Photos of the Week: Clergy mobilize against ICE, Hindu Magh Mela festival
By Kit Doyle · January 28, 2026
(RNS) — Each week RNS presents a gallery of photos of religious expression around the world. This week’s photo selection includes clergy mobilizing against federal immigration raids, Hindu rituals at the annual Magh Mela festival and more.
Faith leaders demonstrate against ICE tactics in the departures area of Terminal 1 of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)
Hundreds of clergy convene at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis, Minn. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)
Clergy observe and document the actions of immigration enforcement agents, Jan. 22, 2026, in Minneapolis. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)
Attendees role-play scenarios of interacting with immigration agents during a rapid response training organized by G92 at Central Christian Church, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Springfield, Ohio. Faces blurred by RNS. (RNS photo/Kathryn Post)
Police arrest the Rev. Ingrid Rasmussen outside of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)
Clergy members lead a demonstration against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics in the departures area of Terminal 1 of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)
A woman sits for a moment Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Tel Aviv, Israel, alongside photos of Ran Gvili, who was killed while fighting Hamas militants during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and whose remains had been held in Gaza until their return Monday. The recovery of his remains prompted the display of photos in a plaza known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Visitors tour the Nazi concentration camp Sachsenhausen on the eve of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Oranienburg, Germany, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Hindu devotees listen to religious leader Pandit Pradeep Mishra at Satua Baba camp in the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the annual traditional fair of Magh Mela festival, in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Mahatyagi sect Sadhus perform the 'Dhuni Tap' ritual as they meditate for salvation and world peace, amid burning cow dung, at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati river, during Magh Mela in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A large gathering of Hindu devotees is seen on Basant Panchami, the day which marks the preparation for spring, at the confluence of rivers Ganges and Yamuna during the annual fair of Magh Mela in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Santeria priests, also known as Babalawos, perform a cleansing ritual with roosters during a ceremony calling for peace and health in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Archival Photos
Four huge outdoor signs were erected in strategic spots in Springfield, Ill., to promote a church attendance drive, sponsored by the Springfield Council of Churches, in 1955. Shown with the sign are Bernard C. Sheehan, left, who donated the four billboards and Clarke W. Woodruff, local chairman of the crusade. (RNS archive photo by Al Mayer. Photo courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society.)
Holding a briefcase believed to contain ransom money, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, left, papal nuncio to Nicaragua, prepares to enter the house where leftist Nicaraguan guerrillas were holding hostages on Dec. 30, 1974. He and Archbishop Miguel Obando Bravo, S.D.B., of Managua (right, obscured by soldier), who had figured prominently in negotiations between the guerrillas and the Nicaraguan government, were part of a four-man team of volunteers used to guarantee the safe arrival in Cuba of eight guerrillas and 14 freed political prisoners. The guerrillas, members of the Sandinista Liberation Front, shot their way into a party honoring U.S. Ambassador Turner Shelton, killing the host and three guards posted outside. They threatened to kill the hostages, one by one, beginning on New Year's Day, if their demands for $5 million ransom and the release of 18 political prisoners were not met. Obando Bravo acted as go-between and managed to secure the release of 24 of the hostages. The government paid a $1 million ransom and released 14 political prisoners in exchange for the remaining 13 hostages. The two prelates along with the Mexican and Spanish ambassadors then flew to Cuba with the guerrillas and freed prisoners. (RNS archive photo. Photo courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society.)
