VOTE ~ Christian Voter Apathy Could Shape The 2024 U.S. Election ~ VOTE

FOLLOWING CHRIST IS POLITICAL~BEING CHRISTIAN IS POLITICAL キリストに従うことは政治的である〜キリスト教徒であることは政治的である

An Ecumenical Ministry in the Parish of St Patrick's Catholic Church In San Diego USA

米国サンディエゴの聖パトリックカトリック教会教区におけるエキュメニカル宣教

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

'Shut up, stop complaining and put up with it'

 


Religion in the workplace is tricky

Candidates break out faith references ‘for such a time as this’*
Christianity Today: During their final push, Trump and Harris extend more explicit appeals to Christian voters.
The Washington Post: Harris talks increasingly about her faith but walks a careful line*

Vatican issues first report on sex abuse, to immediate criticism*
The New York Times: The report is intended to assess efforts by the Roman Catholic Church to safeguard minors and others. Advocates for survivors called it an exercise in obfuscation.

A cross in the road
The Bitter Southerner: As the aggressive, Trump-fueled Christian nationalist movement threatens the line between church and state around the country, a growing community of Christians are standing up and speaking out against it in Texas

This election has stoked fear in many Americans. Here's an antidote.
Religion News Service: In the midst of this stressful presidential campaign, Jim Wallis heard “Fear shuts down part of your brain” and went seeking reasons not to fear.

Religion in the workplace is tricky – but employers and employees both lose when it becomes a total taboo
The Conversation: For many people, faith is a core component of their identity – part of the “whole self” that employees are increasingly encouraged to bring to work. It’s an important piece of diversity but one that managers often tiptoe around.

How the Jubilee Year begins

How the Jubilee Year begins: Mass in St. Peter’s Square, opening of the Holy Door, a mascot (and other Vatican announcements)

ZENIT Staff

In a playful nod to popular culture, the Vatican introduced “Luce,” the Jubilee mascot designed by Italian artist Simone Legno. Luce embodies the modern pilgrim, complete with a yellow raincoat, a mission cross, and a pilgrim’s staff, symbolizing the journey of hope.

USA: use of cell phones in confessional forbidden

 

Study Shows That Trans Young People Increasingly Want to Return to Their Original Biological Sex

Rafael Llanes

Researchers from the University of the Basque Country advocate comprehensive support for those affected instead of administering hormones prematurely.

Male Self-Perceived Female Beats 14-Year-Old Girl in Sport: The Story of One Who Could Be Your Daughter

Rafael Llanes

The transgender runner’s trainer heard Annaleigh’s complaints and those of her family members and threatened them with lawsuits. It was devastating for the young girl. ”It was like saying to us ‘Shut up, stop complaining and put up with it.’” She added, very emotional, “that’s why I’m speaking here. Our voice, as women athletes, must be heard, because we are the only ones personally affected.”

Questions about liturgy: The Divine Praises at Benediction

ZENIT Staff

Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and sacramental theology and director of the Sacerdos Institute at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university.

Index of Religious Freedom USA 2024: Seven Key States in Presidential Elections Show Worst Results

Tim Daniels

The Index’s results, based on the analysis of 14 types of State laws, indicate that the majority of these States got scores under 60% in terms of religious freedom. Georgia leads this group with a score of 55%, followed by North Carolina (50%) and Pennsylvania, a crucial State with 19 seats in the Electoral College, which reached only 44%

Pope Francis cuts cardinals and Curia salaries by another 10% as of Nov. 1

Valentina di Giorgio

Pope Francis Imposes New Financial Cuts on Vatican Salaries Amid Economic Strain

Irish Parliament Moves Closer to Legalizing Assisted Dying Despite Heated Debate

Elizabeth Owens

The decision, marked by a 76-53 vote, reflects a growing yet divisive sentiment around assisted dying in Ireland.

The Chinese capital has a new coadjutor bishop authorized by the Pope… and the government…

ZENIT Staff

Archbishop Li Shan led the ceremony in the Cathedral of the Saviour. Pope Francis approved the appointment on 28 August. The new prelate chose as his motto “All this I do for the sake of the gospel”. No official reason was given for the appointment of a prelate with the right of succession to the current pastor of the diocese of Beijing who is only 59 years old.

Migration, the Pope and the position of Donal Trump and Kamala Harris on the matter

ZENIT Staff

Immigration policy is one of the central issues in the presidential campaign, and both White House candidates have stated emphatically that they will take strong measures to curb illegal immigration.

Record number of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. Americans the second country with the most pilgrims

Covadonga Asturias

Camino de Santiago Sees Record Surge in Pilgrims as Half-Million Target Looms. Leading the charge are nearly 33,000 American pilgrims in 2024, marking the United States as the top country for foreign pilgrims, followed by Italy, Germany, and Portugal.

Remains of the oldest church in the world’s first Christian country found

ZENIT Staff

The place of worship, dating from the 4th century AD, was found in Artaxata. The discovery is the result of joint work of archaeologists from the University of Münster and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. For experts, it is also a «significant» find because the kingdom was the first in history «to adopt Christianity as its official religion”.

 

Lebanon: nuns who took in Muslims and Christians fleeing bombings

ZENIT Staff

In northern Beqaa, the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Good Help has been transformed into a refuge for more than 800 people fleeing the bombing. The fifteen sisters from the Melkite Greek Catholic Church are welcoming hundreds of internally displaced people there, mostly Muslims, offering them not just shelter but also comfort and support.

USA: use of cell phones in confessional forbidden

ZENIT Staff

Lincoln Diocese Bans Smartphones in Confessionals to Protect Privacy and Reverence

What do you pray for before an election?

Christian leaders may wonder how they can be true to their faith convictions in a polarized political atmosphere. New resources, along with essays and interviews from the Faith & Leadership archives, can help.

By Kendall Vanderslice

Successful bread dough requires a delicate balance between tension and rest, and so do faith communities, explains a baker and writer.

Q&A with Tiya Miles

Along with her ties to the natural world, Tubman’s faith was formational in the heroic acts for which she is — and was, in her own time — known, says the author and academic.

By Angie Kay Hong

As we mark All Saints’ Day, the births and deaths of stars, side by side, serve as a reminder of God’s bigger picture, writes a director of educational programing for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

By Norman Wirzba

Hopeful people don’t blindly assume that everything is going to be all right; they work for a better future, writes the director of research at Duke’s Office of Climate and Sustainability.

Print-friendly worship materials 

Faith & Leadership asked various faith leaders from multiple backgrounds to help lead us in prayer before another watershed U.S. election.

By Annette John-Hall

Everyone wants the same thing: to restore the beloved stone building in west Philadelphia so the community and local congregations can use it. But years of deferred maintenance, disagreements and the effects of the pandemic are forcing them to ramp up their efforts.

Leadership questions

•  How do you respond when people agree on a mission but disagree about how to pursue that mission?
•  What are the challenges in transitioning from a group of well-meaning volunteers to professionals?

San Juan archbishop asks Trump to apologize for comedian’s Puerto Rico joke

Seminary rector kidnapped during evening prayers at Nigerian minor seminary

Father Thomas Oyode was kidnapped around 7 p.m. on Oct. 27 during evening prayers and Benediction at the seminary.
Texas nuns dismissed from religious life after lengthy feud with bishop, Vatican

The dismissal caps a bitter and divisive feud between the Carmelite nuns and Church authorities ranging from Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson to the Vatican itself.
Ohio archbishop ends long-standing Girl Scouts partnerships because of ‘gender ideology’

The archbishop of Cincinnati is ending a 110-year relationship with Girl Scouts of the USA due to the group promoting gender ideology “contrary” to Catholic teaching.
Mexican Catholics gather in shopping center to pray rosary in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The initiative began with the purpose of bringing the faith closer to those who no longer attend church.
San Juan archbishop asks Trump to apologize for comedian’s Puerto Rico joke

“I call upon you, Mr. Trump, to disavow these comments as reflecting in any way your personal or political viewpoints,” the archbishop wrote in a letter.

Pope Francis cuts salaries of Vatican cardinals again

Meet ‘Luce’: The Vatican’s cartoon mascot for Jubilee 2025

The mascot, named Luce — which means “light” in Italian — is intended to engage a younger audience and guide visitors through the holy year. 
Pope Francis to open Holy Door in Roman prison on feast of St. Stephen for 2025 Jubilee

The Holy Father will open the second of five Holy Doors for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope in Rome’s Rebibbia prison on Dec. 26, the feast of St. Stephen.
Storm leaves scores dead and widespread damage in the Philippines

Tropical Storm Trami hit the island of Luzon, which includes the capital Manila, bringing two months’ worth of rain to some areas in just 24 hours.
Pope Francis cuts salaries of Vatican cardinals again

Pope Francis has decided to cut the salaries of the cardinals working at the Vatican again, a measure that will take effect Nov. 1.
New York, Los Angeles archbishops place World Series wager to benefit Catholic schools

On Oct. 25, Archbishop José Gómez and Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced a friendly wager involving New York-style bagels and Randy’s Donuts.

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

How culture wars divided one small progressive church in Philadelphia

After exiting the Christian music industry, these artists engage religion on their terms
Religion News Service: After interrogating their beliefs, some onetime CCM artists are revisiting faith in some fashion, trying on elements they’d previously discarded and writing music for listeners who might be more spiritual than religious.

Americans use the Book of Revelation to talk about immigration – and always have
The Conversation: Depicting immigrants as a threat has been a pillar of Trump’s message since 2015. And the types of terms he uses aren’t just disparaging. It might not seem like it, but Trump is continuing a long tradition in American politics: using language shaped by the Bible.

How a legendary church in Sleepy Hollow stays faithful in a Halloween mecca
Religion Unplugged: This compounding enthusiasm for a haunted churchyard has resulted in tourism, which has taken its toll on the both the church and the village of Sleepy Hollow during the Halloween season and beyond.

How culture wars divided one small progressive church in Philadelphia
NPR: Despite their shared egalitarian vision, the congregation disagreed over some of the same issues that have divided the country — including the COVID-19 pandemic and the racial reckoning after George Floyd was murdered by a police officer.

In Philadelphia, a Muslim hub, presidential election feels to many like no choice at all
Religion News Service: The city’s growing Muslim Democratic establishment is trying to rally its constituency to the polls in an atmosphere of deep mistrust of either candidate.

They're Eating the Dogs They're Eating the Cats

Monday, October 28, 2024

Prominent Texas church quietly quits the SBC

Harris and Trump lean into their faith in appeals to Christian voters in Georgia
The Guardian: Religious voters on both the right and the left are a powerful force in Georgia. In a race this close, they may be decisive

Prominent Texas church quietly quits the SBC
Baptist News Global: One of the most prominent Baptist churches in Texas quietly quit the Southern Baptist Convention Oct. 27 — part of an unnoticed trend that’s hard to document on a national level.

For a stalwart voice of liberal Catholicism, a complicated centennial*
The New York Times: Commonweal magazine, founded in 1924, wrestles with its mission at a moment of a continuing loss of faith in both the church and liberalism.

Vatican meeting ends and hope fades for more change under Francis*
The Washington Post: The pope’s “Synod on Synodality” ended Saturday without progress on female deacons, married priests or LGBTQ+ outreach.

As church leaders emphasize BYU’s religious mission, coaches seek to make it a recruiting edge
Deseret News: BYU sports must operate differently than teams at other schools or there is no reason to continue their existence at a university sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a church leader said last week.