Weekly religion news roundup (April 25-May 1, 2025)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Rev. Dr. Anna Piela
Rev. William Barber arrested in Capitol Rotunda after praying against Republican-led budget. While arresting protesters at the Capitol is not unusual, the response to Barber’s prayer was unusually dramatic: After issuing verbal warnings, dozens of officers expelled everyone in the Rotunda — including credentialed press. (RNS)
In a conclave of strangers, cardinals are starting to get to know one another. Those gathering to elect a successor to Pope Francis say the first step to reaching a two-thirds majority is to get to know one another. (RNS)
Disgraced Cardinal Becciu agrees to obey Francis' wishes and leave conclave. Becciu was sentenced to nearly five years in prison after a Vatican criminal court found him guilty of fraud and embezzlement. (RNS)
In Dallas, interfaith clergy rally to decry deportations. Immigrants must be treated with the dignity and respect required by faith and the due process afforded under the law, a coalition of Dallas-area faith leaders demanded during an April 28 press briefing. (Baptist News Global)
Furman faculty say they won’t give in to outside pressure. As the Trump administration seeks to pressure universities such as Columbia and Harvard to abandon DEI and “woke” ideologies, the faculty of Furman University have laid down a line they will not cross. (Baptist News Global)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Cory Booker host a sit-in on Capitol steps over GOP budget plan. Booker and Jeffries spoke at the beginning of the sit-in, which began around 6 a.m., about their religious upbringings, saying they would usually be attending services on Sunday morning but instead were hosting the conversation on the Capitol steps. (NBC News)
Each Friday in The Christian Citizen, we publish a Religion News Roundup with summaries of religion news stories and links for those who want to read more.
The next pope will inherit Pope Francis’ mixed legacy with Indigenous people. Whoever succeeds Pope Francis will inherit his momentous and controversial legacy of relations with Indigenous people throughout the Americas. (Associated Press)
Can public money flow to Catholic charter school? The Supreme Court will decide. The Catholic Church in Oklahoma wants taxpayers to fund an online charter school that “is faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ.” The Supreme Court could well approve. (Associated Press)
‘Conclave’ viewership is up after death of Pope Francis. The recent death of Pope Francis has ignited interest in a film about the selection of a new pope. “Conclave,” a political thriller released last year, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video and viewership is up 283%, according to Luminate. (CNN)
The Memphis church pivotal in Martin Luther King Jr.’s final days suffers a devastating fire. A historic Black church in downtown Memphis that was the organizing point for Martin Luther King Jr.'s final campaign in 1968 caught fire early Monday morning and suffered significant damage. (Associated Press)
German Greens push to abolish neutrality act, allowing headscarves for civil servants. Greens in Berlin push to abolish the neutrality law, claiming it discriminates against Muslim women wearing headscarves and hampers their careers in public service. (Euro News)
Rev. Dr. Anna Piela is senior writer at American Baptist Home Mission Societies and assistant editor of The Christian Citizen.
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
Get early access to the newest stories from Christian Citizen writers, receive contextual stories which support Christian Citizen content from the world’s top publications and join a community sharing the latest in justice, mercy and faith.