Religion News Service

As tensions rise in Afghanistan following the takeover by Taliban forces in mid-August that threatens the small Christian community in the country, a Catholic priest managed to flee with a group of disabled children and nuns on Aug. 25.

Israel's Chief Rabbinate has written a letter to Pope Francis conveying its “distress” at comments he made suggesting Jewish law, as written in the Torah, is obsolete.

There is a burgeoning conversation about racism happening at the highest levels of academia, particularly in divinity schools, theology departments and religious studies programs. Black religion scholars say their work is routinely undervalued and their advancement blocked by a bias that sees the study of Black religious experience as secondary to white theology

For the Rev. James Baron, pastor of Holy Apostles Catholic Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, it’s the responsibility of the church to advocate for the conscience of others. That’s why Baron’s parish, on its website and its Facebook page, shared a link to a template made available for priests to sign “if a Catholic wants a written record that they are seeking (COVID-19 vaccine) exemption on religious grounds.”

Signs of the Times: In Vietnam, we saw every insurgent as part of a worldwide communist conspiracy against the United States. In Afghanistan, we saw every Taliban as a terrorist who wanted to attack the United States. In both countries we ignored the deep resentment of their populations to foreign occupation.

"We've been screaming from the rooftops for months now that we need to get these allies to Guam or another U.S. territory," says a leader of one of the faith-based agencies contracted with the U.S. government to resettle refugees.

San Diego Bishop Robert McElroy has sent a letter instructing priests in his diocese that there is no basis in Catholic teaching to offer a religious exemption for COVID-19 vaccinations as more employers and schools enact vaccine mandates.

A message from the Twitter account of Cardinal Raymond Burke, a conservative prelate and outspoken skeptic of the COVID-19 vaccine, confirmed Aug. 14 that he had been placed on a ventilator after testing positive for the virus.

"Meeting the pope was essentially having a childhood dream be realized," says Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus in the popular series "The Chosen."

Members of Gen Z are "spiritual explorers," who seek to enrich and personalize their religious experience through various metaphysical practices such as tarot and crystals. 

Limited funds would provide assistance to nonprofit groups that cannot take advantage of conventional tax credit programs.

More than 125 religious leaders and people of faith in Maine have signed a letter calling on lawmakers to support the For the People Act, adding to substantial religious pressure on elected officials to pass the sweeping federal voting rights bill.

Signs of the Times: As Pope Francis said, concern for the environment can no longer be an optional or secondary aspect of Christianity. It must be central to who we are as Christians.

Despite Pope Francis' words in Laudato Si', millions of Catholics, including bishops, are ignoring the looming climate apocalypse and the individual and systemic conversion needed to address it.

Vatican athletes might never compete in the Olympic Games, but the small Catholic state still hopes to have an influence on the global sporting event through the promotion of human fraternity and lasting friendships.

The White House announced a slate of nominations and appointments for top religious affairs roles, including the first Muslim American nominated to be the U.S. ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom.

Signs of the Times: Since the pope has no wife or children, he needs to designate someone who can make medical decisions for him, and the rest of the church needs to know who this is.

The state of California has found that the Los Angeles public school district violated federal law in the manner it slashed funding for low-income and disadvantaged students who attend Catholic schools.

Pope Francis' first foreign trip since his recovery from surgery will be to the Eastern European countries of Hungary and Slovakia from Sept. 12-15. While Slovakian citizens eagerly anticipate the papal visit, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to generate conflicts and challenges.