Orthodox
Scholars call out Putin and the ‘escalation’ of persecution against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia
(RNS) — A group of 50 religion scholars from around the world are calling on President Vladimir Putin and his administration to end the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia.
Work resumes on church destroyed on 9/11
What good is faith when your fertility treatments aren’t working?
Russian court fines influential monk who denies virus exists
(AP) — The 65-year-old monk has attracted nationwide attention by urging followers to disobey government lockdown measures and ignore church closures earlier during the pandemic.
President Erdogan, preserve Hagia Sophia as a church
(RNS) — The Quran says that God’s name is extolled abundantly in churches, synagogues and mosques, which is reason enough to protect all such places of worship. But respect for others’ holy places extends deep into Muslim history.
Breath, the divine metaphor, becomes a hallmark of America’s twin crises
(RNS) — The normally simple, normally unconscious act of drawing breath has come to define the United States’ most pressing problems. What the world’s faith traditions have to say about the meaning of our first act as humans.
How Jesus became white — and why it’s time to cancel that
CHICAGO (RNS) — Nearly a century later, both ‘Head of Christ’ and criticism of its role in enshrining Jesus as white endure.
The N-word of God: Envisioning the image of Christ
(RNS) — A war over Christs of different ethnicities, says an artist and iconographer, won’t bring humanity closer together in empathy or love.
In Greece, pandemic deprives refugees of vital link to food and locals
(RNS) — A restaurant dedicated to feeding refugees and native Greeks alike awaits the country’s reopening.
Greg Zanis, who honored shooting victims by building 26,000 crosses, dies
(RNS) — The 69-year-old retired carpenter from Aurora, Illinois, crisscrossed the country to erect his wooden memorials near the sites of massacres, big and small.
Rival Ukraine churches clash over Easter lockdown rules
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Moscow-affiliated church said believers could gather outside places of worship despite a government ban on public gatherings, while the independent church called it a ‘Christian duty’ to stay home.
Religions can be part of the solution for peace, not the problem, faith leaders say
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The Abrahamic Faiths Initiative group united 25 religious leaders representing Christian, Muslim and Jewish faithful to discuss practical ways of promoting peace and fraternity at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome this week.
Seeking the cross: Icy dips mark the feast of Epiphany
Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria celebrated Epiphany by jumping in frigid waters to retrieve a cross. The holiday commemorates the coming of the Wise Men.
Egypt arrests Coptic community rights activist amid heightened surveillance measures
CAIRO (RNS) — Early on Nov. 23, plainclothes police arrived at the home of Ramy Kamel, a tailor and advocate for the Coptic community. Human rights groups have expressed alarm over Kamel’s arrest and a renewed crackdown on activists and journalists in Egypt.
Exhibition in Jerusalem challenges perceptions of modestly dressed women
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Featuring women from different cultures, the multimedia investigation of modest dress shows that the common denominator is a thirst for spiritual meaning.