RNS Morning Report - France's 'Catholic moment'; Al Mohler rejects blasphemy laws; T.D. Jakes' 50 years of ministry

RNS coverage of Hindus and Hinduism: Thanks to the Guru Krupa Foundation   Scroll down to read more.     Top Stories As Pope Leo prepares to visit France, can its ‘Catholic moment’ become a lasting revival? (RNS) — Record numbers of young people are seeking baptism in France. As Pope Leo arrives to greet 80,000 of them later this month, the country's diminished Catholic Church is faced with the challenge of turning the burst of enthusiasm into a lasting renewal. Al Mohler reverses course, rejects blasphemy laws after controversy (RNS) — The longtime president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said he erred in saying the government should be able to punish those who don’t believe God was part of America’s founding. T.D. Jakes’ megachurch pays tribute to his 50 years of ministry (RNS) — ‘The Potter's House is never just Bishop Jakes,’ he told his megachurch congregation. ‘It never was, and it never will be.’ Opinion What to do with a Gospel text that asks us to forgive two days after 9/11? (RNS) — Killings and torture lead to more killings and torture. A balance is never achieved. Vengeance inspires more vengeance. Two rock stars, two messages — and a lesson for Jews this new year (RNS) — A Jewish community thanks Boy George. We all should do the same. ICYMI At NBCUSA denominational meeting, leaders, advocates and AOC urge midterm voter turnout (RNS) — ‘They're trying to make voting difficult, but you stand in line if you got to stand all day,’ said the Rev. Boise Kimber, president of the National Baptist Convention USA Inc. ‘You are immovable.’ What the shofar’s ancient sound means on Rosh Hashanah (RNS and NPR) — The shofar marks moments of heightened experience and emotion — and the Jewish new year.   Partner Spotlight Sharing Stories that Matter about Hindus and Hinduism Supported by the Guru Krupa Foundation   RNS is grateful to the Guru Krupa Foundation (GKF) for their continued partnership, which serves as the foundation of RNS’ expanded coverage of Hindus and Hinduism. Because of this collaboration, RNS has shed light on the many stories of the Hindu community in the U.S. and abroad. Trisha Mukherjee wrote about Hindu students asking schools to discern the swastika from the Nazi Hakenkreuz; Bob Smietana highlighted a Hindu group suing to build a temple, citing a 1967 legal barrier; and Madhiha Anis featured the drawing power of one of the oldest U.S. Hindu temples.   The Religion Communicators Council honored the work of Richa Karmarkar in April 2026 with a coveted Wilbur Award of Excellence for her deep-dive series on Hindu immigrants and visibility that included: 'We have arrived': Mammoth deity statues announce Hindus' rising status in the West; Hindu advocates, rejecting H-1B 'elite,' seek to defend all Indian immigrants; and Hindu refugees from Bhutan are being deported to a country they cannot live in   Because of GKF’s generosity, our reporting on the increasingly influential Hindu community is available for free across our website, podcasts, and social media. We thank the foundation for helping RNS fulfill its mission to foster discussion and improve the public's understanding of faith in everyday life.   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

Copyright © 2026 Religion News Service, All rights reserved.

RNS Morning Report - 9/11 SPECIAL EDITION: 25 years later, the attacks still shape faith and public life

This week marks 25 years since the 9/11 attacks. See its lasting impact on faith and public life. Read the stories     Top Stories A chapel near ground zero was a relief center after 9/11. Now, an exhibit honors its victims. NEW YORK (RNS) — A new origami installation strings 2,977 paper cranes: one for each person killed in the attacks. The 'Ever Present' exhibition also features artifacts left there in the months after 9/11.  Some critics cite Mamdani’s Muslim faith in demanding he skip 9/11 anniversary ceremony NEW YORK (RNS) — The mayor — who released 170,000 documents incriminating past city officials for improperly assessing health risks after 9/11 — still plans to attend the ceremony. As 9/11 anniversary falls on Rosh Hashanah, Jews are asked to remember — and move forward NEW YORK (RNS) — As the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks coincides with the Jewish new year, Jewish leaders, rabbis and their interfaith partners reflect on what it means to remember — and how to live with what cannot be forgotten. Mosques have more than doubled since 9/11. But Muslims say opposition is fierce. (RNS) — New mosques often stir up local resistance and anti-Muslim sentiment. Even when they get built, the blowback can be intense. Islamophobia goes back decades, before 9/11, a new book argues (RNS) — Journalist Rozina Ali argues that there has been little reckoning with the War on Terror and the lasting effects of post- 9/11 surveillance policies targeting American Muslims, in 'Seasons of Fury: Four Families and the Rise of Islamophobia in America.'         Opinion I covered religion after the 9/11 attacks. I never imagined the hate would outlast the war. (RNS) — Since 9/11, violence in America has come from within. Hate crimes against Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Latinos, Black Americans and LGBTQ+ Americans are soaring. RNS CEO/Publisher Deborah Caldwell looks back on how we got here. After 9/11, America lost its way. Twenty-five years later, we still haven’t found it. (RNS) — The nation quickly united in mourning in the days after 9/11. But we've never moved past our country's thirst for vengeance. The post-9/11 infrastructure of Islamophobia (RNS) — For US Muslims, the legacy of Sept. 11 is not confined to a terrible morning. It includes the institutions, organizations and assumptions that took shape afterward. What 9/11 and Rosh Hashanah teach us about remembering forward (RNS) — Memory is as much about the present and the future as it is about the past. 25 years of reporting on the state of American Muslims  (RNS) — During Trump’s second term, we're seeing the emergence of a doggedly stronger and more unapologetic ownership of what it means to be American Muslim. What an Illinois village says about the US 25 years after 9/11 (RNS) — This anniversary finds the United States still unable to defend the American way that the Sept. 11 terrorists attacked. 25 years after 9/11, war is still not the answer (RNS) — It pains me to consider how much harm my government has inflicted abroad and within our own communities since 9/11.       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

Copyright © 2026 Religion News Service, All rights reserved.