Belgium religious faiths want more worshippers at services
AP Representatives of the religious faiths recognised in Belgium have joined forces to urge federal authorities to increase the number of people admitted inside places of worship during the coronavirus pandemic. Under the current COVID-19 rules, such places can accommodate up to 15 people. In a letter to Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne, the religious […]
How the shofar emerged as a weapon of spiritual warfare for some evangelicals
RNS The scene around the Capitol on Wednesday may look like a set piece from the Ten Commandments movie, as scores of Jericho March participants lift shofars to their lips. Shofar blowing, an ancient Jewish ritual, is usually reserved for synagogue sanctuaries. On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Jews rise to hear a member of […]
Bavaria to leave medieval anti-Jewish sculptures on churches
Berlin, GermanyAP Authorities, churches and Jewish communities in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria have agreed that anti-Semitic statues and carvings dating back to the Middle Ages shouldn’t be removed from churches, an official said Tuesday. The Bavarian Government’s point man against anti-Semitism, Ludwig Spaenle, said that relics such as the “Judensau”, or “Jew pig”, sculptures […]
Postcards: Attack, then pandemic – Pittsburgh Jewish congregations cope
Two years after 11 worshippers were killed when an anti-Semitic gunman opened fire at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, DAVID CRARY, of the Associated Press, reports on how the three congregations which shared that space have fared…
Religions can be part of the solution for peace, not the problem, faith leaders say
Vatcian CityRNS When John Lennon wrote his hit song Imagine, eliminating religions and the divisions they entail was in his view a necessary condition for “living life in peace.” A meeting of religious representatives in Rome this week made the case for shifting that paradigm. The Abrahamic Faiths Initiative group united 25 religious leaders representing […]
A church, a synagogue and a mosque planned together for the Arabian Peninsula
New York City, USRNS When Pope Francis visited the United Arab Emirates last February, he not only became the first pontiff to step foot on the Arabian Peninsula, but he also stood next to the leading religious figure in Sunni Islam and signed a landmark document pledging all believers to work together for the good […]
POSTCARDS: RAVAGED BY AGE, SHRUNK BY IMMIGRATION, INDIA’S REMAINING JEWS HANG ON
BRIANA TRUJILLO, in an article published by Religion News Service, reports…
German military to appoint Jewish chaplains and open forces to Muslim imams, too
RNS Germany’s armed forces will soon appoint Jewish chaplains, almost 100 years after rabbis last served with the country’s military. The forces will also welcome imams into their ranks to minister to Muslim troops. After the Nazi era and the Holocaust, the few Jewish males born in postwar Germany were exempted from military service. Since […]
ESSAY: REMEMBERING THE CHILDREN OF THE WARSAW GHETTO ON THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UPRISING
US academic and author SAMANTHA BASKIND, in an article first published on Religion News Service, says while the Warsaw Ghetto uprising provides something of a “small salve” for the wounds of the Holocaust, it’s important to also remember the stories of “lost innocence and mercilessness”…
POSTCARDS: AT AUSCHWITZ, THOUSANDS JOIN THE MARCH OF THE LIVING TO HONOUR THE DEAD
MICHELE CHABIN, of Religion News Service, reports from Poland where she has just taken part in the March of the Living…