Coronavirus
Lauren Daigle responds, wants out of Sean Feucht, ‘New Years Rockin’ Eve’ controversy
By Emily McFarlan Miller — December 17, 2020
(RNS) — After speaking with Daigle, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser has said the whole thing is a misunderstanding, according to local media reports.
How to motivate millions of Americans to get vaccinated? Let faith help.
By Eboo Patel and Paul Brandeis Raushenbush — December 17, 2020
(RNS) — With thousands of lives on the line, America’s diverse religious communities are uniquely prepared to unite to meet this moment.
Fifth Jehovah’s Witness receives six-year sentence in Russia for practicing his faith
By Adelle M. Banks — December 17, 2020
(RNS) — Yuriy Savelyev was ‘charged with organizing the activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ when his home was raided in 2018.
National Prayer Breakfast will be virtual in 2021 due to COVID-19
By Bob Smietana — December 17, 2020
(RNS) — Every president since Dwight Eisenhower has attended the National Prayer Breakfast, which will go virtual in 2021 for the first time due to COVID-19.
Doomscrolling much? It’s probably bad for your soul
By Jana Riess — December 16, 2020
(RNS) — Pushing back the screen to create tangible things in the real world is more important now than ever.
Latin patriarch of Jerusalem says Biden will need to ‘rebuild trust’ with Palestinians
By Claire Giangravé — December 15, 2020
(RNS) — Years of being shunted aside by U.S. policy have taken their toll, said the spiritual leader of Latin rite Catholics in the Middle East.
Death expert Gary Laderman: ‘This holiday season is going to be a killer’
By Yonat Shimron — December 14, 2020
(RNS) — The holidays mark the passage of time and provide ritual forms of continuity and reassurance, says Laderman. For many that won't happen this year.
The weary world rejoices
By Jana Riess — December 14, 2020
(RNS) — As we wait for Christmas and for a vaccine, I'm reminded that the most beautiful birth in history happened in a place literally mired in crap.
As COVID-19 surges, Catholics find new, socially distanced ways to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe
By Alejandra Molina — December 10, 2020
(RNS) — ‘Perhaps this year it is Our Lady who will come to our home,’ said the Very Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, rector of the Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines, Illinois.
With vaccines on the horizon, faith leaders could play a crucial role in promoting their use
By Jack Jenkins — December 10, 2020
(RNS) — Asked about his participation in the Moderna vaccine trial, Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld replied, ‘It’s the most important sermon I’ve ever given — by far.’
This year, American Jews are taking Hanukkah outside
By Yonat Shimron — December 9, 2020
(RNS) — Many American Jews have previously shied from overtly public menorah displays out of a sense of vulnerability, if not an outright fear of persecution. Not this year.
Pandemic, loss unite 2 rural Missouri pastors around faith
By Jessie Wardarski, David Crary, and Luis Andres Henao — December 9, 2020
NOEL, Missouri (RNS) — While the pastors both want to keep parishioners safe, they are determined to carry on with in-person services as long as members of their congregations are eager to attend.
Church pageants go virtual amid a COVID-19 Christmas
By Emily McFarlan Miller — December 9, 2020
(RNS) — With kids and the internet involved, virtual pageants, it turns out, are just as delightfully unpredictable as more traditional performances at churches.
Mormon apostle calls masks “a sign of Christlike love.” Some church members are pushing back
By Jana Riess — December 8, 2020
(RNS) — "Covid-19 is serious," said a Mormon apostle. The backlash from anti-maskers isn't pretty.
With pews emptied by COVID-19, a Catholic researcher asks, ‘What if they never come back?’
By Claire Giangravé — December 7, 2020
(RNS) — 'This pandemic has led to the acceleration of so many trend lines we were already on,' said Dan Cellucci, CEO of the Catholic Leadership Institute.