NEWS STORY
RNS-Biden-Uighurs: Biden Builds On Trump’s Response to Uyghur Repression
(RNS) — Though the Biden administration has broken with many of the foreign policy priorities of President Trump, there is at least one exception. Though he has not used the term himself, the Biden administration has not backed down from President Trump’s designation of China’s harsh treatment of minority groups in China’s Xinjiang province as a genocide. By Joseph Hammond. 750 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Catholic-Conspiracies: How Catholicism became a breeding ground for conspiracy theories
(RNS) — A perfect storm of institutional crises, the polarization of perceived winners and losers under Pope Francis’ pontificate and the migration of evangelicals into the church has created a fertile ground for conspiracy theories, especially about papal authority. By Claire Giangravé. 1,100 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Bishops-Vaccine: Johnson & Johnson vaccine creates a week of confusion for Catholics
(RNS) — Catholic clerics and organizations continued to wrangled over how best to respond to a new COVID-19 vaccine this week, with bishops scrambling to make their views known on how their faithful should approach a vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson that some say is morally tainted by cells from a long-ago aborted fetus. By Jack Jenkins. 1,100 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Iraq-Martyrs: On first day in Iraq, Pope Francis pays tribute to Christian martyrs
(RNS) – Standing at the site where 50 worshippers, clergy and policemen were killed in a 2010 terrorist attack in Baghdad, Iraq, Pope Francis on Friday made an appeal for “forgiveness, reconciliation and rebirth” in the struggling Middle Eastern nation. By Claire Giangravè. 900 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Muslim-DA: Muslim candidate for Manhattan DA runs to give victims of system a ‘seat at the table’
NEW YORK (RNS) — Tahanie Aboushi describes herself as “35, going on 50.” But friends disagree, calling the Palestinian American from Brooklyn “bold” and “hilarious.” To survive the next four months, the civil rights attorney likely will need answer both those descriptions, and then some: Aboushi is one of eight candidates running to be the next district attorney of Manhattan. By Zainab Iqbal. 1,200 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-OAKFLAT-SACRED: Why Oak Flat in Arizona is a sacred space for the Apache and other Native Americans
SUPERIOR, Ariz. (RNS) — The Apache believe Oak Flat is a ‘blessed place’ where Ga’an — guardians or messengers between the people and Usan, Creator God — dwell. The site is at risk of being turned over to an Australian mining company. By Alejandra Molina and Emily McFarlan Miller. 1,400 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Price-Viewing: The late Frederick K.C. Price, televangelist who built LA’s FaithDome, honored with public viewing
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — A steady stream of people on Thursday (March 4) visited the FaithDome at Crenshaw Christian Center to attend a public viewing in honor of the late Rev. Frederick Price, who died February after a bout with COVID-19. By Alejandra Molina. 625 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-SisterAct-Podcast: Women of different faiths find ‘seat at the table’ co-hosting Sister Act podcast
(RNS) — Twice a month, the three women gather — a mosque outreach director, a religious freedom scholar and a longtime Reform rabbi — even though all of them have never met together in person.The co-hosts of the Sister Act podcast take turns unmuting their computer mics and conversing on all manner of topics that may be of interest to women, to people of faith and to whoever else might tune in. By Adelle M. Banks. 1,000 words. (category: a)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Vaccines-Pew: Black Protestants aren’t least likely to get a vaccine; evangelicals are
(RNS) — Despite early indications that Black Americans were hesitant to get vaccinated for COVID-19, a new survey by Pew Research shows that the religious group least likely to get vaccinated were white evangelicals. Only 54% of white evangelicals said they would “definitely or probably” plan on getting vaccinated, compared to 64% of Black Protestants. By Yonat Shimron. 550 words. (category:a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Ramsey-Masks: Dave Ramsey, Christian finance guru, backs bill to label COVID-19 mask orders as discrimination
(RNS) — Christian radio host and financial guru Dave Ramsey is publicly backing a bill that would bar mask mandates, labeling them as discriminatory. Ramsey has been a vocal critic of COVID-19 restrictions, downplaying the risk of the virus and railing against “out of control” government. By Bob Smietana. 700 words. (Categories, a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Riess-Oped: Netflix docuseries ‘Murder Among the Mormons’ is TV worth watching
(RNS) — When I first heard Netflix would air a three-part documentary about the infamous 1985 Salt Lake City bombings that claimed two lives, I groaned inwardly. The incident has already been sensationalized in a series of true-crime books and countless articles; what more remained to be said? But the fast-paced “Murder Among the Mormons,” which debuted Wednesday, was better than I expected. By Jana Riess. 1,050 words. (category: k)