Photos of the Week
(RNS) — Each week Religion News Service presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world. This week’s gallery includes Buddhists celebrating Vesak Day, a new church in Sutherland Springs, and more.
Churchgoers pass a memorial wall following a dedication ceremony for a new sanctuary and memorial room at First Baptist Church Sutherland Springs on May 19, 2019, in Sutherland Springs, Texas. In 2017 a gunman opened fire at the church and killed more than two dozen congregants in the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Buddhists fly lanterns during a celebration commemorating Vesak Day, which marks the birth, death and enlightenment of Buddha, at Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia, early May 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Slamet Riyadi)
An Indian woman prepares handmade vermicelli, used to make a traditional sweet dish popular during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in Hyderabad, India, on May 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Nepalese Buddhist monks participate in a parade during Buddha Jayanti, or Buddha Purnima, a festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 18, 2019. The festival marks the triple events of Gautam Buddha’s life: his birth, his enlightenment and his attaining a state of Nirvana that frees believers from the circle of death and rebirth. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Participants take part in a guided meditation led by Will Williams, front left sitting on couch, the founder of World Meditation Day, on World Meditation Day on the top floor of the skyscraper known as The Gherkin, in London, on May 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Indian Muslims break their day-long fast during Ramadan in Hyderabad, India, on May 20, 2019. Muslims throughout the world are marking the month of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar during which devotees fast from dawn until dusk. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
A Buddhist devotee holds an oil lamp as she offers prayers on Vesak Day at a temple in Petaling Jaya outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 19, 2019. On Vesak Day, Buddhists around the world come together to celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha. (AP Photo/Annice Lyn)
Pope Francis prays during the opening session of the Conference of Italian Bishops, at the Vatican, on May 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Pastor Frank Pomeroy, back right, raises his hands as he speaks during a dedication ceremony for a new sanctuary and memorial room at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday, May 19, 2019. In 2017 a gunman opened fire at the church and killed more than two dozen congregants. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
A mother plays with her child in front of Eid Al-Fitr decorations at a mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 22, 2019. Shopping malls in Malaysia has been decorated with festive elements ahead of Eid Al-Fitr, the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Annice Lyn)