POSTCARDS: HOW 15 MILLENNIAL COED CATHOLICS LIVE IN UNITY IN A NEW YORK BROWNSTONE
GINA RYDER, writing for Religion News Service, reports on life at Ford Hall in Manhattan…
Prayer that mentioned Jesus 13 times sparks debate in Pennsylvania Legislature
RNS A prayer that mentioned Jesus 13 times in less than two minutes has sparked heated debate among Pennsylvania lawmakers and a wider discussion about how sectarian prayer and respect for religious diversity can co-exist in public life. State Representative Stephanie Borowicz’s 25th March invocation took place just before the House chamber’s first female Muslim, Movita Johnson-Harrell, […]
US aid cuts to Central America may backfire, fueling migration north – charities
Thomson Reuters Foundation A decision by the US Government to cut aid to three Central American nations is “counterproductive”, likely to backfire and fuel rather than stem the flow of migrants north fleeing gang violence and dire poverty, charities said this week. The US State Department said on Saturday it would carry out President Donald […]
Gap between world’s Christian and Muslim populations expected to narrow by 2060
The gap between the world’s Christian and Muslim populations is expected to narrow by 2060 but the US is expected to retain its position as the nation where the most Christians live, according to projections from the Pew Research Center. The Pew data predicts that while the number of Christians in the world will grow […]
Soap and superbugs: two billion people lack water at health facilities, says UN
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation A quarter of the world’s health facilities lack basic water services, impacting two billion people, the United Nations said on Wednesday, warning that unhygienic conditions could fuel the global rise of deadly superbugs. In the poorest countries, about half of facilities do not have basic water services – meaning water delivered by […]
STRANGESIGHTS: APRIL FOOL’S DAY ROUND-UP INCLUDING TULIP TALKING, LEOPARD PRINT KOALAS AND THE MCPICKLE…
DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
Bangladesh fashion workers at risk with ‘shocking’ reform delays
Thomson Reuters Foundation The safety of workers making clothing for global brands like Adidas and H&M could be at risk if Bangladesh’s Supreme Court moves on Sunday to shut down a factory inspection mechanism set up by European fashion labels, campaigners said on Tuesday. The government has shown “a shocking level of unreadiness” to take […]
Climate, conflicts set to plunge millions into food crisis
Thomson Reuters Foundation Food crises will affect tens of millions of people across the world this year, researchers warned on Tuesday, after war, extreme weather and economic woes in 2018 left more than 113 million in dire need of help. Conflict and insecurity were responsible for the desperate situation faced by 74 million people, or […]
FRANCE: SHATTERED STATUES AND SATANIC SYMBOLS MARK RISE IN ATTACKS ON CHURCHES
TOM HENEGAN, of Religion News Service, reports…
Lodging for spouses becomes Anglicans’ latest battleground over LGBT clergy
LondonRNS A British university that customarily houses those attending the Anglican Communion’s worldwide gathering of bishops is welcoming same-sex clergy couples to stay on campus despite the Archbishop of Canterbury’s attempt to ban gay and lesbian bishops’ spouses from the 2020 Lambeth Conference. For years the issue of homosexuality and how the Church of England […]