Migrant children sleep on a mattress on the floor of the AMAR migrant shelter in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, on July 17, 2019. Asylum-seekers grappled to understand what a new U.S. policy that all but eliminates refugee claims by Central Americans and many others meant for their bids to find a better life in America amid a chaos of rumors, confusion and fear. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Need to know: Monday, July 22, 2019
Faith groups fear the end of refugee resettlement in the U.S.
The Trump administration is considering shutting down refugee resettlement for the coming fiscal year, a move that would dismantle an already weakened refugee resettlement infrastructure.
Hymn society tournament reveals ‘greatest hymn of all time’
More than 800 people, mostly members of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, voted during the competition that featured brackets similar to the springtime NCAA basketball tradition.
Scribes tried to blot her out. Now a scholar is trying to recover the real Mary Magdalene.
New questions about Mary Magdalene's true identity have implications not just for biblical scholars but for policy about women's roles in the church.
From Apollo 8 to SpaceIL, how to celebrate Shabbat, Ramadan and Christmas in space
From NASA's Apollo missions to SpaceIL's recent moonshot, Christmas to Ramadan, humans have found ways to practice their beliefs while touching the heavens.
Millennials, moral relativism and Iris Murdoch
The celebrated British novelist Iris Murdoch, who would have turned 100 this week, anticipated young Americans' attempt to find goodness without God, writes Tara Isabella Burton.
What would alien life mean for Catholicism? The Vatican’s chief astronomer explains.
He also digs into Galileo, icy moons, and the relationship between science and religion.
Latest news from RNS
Israeli archaeologists discover signs of religion in 9,000-year-old city near Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (RNS) — The Israel Antiquities Authority said 2,000 to 3,000 people lived in the ancient city, 'one of the largest of its kind in the region.' This is the first time a prehistoric settlement from this time period has been discovered in central Israel.
Across US, clergy mobilize to support vulnerable migrants
The prospect of a nationwide sweep for undocumented immigrants has prompted legions of pastors, rabbis and their congregations to stand ready to help vulnerable immigrants with offers of sanctuary and other services.
As religious freedom summit ends, State Department announces new alliance, sanctions
Many of the survivors of religious violence who spoke at the summit reminded attendees of those who remain persecuted for their faith across the world.
More views from RNS
Will the Mormon president apologize to the NAACP for the church’s past racism?
(RNS) — Short answer: probably not, but a columnist can dream.
Spiritual adulting with author Alice Connor
Yeah, we screw up. In a wise and funny new book, author and campus minister Alice Connor says that is just part of the deal with being human, writes Jana Riess.
Pope Francis gets it right on Curia reform and women
(RNS) — The appointment of women to the congregation is important because so far, progressive women have not been pleased with the pope's handling of women’s issues.