Photos of the Week: Pope Francis turns 85; Hindu promenade in Varanasi

By Kit Doyle · December 17, 2021
 (RNS) - Each week Religion News Service presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world. This week’s photo gallery includes Pope Francis turning 85, a new promenade for Hindus in Varanasi, India, and more. A blown out window in front of a crucifix is seen in the First Baptist Church, in the aftermath of tornadoes that tore through the region, in Mayfield, Ky., Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Holly Meyer) Jim Heath, center, an elder with First Christian Church, serves Communion during a service held in the church's parking lot Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky. Members of three churches whose buildings were heavily damaged in Friday's storm joined together for a service. Tornadoes and severe weather caused catastrophic damage across several states, killing multiple people. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) Pope Francis is hugged by a boy at the end of his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Pope Francis meets with migrants and refugees on his 85th birthday, Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at the Vatican. Photo courtesy of Vatican Media A nun walks away from St. Peter's Square and Basilica, at the Vatican, Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. Pope Francis is celebrating his 85th birthday Friday, a milestone made even more remarkable given the coronavirus pandemic, his recent intestinal surgery and the weight of history: His predecessor retired at this age and the last pope to have lived any longer was Leo XIII more than a century ago. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Rooms upon rooms of books in the library of the Halki Orthodox Seminary on the Turkish island of Heybeliada. The famous seminary was closed 50 years ago but has been kept ready for future use. Photo by David I. Klein Hindu priests pray at the Kashi Vishwanath temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Varanasi, India, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated a promenade that connects the sacred Ganges River with the centuries-old Vishwanath temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, the god of destruction. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) Illuminated ghats on the bank of the Ganges River are seen in the evning after the the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor, a promenade that connects the sacred Ganges River with the centuries-old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Varanasi, India, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dip in the sacred Ganges River as a crowd of thousands looked on as he opened part of a large-scale development project in the holy city of Varanasi. The highlight of the opening ceremony on Monday was a $45 million corridor meant to facilitate pilgrims’ visits to some of India’s holiest sites. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor, a promenade that connects the sacred Ganges River with the centuries-old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Varanasi, India, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) Reader Photos Franciscan Fathers James Gardiner, left, and Benjamin Owusu examine onesies collected for newborns at Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, Dec. 8, 2021. The hospital, a project of the Order of Malta, is on track to host 4,000 births this year. Onesies are collected each year at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in Washington. Photo by Josephine von Dohlen On the last night of Hanukkah, Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts, officially kicked off a partnership of local and national organizations based in Boston in breaking ground on a new home in Newton for an interdisciplinary center of Jewish learning, leadership, community, and creativity. Photo by Kayana Szymczak courtesy of Hebrew College. Archival Photos Jews pray outside the walls of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, Israeli-occupied West Bank, in 1980. The structure, also called the Cave of the Patriarchs, is believed to contain the remains of the mutual tribal ancestors of Muslims and Jews — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their wives. RNS archive photo. Photo courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society. David Hawk and other conscientious objectors to the Vietnam War link arms at the Union Theological Seminary, prior to being arrested in 1967 in New York. RNS archive photo. Photo courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society.
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