines.

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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Sunday, August 2, 2026

This Week in Religion - Israeli civilian settler groups sneaking into Syria

Lead story

The border between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams.

Editor's note:

Right-wing Israeli activists are ramping up their fringe campaign to establish Jewish settlements inside Syria by staging frequent incursions across the border. The Israeli army has been occupying the area in southern Syria for a year and a half, but the regular forays by civilian settler groups are a newer development.

The settlers are part of a group called the Pioneers of Bashan. They are named after the biblical Bashan region, which includes part of modern-day Syria and Jordan.

They have their sights set on an area of southwestern Syria that includes the provinces of Quneitra, Daraa and Sweida. Part of this area, including the summit of Mount Hermon, is a “buffer zone” Israel declared in December 2024.

The region was known in Scripture for its fertile land and came to be associated with strength and divine providence. Members of the group claim a historical right to these lands and argue that their presence there will help Israel defend the Golan Heights. 

A portrait of Holly Meyer, Religion News Editor at The Associated Press.
 

Religion News

Released Texas pastors say immigration agents threatened family separation

At a Sunday service after their release, which was backed by a range of Latino evangelical groups, the Assemblies of God pastors urged Christians to speak out for immigrants. By Aleja Hertzler-McCain/Religion News Service

Judge dismisses a lawsuit over makeup of Trump's Religious Liberty Commission

A federal judge tossed out a lawsuit from an interfaith group challenging the legitimacy of President Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, dismissing claims that its overwhelmingly conservative Christian makeup lacked a legally required balance of viewpoints. By Peter Smith/The Associated Press

Led by Zach Lambert, Restore church is part of a small but growing countertrend. By Kathryn Post/Religion News Service

A statue of the Virgin Mary in the center of a six pointed star. There are people gathered around the fenced statue praying. There are other people nearby taking pictures or sitting on the rocks.

Bosnian authorities investigate desecration and fire damage at Medjugorje Virgin Mary shrine

In 2024, the Vatican gave the green light for Catholics to continue flocking to the Bosnian village of Medjugorje, where children reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary. The statute of Mary recently was desecrated; authorities are investigating. By The Associated Press

UNESCO adds West Bank site and Lebanese castles to World Heritage List despite Israeli objections

A United Nations committee has inscribed a major archaeological site in the West Bank and a group of castles in southern Lebanon on the World Heritage List. Israel had urged the committee to reject the bids. By Kim Tong-Hyun/The Associated Press

 

Commentary and Analysis

An anthropologist who conducted fieldwork among Falun Gong practitioners explains the movement’s beliefs and why its followers continue to resist the Chinese government. By Gareth Fisher for The Conversation

Antisemitic attacks are rising in New York and in the US. So is the danger of believing that's the whole story. By Brad Hirschfield/Religion News Service

European colonial powers linked church and state. But the founders of the United States broke from that idea as surely as they broke from Britain. By Peter C. Mancall for The Conversation

Native religions are tied to living landscapes, not points on a map – a scholar of Indigenous studies explains what's at stake. By Kerri J. Malloy for The Conversation

 
People wearing birdlike costumes covered in various colors of feathers walk along a dirt path.

Parishioners wearing birdlike costumes arrive for the annual procession honoring 16th-century St. Francis Solano in Emboscada, Paraguay, Friday, July 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

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Thursday, July 23, 2026

This Week in Religion - This church isn't serving immigrants. It's run by them.

Lead story

A priest stands in the aisle between the pews of a church. There are many people gathered for Mass.

Editor's note:

In February, RNS national reporter Fiona André began covering interfaith vigils held outside a federal prison in Brooklyn that houses immigrant detainees. Over the next few months, André focused her reporting on the church behind the effort, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Led by the Rev. Juan Carlos Ruiz, who emigrated from Mexico and became a U.S. citizen in 2001, the church was built around the conviction that supporting and advocating for immigrants is inseparable from the gospel.

As the Trump administration continues its mass deportation efforts, the church has vowed to continue supporting immigrant communities throughout New York City, including through an encrypted app that connects volunteers and immigrant families.

“It’s something truly beautiful,” church member Silvia Feliz told RNS. “The priest preaches about love for others, and it’s not just that he preaches it; he actually practices it.”

A banner with a headshot of a white woman with long, brown hair. There is text that says: Amanda Koehn, Managing Editor, Religion News Service.
 

Religion News

Pop culture's 'reverent irreverence': How artists blur irony, sincerity and religion

Indie artist Alex Cameron has sparked curiosity with a song about Jesus, blending humor and sincerity. During a concert in Los Angeles, he sang lyrics that mixed absurdity with earnestness, reflecting a trend sometimes dubbed 'reverent irreverence.' By Krysta Fauria/The Associated Press

Proposed Muslim cemetery splits Southern California residents

Supporters of the Crescent Gardens Cemetery, a dedicated Muslim burial site, say they need the graves. But some residents cite concerns about groundwater contamination. By Madhiha Anis/Religion News Service

The Vatican has confirmed that a church trial against a famous ex-Jesuit priest accused of spiritual and sexual abuse of women is ongoing and defended the secrecy of the proceedings as necessary to guarantee the process. By Nicole Winfield/The Associated Press

A street level view of Paris' Grand Mosque.

Paris’ Grand Mosque celebrates its 100th anniversary and interfaith dialogue

The Grand Mosque of Paris was built to honor Muslim soldiers from French colonies who fought in World War I. It’s now seen as a symbol of dialogue, peace and France’s diversity. By Nicolas Garriga/The Associated Press

How Andy Burnham's religious roots shaped Britain's first Catholic-born prime minister

Back in 2009, Burnham recalled that important influences on him were, in order: the Everton FC soccer team, the Labour Party and the Catholic Church. By Catherine Pepinster/Religion News Service

 

Commentary and Analysis

In vitro fertilization has become a bigger part of reproductive rights debates as a once-fringe movement to recognize embryos as people grows louder. By Risa Cromer for The Conversation

A new study found that, even among Gen Z Christians, the strong alliance between Trump and Christianity has had a negative impact on churchgoing for many. By Ryan Burge and Rick Richardson/Religion News Service

Mindfulness can improve health and well-being, but it may not work for everyone. Buddhist teachings suggest that how it is practiced – and who guides it – matters. By Ronald S. Green for The Conversation

'Apocrypha' means 'hidden' in Greek, but it is often used to describe texts that are outside the official biblical canon. By Christy Cobb for The Conversation

 
Buddhist monks walk together. There is a crowd watching them.

Bhikkhu Pannakara, foreground right, a Buddhist monk who led the Walk for Peace from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., carries flowers as he pays his respects at a monument during an event at Wat Thai of Los Angeles in the North Hollywood section of the city, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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