Coronavirus

Martin Luther King Jr. faith events continue in time of COVID-19 and Capitol chaos
(RNS) — Many online gatherings that mark King’s birthday and the holiday in his honor will apply his messages to the current crises the country is facing.

2021 might be unpredictable, but don’t ditch your datebook. Planning can be a spiritual exercise

Israel hopes to vaccinate Holocaust survivors to save and repay ‘treasured’ population

LA clergy look to hold city officials responsible for allowing Sean Feucht’s Skid Row event
(RNS) — On Wednesday (Jan. 13), Clergy for Black Lives hosted a virtual news conference on Zoom to condemn the ‘white supremacist violence and heretical Christian prophecy’ in the nation’s capital and in downtown LA.

On his way to prison, Catholic activist advocates for COVID-19 prisoner release
(RNS) — Patrick O’Neill will report to a federal prison Thursday for breaking into a nuclear submarine base to protest nuclear arms. Now he’s advocating for prisoner safety during a pandemic.

What four strangers of different faiths learned while living together during a pandemic
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Hadar Cohen, Ala’ Khan, Maya Mansour and Jonathan Simcosky were chosen as fellows for an interfaith experiment known as the Abrahamic House. They come from different faiths: Baha’i, Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

Samaritan’s Purse field hospitals much in demand as COVID case counts rise
LENOIR, N.C. (RNS) — The evangelical humanitarian relief organization has trained healthcare workers or treated COVID-19 patients in 30 countries. Its latest field hospital is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Pope Francis’ personal doctor has died of COVID-19
(RNS) — Soccorsi was being treated for cancer at a Rome hospital when he contracted COVID-19, according to reports.

Anti-abortion faith leaders support use of COVID-19 vaccines
(AP) — One outspoken foe of abortion based in Dallas, Southern Baptist megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, has called the vaccines a “present from God.”

Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors helps launch #PrayforLA to honor COVID-19 deaths
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Cullors is encouraging people to share photos, artwork, a prayer or meditation of loved ones lost to COVID-19, even as the virus continues to spread and fill up hospital beds across Los Angeles County.

Israel’s recognition of Utah marriages gives hope to ineligible couples
(RNS) — Mixed-faith, LGBTQ and nonreligious couples have had to travel abroad and obtain a civil marriage certificate.

RNS reporters on the big stories they expect to cover in 2021
(RNS) — How will America’s religious landscape recover from 2020 and who will lead faith issues in new directions in the new year?

Samaritan’s Purse to open a North Carolina field hospital for COVID-19 patients
(RNS) — The evangelical humanitarian relief organization headed by Franklin Graham will open a 30-bed field hospital to help five small hospitals in the western part of the state.

LA’s Skid Row doesn’t need Sean Feucht’s ‘revival’
(RNS) — If Feucht really cared about the people on Skid Row, he would support efforts to contain the virus instead of holding a maskless concert in a tent city.

What to expect on the religious scene in 2021: Experts cast their sights on the year ahead
(RNS) — We asked scholars, faith leaders, activists and other experts to reflect on some of the issues they’ve seen on the religious landscape and what they anticipate for 2021.