Weekly religion news roundup (April 3-9, 2026)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Hannah Estifanos
On Easter, Pope Leo urges world leaders to lay down weapons and ‘choose peace.’ Despite issuing a strong call for peace on the world stage, Leo notably avoided naming specific conflicts or countries in a departure from previous papal practice, in which Easter addresses included a sweeping survey of global crises. (National Catholic Reporter)
Easter came to empty pews in Jerusalem. For Palestinian Christians, Orthodox Easter may be no different. As Orthodox Christians prepare to celebrate Pascha, the Orthodox Easter, on Sunday (April 12), Palestinian Christian communities are concerned about how Israel’s control over Jerusalem’s sacred sites and restrictions on Palestinians’ ability to leave the West Bank will impact their ability to live out their faith. (Religion News Service)
Faith leaders denounce Trump’s ‘civilization will die’ threat. In the hours before President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire in the war with Iran, religious leaders across faith traditions responded with alarm after the president’s message Tuesday morning warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight.” (The Christian Century)
Jewish protesters hold Passover Seder at Palantir's NY HQ over ICE contract. Hundreds of protesters gathered at Union Square in Manhattan on Monday afternoon (April 6) for a Passover Seder to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policies and corporations working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Religion News Service)
Faith Has Always Gone to Space. Artemis II Shows How Much It Has Changed. Moments before the crew would enter into roughly 40 minutes of radio silence as they passed behind the moon, the voice of astronaut Victor Glover — who has been open about his Christian faith and worships at Churches of Christ congregations in Texas — crackled over the broadcast channel to offer a message of love. (Word & Way)
Each week 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.
A project to save rural synagogues grows from Maine to Montana. A little less than 2.4% of Americans are Jewish. Of those millions of people, one in eight lives outside a major urban area, and the Center for Small Town Jewish Life exists to help them thrive. (Associated Press)
Maryland church becomes shelter to keep unhoused people out of jail. An Episcopal parish in Ocean City, Maryland, is facing a potential new legal clash with city officials after it began allowing unhoused people to sleep inside the church last week. (The Christian Century)
Tucker Carlson calls on Christians to abandon Trump now. Tucker Carlson helped get Donald Trump elected president in 2016, but now he’s warning Christians they should abandon support for the president as he commits immoral crimes against humanity. (Baptist News Global)
Survey: U.S. pastors back legal immigration, but split on enforcement. Additionally, U.S. Protestant pastors say they favor a path to citizenship for certain undocumented individuals but want to see border security increased, according to a Lifeway Research study sponsored by World Relief. (The Roys Report)
Bible stories would be part of a new Texas public schools reading list drawing attention. Biblical stories like Jonah and the whale would be required reading for Texas public schools students under proposals that are putting the state at the center of another contentious wrangling over the role of religion in classrooms. (Associated Press)
Vinicius hails Lamine Yamal for condemning anti-Muslim fan chants. ‘If we keep fighting together, future players won’t have to go through this again,’ the Real Madrid player said. (Al Jazeera)
Hannah Estifanos is the copyeditor of The Christian Citizen.
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
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