RNS Photos of the Week: Sikh anniversary; Rosalynn Carter services

(RNS) — Each week Religion News Service presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world. This week’s photo gallery includes the birth anniversary of the first Sikh guru, the services for former first lady Rosalynn Carter and more.   Sikh devotees light candles at the illuminated Golden Temple, Sikhs holiest shrine, to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru and the founder of Sikhism, in Amritsar, India, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Prabhjot Gill)   Sikh devotees participate in a religious procession ahead of the birth anniversary of the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak, in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)   Argentina’s president-elect, Javier Milei, center left, leaves after praying with Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis at the resting place of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson at Montefiore Cemetery, Nov. 27, 2023, in Queens, New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)   Buddhist monks, nuns and devotees make kimchi, a staple Korean side dish, at Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. They will donate about 3,000 packets of kimchi to needy neighbors in preparation for the winter season. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)   Druze faith leaders tour Kibbutz Kfar Azza with their Muslim, Jewish and Christian counterparts ahead of an interfaith joint prayer near the Israel-Gaza border, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)   Flowers adorn a makeshift memorial for former first lady Rosalynn Carter in front of a Christmas tree in Plains, Georgia, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. The former first lady, who died Nov. 19 at the age of 96, was buried in Plains on Nov. 29, near the home she and her husband built in 1961. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)   Pallbearers bring the casket of former first lady Rosalynn Carter down the center aisle at the Glenn Memorial Church, in Atlanta, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton and all former first ladies joined Jimmy Carter and their four children in the front row, along with more than 1,000 congregants, to honor the former first lady. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)   Former President Jimmy Carter arrives to attend a tribute service for his wife and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, at Glenn Memorial Church, in Atlanta, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. It was Jimmy Carter’s first public appearance since he entered hospice care, other than a brief ride with Rosalynn in September’s Plains Peanut Festival parade. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)   Pastor Tony Lowden, center, says a prayer during a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)   Archival Photos   Billy and Ruth Graham, center, meet with President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, at the White House in November 1979. (Photo courtesy of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)   Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, second from right, and former first lady Rosalynn Carter sit as admiring guests Romona Kluth, left, and husband Doug Kluth, both from Nebraska, finish their turn of having their photo taken with them, after Jimmy taught Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist Church, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, in Plains, Ga. (AP Photo/John Amis)   Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter appear during the second annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, which was held in July 1985 in New York, New York. (Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity International)   Former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter answer questions during a news conference at a Habitat for Humanity project Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. Jimmy Carter wears a bandage after a fall the day before at his home in Plains, Ga. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)   Talk to Us We want your feedback on the RNS Photos of the Week — what you think we're doing right and what we should be doing differently. Send us an email at Comments@ReligionNews.com Subscribe to other RNS Newsletters. Forward this email to a friend. View the archive of past newsletters. Religion News Service is free to read, but it's not free to produce. If you value our reporting, please consider making a donation today. If you prefer to mail a donation, please address to: Religion News Foundation, PO Box 1808, Columbia, MO 65205. Yes, I support the work you're doing! Forward this email to a friend

RNS Weekly Digest: Bethlehem pastors arrive in DC, urge lawmakers to embrace cease-fire, peace plan

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Weekly Digest

Bethlehem pastors arrive in DC, urge lawmakers to embrace cease-fire, peace plan A trio of Christian leaders are visiting the U.S. capital carrying a letter signed by churches in Bethlehem, the city in the occupied West Bank long heralded by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, urging President Joe Biden and congressional lawmakers to push for a permanent cease fire in Gaza and work to establish lasting peace in the region. The leaders — which include two prominent ministers and a young Palestinian Christian activist — arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday morning in hopes of brokering a meeting to present Biden and other political leaders with the letter. “God has placed political leaders in a position of power so that they can bring justice, support those who suffer, and be instruments of God’s peace,” the letter reads. “We want a constant and comprehensive ceasefire. Enough death. Enough destruction. This is a moral obligation. There must be other ways. This is our call and prayer this Christmas.”  Religion & Culture 'Modern Saints' book offers more relatable, sometimes provocative icons A film sheds light on 11 daring women whose defiant act changed the Episcopal Church In 'Unapologetic,' young Palestinian-Israeli podcasters advocate for a third narrative In Opinion Fighting antisemitism and Islamophobia in one breath In a world where Christ is king, authoritarian leaders can only be antichrists We need to hear from the presidential candidates about poverty And finally, Houston's Hindu youth will soon have a summer campsite of their own After nearly four decades, a summer camp for Hindu children and teens has a permanent home.  On Saturday (Nov. 18), the Hindu Heritage Youth Camp, the predominant Hindu summer program based in Houston, officially began construction of the Texas Hindu Campsite on a 52-acre plot of land. While construction was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the campsite is set to open for a new round of campers by the summer of 2024, just one year before the camp’s 40-year anniversary. “This will unite the Hindu community,” said Vijay Pallod, a longtime volunteer of HHYC and founder of hindusofhouston.org. “This is where the future Hindu leaders are going to come from.” Saturday’s Bhumi Pujan, or ground-breaking ritual to Mother Earth, was attended by members of various Hindu religious organizations, among them priests from the 45 temples in the greater Houston area who blessed the land. This Bhumi Pujan meant even more to volunteers like Pallod, whose wife and children have been heavily involved with the camp since the ’90s. To them, the dream of having a space just for the needs of Hindu youth has finally been realized. Find more Religion News Service content on social media and at religionnews.com.

RNS Morning Report: Pope Francis asks theologians to ‘demasculinize’ the church

Top Stories Pope Francis asks theologians to ‘demasculinize’ the church (RNS) – ‘Women have a way of reflecting on theology that is different from us men,’ Francis told the International Theological Commission.   ‘Jesus’ film producers plan release of new animated version in 2025 (RNS) — Josh Newell, executive director of Jesus Film Project, said he views animation as a fitting means to speak to younger generations about the life of Jesus.   Amid war in Israel and polarization in America, the Telos Group seeks peace (RNS) — For years, the Telos Group has worked on peacemaking in the Holy Land — and imagining a world where Israelis and Palestinians can both flourish. Their work continues despite the war in Gaza. And they've also begun to apply the principles of peacemaking to America’s polarization.   Adeena Sussman’s new cookbook, an ode to Shabbat and its food traditions (RNS) — With her latest book, she turns back to her roots in a Modern Orthodox home where her mother cooked dishes typical of the Ashkenazi tradition. RNS Opinion Cardinal Tobin: Faith leaders can influence the world on climate change (RNS) — We must align our spiritual values with our actions toward the planet and each other.   Hindu nationalists notwithstanding, barring caste discrimination is not anti-Hindu (RNS) — A new federal court decision said it found no evidence of bias in Cal State’s policy. ICYMI Poll: Less than half of Jewish college students feel safe on campus (RNS) — The poll of 3,084 American college students, of whom 527 were Jewish, comes amid an alarming rise in incidents of both antisemitism and Islamophobia as Israel and Hamas wage war.   Opposing communities plan separate memorial services for Carlton Pearson (RNS) — ‘I want to show diversity,’ Pearson said in a recording near the end of his life, which has ended up being shown through the range of services. In Other News ‘A moral injustice’: a small Victorian town is fighting to save its 130-year-old church Israeli prisoner release shines light on system of detaining Palestinians without charge   Talk to Us We want your feedback on the RNS Morning Report — what you think we're doing right and what we should be doing differently. Send us an email at Comments@ReligionNews.com Subscribe to other RNS Newsletters. Forward this email to a friend. View the archive of past newsletters. Religion News Service is free to read, but it's not free to produce. If you value our reporting, please consider making a donation today at religionnews.com/donate. If you prefer to mail a donation, please address to: Religion News Foundation, PO Box 1808, Columbia, MO 65205. Yes, I support the work you're doing! Forward this email to a friend