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"We have been inspired by his unwavering loyalty to our queen..."

Somber, deeply Anglican funeral honors Prince Philip for his service and devotion

by: Paul O’Donnell April 17, 2021 (RNS) — In a funeral service that offered as much military pomp as it did spiritual comfort, the life of Prince Philip, the DukeRead More

By Friday afternoon, The Associated Press and CNN reported the Biden administration has reversed course...

Biden reverses course on refugee cap after faith groups express outrage

Refugees at border
by: Jack Jenkins WASHINGTON, April 16, 2021 (RNS) — President Joe Biden’s administration has reversed a decision to keep in place a historically low cap on refugee admissions left byRead More

“Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa’s Confessor,” Battle delves into Tutu’s religious formation...

New book explores how Desmond Tutu’s Christian mysticism helped unite a nation

Desmond Tutu
by: Yonat Shimron April 14, 2021 (RNS) — Much has been written about the Nobel Peace Prize-winning South African Anglican bishop Desmond Tutu, revered by generations as a kind ofRead More

North Korea leads the organization’s annual World Watch List for the 20th straight year.

Open Doors’ 2021 watch list highlights impact of COVID-19 on religious persecution worldwide

Open Doors USA
by: Emily McFarlan Miller Jan. 13, 2021 (RNS) — The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a number of existing problems: political divides, inequities, conspiracy theories. It also has exposed religious persecutionRead More

These kinds of attacks are all too common in the Middle East

Opinion: How much longer will the Middle East celebrate Christmas?

John Kerry in Bethlehem Manger Square
by: Paul O’Donnell (Knox Thames) Dec .24, 2020 (RNS) — Days before the start of Advent, mobs in a city 200 miles south along the Nile from Cairo burned CopticRead More

“The gift is completely free, unearned by any of us, pure grace.”

Pope Francis: “Tonight (Christmas eve) cannot be explained in any other way: it is purely grace.”

Pope Francis in Philadelphia
Pope Francis: Nativity of the Lord – Midnight Mass 24.12.2020“ Pope Francis     24.12.20  Midnight Mass, Vatican Basilica     Solemnity of the Nativity of the LordIsaiah 9: 1-6,        TitusRead More

The pandemic's repercussions on life dominated Francis' reflections on the past year.

Pope on Christmas: Vaccines for all; needy, vulnerable first

Pope Francis in Philadelphia
by: Paul O’Donnell (Frances D’Emilio) VATICAN CITY, Dec. 25, 2020 (AP) — Pope Francis made a Christmas Day plea for authorities to make COVID-19 vaccines available to all, insisting thatRead More

Galli’s journey to Catholicism is notable, in part because of the nation’s political climate.

Mark Galli, former Christianity Today editor and Trump critic, to be confirmed a Catholic

Mark Galli
by: Yonat Shimron CHICAGO, Sept. 10, 2020 (RNS) — On Sunday (Sept. 13), Mark Galli will stand before Bishop Richard Pates in the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet,Read More

Open Doors USA ranks China 23 on the 2020 World Watch List...

Report: In China ‘there is no longer a safe place to be a Christian’

Ren Family
by Diana Chandler SILVER SPRING, Md. , July 23, 2020 (BP) — China persecutes Christians to gain leverage in future diplomatic relations with the U.S., a Christian seeking U.S. asylumRead More

In any case, mainstream Islamic scholars believe that, according to the Quran, that the first direction of ritual Islamic prayers (Salat) was Jerusalem.

Hesham Shehab: Jerusalem Day: Religious Symbols and Mass Mobilization

Hesham Shehab
This Friday, May 22, 2020, Arabs and Muslims celebrate International Jerusalem Day. Since it will undoubtedly include anti-Israeli demonstrations and religious-political propaganda, it is important to dispel some myths aboutRead More