Wednesday, October 30, 2024
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?
By Kendall Vanderslice |
Q&A with Tiya Miles |
By Angie Kay Hong |
By Norman Wirzba |
Print-friendly worship materials |
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 |
• 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 |
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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 |
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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’ |
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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 |
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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 |
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“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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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.
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.