In the US, prayers go on, sometimes out of sight, in prep football
West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, USAP Surrounded by a slew of players with their arms draped over shoulders, West Bloomfield High School assistant coach Justin Ibe bowed his head and led a Christian prayer before a recent Friday night game. Forty yards down the sideline, three Muslim young men were having a quiet moment of their […]
Pope seeks prayers for his “peace pilgrimage” in Kazakhstan
Vatican CityAP Pope Francis on Sunday asked for prayers to accompany him this week on what he calls his “pilgrimage of peace” in Kazakhstan for a meeting of religious leaders. Pope Francis delivers his blessing as he recites the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, on […]
The Interview: Tony and Lauren Dungy on faith and family, football and race, winning and losing
ADELLE M BANKS, of Religion News Service, speaks with retired NFL coach Tony Dungy and his wife Lauren about their joint prayer life, race and the NFL, and supporting pregnant women in the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v Wade…
Game on: Christians join in prayer and outreach as Birmingham hosts Commonwealth Games
GILLIAN MCDADE-HASTINGS reports on some of the prayer and evangelism activities Christians have been involved in around the Commonwealth Games…
“God, give us rain” – Romanian monastery prays for end to drought
Draganesti-Vlasca, RomaniaReuters Iulia Coleasa, an 81-year-old who relies on her small plot for food, travelled 15 kilometres in searing heat to a monastery in southern Romania on Sunday to join a service praying for rain. Temperatures have spiked above 40 Celsius in the country in the last week and the drought has left hundreds of […]
Essay: One year on from unprecedented nationwide protests, Cuba still needs our prayers
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy, looks at the case of Rev Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo…
In the US, two employees say they were fired for not joining company Christian prayer – lawsuit
United StatesAP Two employees with a North Carolina company say they were fired after refusing to participate in the firm’s daily Christian prayer meetings, which they said went against their respective religious beliefs, according to a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The lawsuit, which seeks a jury trial, was filed in US […]
US Supreme Court backs coach in praying on field after games
Washington DC, US AP The US Supreme Court said on Monday that a high school football coach who knelt and prayed on the field after games was protected by the constitution, a decision that opponents said would open the door to “much more coercive prayer” in public schools. The court ruled 6-to-3 for the coach with the conservative justices in […]
Essay: As Nigeria reels from yet another horror, we must increase our prayers for breakthrough
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, says amid calls for international community steps up its efforts to assist Nigeria in bringing an end to this horrific violence, Christians must also persist in prayer for the nation…
US Supreme Court says states must allow prayer, touch in executions
Washington DCAP The US Supreme Court said Thursday that states must accommodate the wishes of death row inmates who want to have their pastors pray aloud and even touch them during their executions. The court ruled in the case of a Texas inmate, John Henry Ramirez, who challenged state rules that would have forced his pastor […]