Photos of the Week: Dalai Lama turns 90, Muharram

By Kit Doyle · July 2, 2025
 (RNS) — Each week RNS presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world. This week’s photo gallery includes the Dalai Lama turning 90 years old, annual Muharram commemorations and more. Attendant monks help Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama wear a ceremonial hat as he presides over an event celebrating his 90th birthday, according to a Tibetan calendar, at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Monday, June 30, 2025. The Tibetan leader's birthday falls on July 6, according to the Gregorian calendar, which is used in most parts of the world. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia) Devotees attend an event celebrating Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday according to a Tibetan calendar at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Monday, June 30, 2025, ahead of his birthday according to the Gregorian calendar on July 6. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia) Worshippers wait in long lines to view the remains of St. Olga following her canonization in her hometown of Kwethluk, Alaska, on June 19, 2025. The ceremony drew hundreds of faithful, including from nearby villages and across the world. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen) Shiite faithful Muslims beat their chests as a sign of grief for Imam Hussein during a Muharram procession in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) Shiites participate in Muharram processions at the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Friday, June 27, 2025, to mark the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil) Hindu holy men chant religious hymns as they wait to register for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, in Jammu, India, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand) People attend a private memorial service for Jennifer Lyell, Thursday, June 26, 2025, at Immanuel Nashville church in Nashville. (RNS photo/Bob Smietana) Pope Leo XIV confers the pallium on a newly appointed metropolitan archbishop during a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani takes the stage at his primary election party, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Archival Photos Bryant M. Kirkland, pastor of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian church in New York, welcomes Duke Ellington at the start of a Concert of Sacred Music given by the famed pianist and composer in 1965. Built around the theme, "In the beginning, God," the program featured the Ellington orchestra, three choirs and soloists including Lena Horne. About 3,600 people attended the two Dec. 26 concerts, applauding each number. The event was sponsored by the host church and the Protestant Council of the City of New York. (RNS archive photo. Photo courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society.) The Rev. Benet G. Hanlon, a Benedictine monk, prepares to ladel soup at the “Beans and Bread” kitchen in a low-income area of Baltimore in 1981. Hanlon, who operated the facility since 1976, was named one of the “Best of Baltimore’s Best” for his service to the street people of the city. (RNS archive photo by April Saul. Photo courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society.)
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