NEWS BRIEF
RNS-DC-Arrests: Co-chair of Poor People’s Campaign among nearly 100 women arrested at march for voting rights in D.C. (RNS) — The Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis was among nearly 100 women who were arrested while marching in Washington D.C. on Monday. Monday, July 19, marked the 173rd anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, which propelled the fight for women’s suffrage. The march was part of the Poor People’s Campaign’s Moral Mondays, calling on lawmaker to increase protection for voting rights. By Renée Roden. 545 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-AJC-UCC: Jewish group condemns United Church of Christ resolution on Israel’s treatment of Palestinians
(RNS) — A Jewish advocacy group condemned a resolution adopted at a meeting of the United Church of Christ on Sunday (July 18) that calls the continued oppression of the Palestinian people a “sin.” The American Jewish Committee said the resolution, a “Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine Israel,” demonizes Israel. By Yonat Shimron. 600 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-AlAQSA-Clashes: Israeli police clash with protesters to clear Al-Aqsa complex for Tisha b’av worshipers
AMMAN, Jordan (RNS) — Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa complex was the scene of violent confrontations Sunday (July 18), as Israeli security personnel forcibly cleared the area, the third holiest mosque in Islam, for Jews to observe their day of mourning for the destruction of two temples they believe once occupied the site. By Daoud Kuttab. 643 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-LaVang-Shrine: Thousands gather in California for unveiling of Lady of La Vang shrine
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (RNS) — An estimated 8,000 people on Saturday (July 17) attended the unveiling of what is the first major stand-alone shrine to the La Vang virgin in the United States. Our Lady of La Vang is said to have appeared in a remote rainforest in the late 1700s to a group of Catholics fleeing persecution in Vietnam. The $12.6-million, 12-foot-high statue, located at the Catholic Diocese of Orange’s Christ Cathedral, was built to be a gathering place for the 100,000 Vietnamese-American Catholics in the diocese. By Alejandra Molina. 688 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-ACNA-Mother: In ACNA abuse case, mother of an alleged victim says she paid a price for coming forward
(RNS) — When Cherin Marie joined Christ Our Light Anglican Church in Big Rock, Illinois, in 2013, she trusted that the community of a few dozen — many of whom were family members, longtime church friends or neighbors — would care for her and her kids. But when her 9-year-old daughter said that the church’s lay minister abused her, church leaders not only did not report the abuse allegations to the police or to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, but according to Cherin, they also pressured her not to report to the police. She reported anyway, and now the lay minister is being charged with felony child sexual assault and abuse. By Kathryn Post. 2,000 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Randall-Oped: War or peace? For Iran and the United States, it’s time to decide.
(RNS) — Diplomacy and peace remain possibilities — but they hang by a thread. If the United States truly intends to achieve peace with Iran, then a swift return to the Iran nuclear deal is the starting point. But Congress must not erect new hurdles. As long as there is no deal, we remain on a path to war and nuclear confrontation. By Diane Randall. 812 words. (category: k)