New leader of Jesse Jackson’s civil rights organisation steps down just months on the job
Chicago, US AP A Dallas pastor who took over leadership of Rev Jesse Jackson’s longtime civil rights organisation resigned Tuesday just months after he took the job. Rev Frederick Haynes III told The Associated Press that he submitted a letter with his resignation as head of the Chicago-based Rainbow PUSH Coalition, effective immediately. “After a time of […]
In Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians observe scaled-down Good Friday rituals
Jerusalem AP Hundreds of Christians participated in a customary Good Friday procession through the limestone walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, commemorating one of the faith’s most sacred days with noticeably thinner crowds amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The procession, which normally draws thousands of foreign visitors, was unusually local — mostly Palestinian Christians, joined by some […]
From four-leaf clovers to some unexpected history, all you need to know about St Patrick’s Day
New York, US AP If it’s March, and it’s green, it must be St Patrick’s Day. The day honouring the patron saint of Ireland is a global celebration of Irish heritage. And nowhere is that more so than in the United States, where parades take place in cities around the country and all kinds of […]
Addressing need: In the US city of Chicago, pastors help the city grapple with flood of migrants
“There’s already plenty of need present in this community,” said one faith leader. The challenge is to make the situation work for both longtime residents and migrants arriving from the border. REBEKAH BARBER, of Religion News Service, reports…
Chicago homeless migrants shelter faces backlash
Chicago, USReuters Chicago is grappling with local backlash against moving homeless migrants into a new government-run tent encampment as temperatures drop and more migrants continue to arrive. Hundreds of migrants are still sleeping on floors or in tents outside city police stations. Some who remained this week huddled near tents wearing parkas, knit hats and […]
Parliament of the World’s Religions hopes to harness faith to address world’s ills
Chicago, US RNS Thousands of religious leaders – from Buddhists to Zoroastrians – gathered at Chicago’s cavernous McCormick Place conference centre on Monday for the opening day of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, a historic and influential gathering. Leaders from a wide range of faiths urged attendees to appreciate both the uniqueness of their […]
Scorching heat wave bakes US as heat index soars past 38 degrees; Greece wildfires die down
Chicago, USReuters Tens of millions of Americans were confronted with a one-two punch of brutally hot temperatures and oppressive humidity on Friday as an unrelenting heat wave settled over the midwest and East Coast and was expected to persist into the weekend. More than 175 million people in the US were under excessive heat warnings […]
Emmett Till memorialised in monument that includes Chicago church
United StatesRNS For Rev Wheeler Parker, Jr, it was the moment he had long awaited and once could not have envisioned. The older cousin of Emmett Till, Parker is the sole remaining witness to the 1955 kidnapping of the Black teenager, who was dragged from his bed to face a lynching that galvanised the civil […]
Catholic clergy sexually abused Illinois kids far more often than church acknowledged, US state finds
Chicago, Illinois, USAP More than 450 Catholic clergy in the US state of Illinois sexually abused nearly 2,000 children since 1950, the state’s Attorney General found in an investigation released Tuesday, revealing that the problem was far worse than the church had let on. Attorney General Kwame Raoul said at a news conference that investigators found that […]
In the US, James MacDonald, former Harvest Bible pastor, charged with felony assault and battery
United StatesRNS Former Chicago area megachurch pastor James MacDonald has been charged with two felonies for allegedly assaulting a woman during a dispute over parking. MacDonald, who was fired from Harvest Bible Chapel in 2019 and later disqualified from ministry for what church leaders called a “substantial pattern of sinful behaviour”, was arrested in Coronado, California, on 22nd March. […]