Doctrine & Practice
LGBTQ-inclusive church in Cuba welcomes all in a country that once sent gay people to labor camps
By Luis Andres Henao — April 1, 2024
MATANZAS, Cuba (AP) — Cuba repressed gay people after its 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro and sent many to labor camps. But in recent years, the communist-run island barred anti-gay discrimination.
One year ago, Pope Francis disavowed the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ – but Indigenous Catholics’ work for respect and recognition goes back decades
By Eben Levey — April 1, 2024
(The Conversation) — Indigenous Catholics have long argued they should be able to embrace both sides of that identity.
Easter is March 31 this year. Here’s why many Christians will wake up before sunrise to celebrate
By Holly Meyer — March 29, 2024
(AP) – For the majority of the world’s Christians, Easter Sunday — and in turn, the sunrise service tradition — will be observed on March 31 this year.
An annual pilgrimage during Holy Week brings thousands of believers to Santuario de Chimayó in New Mexico, where they pray for healing and protection
By Brett Hendrickson — March 28, 2024
(The Conversation) — Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the Santuario de Chimayó throughout the year, but the pilgrimage during the week before the celebration of Easter is the high point.
Easter 2024 in the Holy Land: a holiday marked by Palestinian Christian sorrow
By Roni Abusaad — March 28, 2024
(The Conversation) — A Christian Palestinian human rights scholar who grew up in Bethlehem writes about the special time of Easter, but also about the restrictions on Palestinian Christians.
The roots of the Easter story: Where did Christian beliefs about Jesus’ resurrection come from?
By Aaron Gale — March 28, 2024
(The Conversation) — Ideas about resurrection had been developing for centuries before Jesus’ life, but his followers took them in new directions.
With its soldiers mired in Gaza, Israel fights a battle at home over drafting the ultra-Orthodox
By Melanie Lidman — March 28, 2024
JERUSALEM (AP) — Among Israel’s Jewish majority, mandatory military service is largely seen as a melting pot and rite of passage. The ultra-Orthodox say that integrating into the army will threaten their generations-old way of life.
Purim’s original queen: How studying the Book of Esther as fan fiction can teach us about the roots of an unruly Jewish festival
By Esther Brownsmith — March 26, 2024
(The Conversation) — Whether thousands of years ago or right now, fans have always created new stories based on familiar characters, weaving their own experiences into the tale.
In suburban Washington, a new ISKCON temple marks a new beginning for devotees
By Richa Karmarkar — March 25, 2024
POTOMAC, Maryland (RNS) — Growing from a small ashram in the 1970s, the D.C. branch of the movement formerly known as Hare Krishnas opened an 11,000-square-foot house of worship on Saturday (March 23).
Thousands of Christians attend Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem against a backdrop of war
By Associated Press — March 25, 2024
JERUSALEM (AP) —The annual celebration came as the Israel-Hamas war rages on in Gaza. However, the conflict appeared to have had little effect on the procession, which swelled to a similar size as last year.
Hindu advocate slams General Mills for using beef-based gelatin in Yoplait yogurt
By Richa Karmarkar — March 20, 2024
(RNS) — Hindus commonly abstain from eating beef, believing cows are sacred and revered companions to the gods.
As Hindu wellness gains in West, chakra healing practitioners root their art in science
By Richa Karmarkar — March 18, 2024
(RNS) — These teachers are working to dispel myths of chakra healing, starting first by recognizing the ancient roots of this spiritual science.
Fasting at school? More Muslim students in the US are getting support during Ramadan
By Darren Sands, Corey Williams, Giovanna Dell'orto, and Mariam Fam — March 18, 2024
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Fasting is not required of young children, but many Muslim children like to fast to share in the month's rituals and emulate parents and older siblings, according to the Islamic Networks Group.
As threats to Black cemeteries persist, a movement to preserve their sacred heritage gains strength
By Darren Sands and Giovanna Dell'orto — March 15, 2024
MIAMI (AP) — When sites of sacred cultural memory are desecrated, it adds additional trauma to the indignity of being segregated even in death, said the executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
Israel’s army exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox are part of a bigger challenge: The Jewish state is divided over the Jewish religion
By Michael Brenner — March 15, 2024
(The Conversation) — The Israel-Hamas war has fueled tensions around military exemptions, but the issue has long roiled Israeli politics.
