New York pilgrimage celebrates interfaith solidarity in lead-up to 9/11 anniversary
New York City, USRNS Minister Onleilove Chika Alston went to high school right across from the Twin Towers. The 11th September, 2001, changed her life – it changed the shape of her school neighbourhood, destroyed the mall in which she would hang out during school days – but even more so, she said, it changed […]
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 […]
September 11 families tell Biden to skip memorial if he does not declassify files
Reuters Family members of victims of the 11th September attacks are opposing US President Joe Biden’s participation in memorial events unless he declassifies government documents that they contend will show Saudi Arabian leaders supported the attacks. The victims’ family members, joined by first responders and survivors of the attack, released a letter on Friday as […]
Hundreds of cities back UN fight against global woes
New York, USReuters Some 332 local governments worldwide have backed a New York City-led campaign to address global goals tackling poverty, inequality, injustice and climate change and pledged to report their progress to the United Nations. The governments signed on to a voluntary declaration drafted by New York City, up from some 22 cities when […]
Amid Catholic opposition, US states are legalising composting of human remains
RNS Washington, Colorado and Oregon are now among the US states that have legalised the process of converting human bodies into soil, a procedure the Catholic Church said fails to show “respect for the body of the deceased”. Meanwhile, California and New York are seeking to be next in line to allow human composting. The […]
Essay: New York defines illegal firearms use as a “public nuisance” in bid to pierce gun industry’s powerful liability shield
Law professor TIMOTHY D LYTTON, in an article first published on The Conversation, writes about why he thinks New York state’s decision to declare the use of illegal firearms a “public nuisance” is a “shot in the dark”…
Connecticut is sixth US state to end religious vaccine exemption
AP Connecticut will no longer allow a religious exemption from childhood immunization requirements for schools, colleges and day care facilities, becoming the sixth state to end that policy. The legislation was signed into law Wednesday by Governor Ned Lamont, hours after the Democratic-controlled Senate passed the bill late Tuesday night. More than 2,000 opponents had rallied outside […]
In New York, interfaith coalition makes common cause against rising tide of hate
RNS Synagogue safety has been a growing concern for American Jews ever since the October, 2018, Pittsburgh massacre in which a gunman walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue and killed 11 people. No-where has been more affected than the New York metropolitan area. In the Bronx alone last week, four synagogues in the Riverdale […]
Wow!: Musician couple host concerts to fundraise for food pantry
LUIS ANDRES HENAO and EMILY LESHNER, of Associated Press, report on how a pair of musicians have support a church food pantry during the coronavirus pandemic…
Faith through tragedy: How a church in New York’s virus epicentre is leading congregants out of sorrow
LUIS ANDRES HENAO and JESSIE WARDARSKI, of Associated Press, report on how Queens Catholic Church Our Lady of Sorrows has navigated its way through tragedy during the coronavirus pandemic…