Wow!: New York woman loses job, leads pantry feeding thousands
LUIS ANDRES HENAO, of Associated Press, profiles the work of New Yorker Sofia Moncayo, who has led a food distribution program through her church, Mosaic West Queens Church, which has fed thousands during the coronavirus pandemic…
US state of Alabama to allow spiritual advisor at inmate’s execution
Montgomery, Alabama, USAP Alabama is amending its lethal injection procedures to allow a condemned inmate to have his spiritual advisor in the execution chamber, state lawyers wrote in a Thursday court filing. The move comes after the US Supreme Court this month sided with Alabama inmate Willie B Smith III who had sought to have his pastor […]
United Methodists reschedule meeting — and decision on splitting — again
RNS The United Methodist Church has once again postponed its quadrennial meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delaying further a widely anticipated vote by delegates from across the globe on a proposal to split the denomination over the inclusion of LGBTQ members. The United Methodist Church General Conference now is scheduled for 29th August to 6th September, […]
Top German bishop laments “scandalous” image of church
Berlin, GermanyAP The head of the German Bishops’ Conference said Thursday that the country’s Roman Catholic church is suffering from a “scandalous image” amid mounting anger over the Cologne Archbishop’s handling of a report on past sexual abuse by clergy, but he defended its overall record in addressing the issue. The Cologne Archbishop, Cardinal Rainer […]
Supporters of Myanmar military coup rampage in Yangon
Reuters Supporters of Myanmar’s military, some armed with knives and clubs, others firing catapults and throwing stones, attacked opponents of the 1st February coup on Thursday, as protests against the new junta continued in the country’s largest city. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power and detained civilian government leader Aung San […]
First Jehovah’s Witness woman sentenced in Russia after faith declared “extremist”
RNS A female Jehovah’s Witness has been sentenced to two years in a Russian prison for practicing her faith, marking the first time the country has imprisoned a woman since a 2017 ruling that declared the faith group “extremist”. Valentina Baranovskaya, 69, was sentenced on Wednesday along with her son, Roman Baranovskiy, 46, who received […]
John Baker, founder of the Christian support group Celebrate Recovery, has died
RNS John Baker, co-founder of Celebrate Recovery, an evangelical support group that helps people with “hurts, hangups and habits,” has died. The ministry, started at Saddleback Church in the 1990s, announced the news of his death Tuesday on social media. Celebrate Recovery founder John Baker. PICTURE: Hope for Mental Health “John Baker co-founder of Celebrate Recovery made […]
Great Works: The Lindisfarne Gospels
DAVID ADAMS looks at one of the treasures held in the British Library…
Two more leave church sanctuary in US as immigration policies ease
RNS An Ohio woman and a Missouri man who took sanctuary in churches to avoid deportation have been allowed to leave. Miriam Vargas, who along with her two children has been living at First English Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio, was granted an “order of supervision” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday, meaning she […]
Fortescue apologises for clearing land on Aboriginal sacred site
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Australia’s Fortescue Metals Group has apologised to an Aboriginal group for clearing land on a heritage site while flouting a government condition for representatives of the community to be present when the damage took place. It is the week’s second such incident, despite pressure on Australian iron ore miners to show they have […]