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Need to know: Friday, April 14, 2017
On Maundy Thursday, Pope Francis washes the feet of 12 prisoners
The 12 inmates who took part included a Muslim who is expected to be baptized as a Catholic in June, three women and two men serving life terms.
Organists declining but still in demand for Easter
Filling the shoes and the benches behind organ consoles with new and, preferably, younger players isn’t easy.
Alabama Senate gives megachurch the right to form its own police force
Briarwood Presbyterian Church may be the first church in the country to be allowed to form its own police force, invested with the powers of '”regular'” police.
Egyptian Copts prepare for Easter amid rising fears for their safety
The wave of violence has opened up new arguments about the role of Copts in Egyptian society and the success of programs intended to prevent extremism.
Tesco sorry for Good Friday beer ad
The British supermarket chain apologized for any offense from a beer advertisement that claimed, "Good Friday just got better."
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Latest news from RNS
Iraqi Christians return to ransacked town with fear and hope
QARAQOSH, Iraq (Reuters) With the Islamic State group expelled, Iraqi Christians are trickling back to the ransacked town of Qaraqosh, beset by anxiety for their security and yet hopeful they can live in friendship with Muslims of all persuasions.
A busy holiday season in Jerusalem’s Old City
(RNS) This year Easter as celebrated by Western Christians falls on the same day as the Eastern Orthodox observance, and that in turns falls within Passover.
Why Easter is called Easter, and other little-known facts about the holiday
The dating of Easter goes back to the complicated origins of this holiday and how it has evolved over the centuries, says Brent Landau.
More views from RNS
Reza Aslan and the ‘pettiness of academia’
Translating research to a popular audience demands a skill set above and beyond the training scholars receive in doctoral programs, writes Andrew Henry.
Why you need to see ‘The Zoo Keeper’s Wife’ for Passover
The Zookeeper's Wife reminds us that it takes moral muscle to resist evil.
This Mormon is an Easter Episcopalian
Not for us the betrayal of Maundy Thursday or the painful Stations of the Cross; not for us the image of Jesus, suffering and broken. We like our Jesus risen and glorified, thank you very much.
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Bonus tracks
- ‘Never forget’: New ‘Nova’ episode highlights secret Jewish escape
- Were Trump’s Syrian missile strikes morally justified? 5 religious experts respond
- Religious groups help transform addiction from moral failure to treatable disease
- What wine would Jesus drink? We may finally have the answer
- How many American atheists are there really?
- Nothing teaches us more about life than death
