Reuters journalist killed covering clash between Afghan forces, Taliban
Spin Boldak, AfghanistanReuters Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed on Friday while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters near a border crossing with Pakistan, an Afghan commander said. Afghan special forces had been fighting to retake the main market area of Spin Boldak when Siddiqui and a senior Afghan officer were […]
Tokyo Archbishop bans Olympians from Catholic churches amid surge in COVID-19 cases
RNS Spectators already have been banned from the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo amid a surge in COVID-19 infections in the area. Now the city’s Catholic Archbishop has banned visitors to churches in the Archdiocese of Tokyo, too. That includes athletes competing in the games and their support staff, according to a letter released earlier this week by Tokyo […]
Nearly half of Jewish cemeteries in Europe are falling apart – report
RNS A new report cataloging 1,700 Jewish cemeteries across Central and Eastern Europe has found that almost half them are in a severe state of disrepair. The report, to be published in September, was undertaken by the European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative, a group funded by the European Union. It found that 44 per cent of the […]
British borough apologises for removing bus ads promoting Franklin Graham festival
RNS A British borough council and its transportation provider publicly apologised on their websites for removing bus ads promoting a 2018 event with evangelist Franklin Graham in the English seaside town of Blackpool. The apology follows a court finding that the actions of the borough council and its transportation provider “discriminated on the ground of […]
The Interview: Bishop Vashti McKenzie, first AME Church woman prelate, reflects on a groundbreaking career
ADELLE M BANKS, writing for Religion News Service, speaks with just retired Bishop Vashti McKenzie…
Nigerian herders kill 33, burn four churches days after kidnapping school children
Nairobi, Kenya RNS Barely a week after the kidnapping of nearly 140 students at a Baptist boarding school in Nigeria’s north-western state of Kaduna, a fresh terrorist attack in the region has left at least 33 people dead and four churches and hundreds of homes burnt down, according to Luka Binniyat, a spokesman for the […]
Pope Francis renews curbs on Latin Mass in rebuff to conservatives
Reuters Pope Francis on Friday overturned decisions by his two predecessors and re-imposed restrictions on the old-style Latin Mass preferred by traditionalist Roman Catholics, saying it was being exploited to divide the church. Conservative groups reacted with dismay and anger to the latest episode of what some have dubbed the church’s “liturgy wars”. Pope Francis […]