Vatican rejects Israeli criticism over Pope comments on Jewish law
Vatican CityReuters The Vatican has rejected criticism from senior Israeli rabbis over remarks by Pope Francis about Jewish books of sacred law, saying he was not questioning their continuing validity for Jews today. Last month Reuters reported that Rabbi Rasson Arousi, who is in charge of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate’s relations with the Vatican, had […]
Lithuania expels Afghanistan migrants despite European Court stand
Vilnius, LithuaniaReuters Lithuania on Thursday sent five Afghan migrants back to Belarus shortly after they had crossed the border despite the European Court of Human Rights earlier saying they should be allowed to stay. The migrants had tried to enter Lithuania unsuccessfully at least 10 times since 29th August, their lawyer said. Their case had […]
Snapshot: Irazu Volcano National Park, Costa Rica
See ALEX IP’s image…
Pastor can hold inmate’s hand during execution, says US state of Alabama
Montgomery, AlabamaAP The US state of Alabama said it will allow a death row inmate’s pastor to hold his hand during a lethal injection next month, a decision that was made to end litigation over the issue. Lawyers for Alabama wrote in a June court document that inmates can now have a personal spiritual adviser […]
Brief Pope stop in Hungary underlines differences with PM Orban
Vatican CityReuters An unusually brief stay in Hungary on Sunday at the start of Pope Francis’ first foreign trip in months will underline his differences with nationalist and anti-immigrant Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Francis, 84, will spend only seven hours in the Hungarian capital Budapest to close an international Roman Catholic meeting before moving on […]
During pandemic rebound, Latin America’s working mothers fall behind
Buenos Aires, Argentina/Asuncion, Paraguay/Santiago, Chile Reuters Latin America’s mothers are falling behind in the pandemic economic rebound, returning to the labor force more slowly than men in a trend experts say could set back female workforce participation by a decade. An analysis by the United Nations Development Program, which included countries in South America’s “Southern […]
Migrants denounce Mexico’s crackdown amid bilateral talks in Washington
Tapachula, MexicoReuters US-bound migrants, mostly from Central America and the Caribbean, said on Thursday that a Mexican government crackdown was keeping them “prisoner” in the south of the country. The migrant comments contrasted with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s promises of humane treatment ahead of Thursday’s high-level meeting between Mexican and US officials in […]
‘In Christ Alone’: Twenty years on, song still inspires millions
BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service, reports on how a popular hymn prompted a movement to revive congregational singing and launched the careers of Keith and Kristyn Getty…
Shrine to replace church destroyed on 9/11 nears completion
RNS The domed sanctuary rising in Lower Manhattan, where workers are busy installing translucent Greek marble in time for a ceremonial lighting on on 10th September bears little resemblance to the modest parish church that John Katsimatides had discovered years ago. He often visited the old St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church to say a prayer […]
Essay: Removal of Robert E Lee leaves Arthur Ashe as Richmond’s remaining witness
ROBERT P JONES, CEO and founder of Public Religion Research Institute and the author of ‘White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity’, writes about how a statue of the tennis great has outlasted the Confederate generals on Monument Avenue…