Weekly religion news roundup (January 16-22, 2026)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Hannah Estifanos
‘The struggle continues’: MLK Day celebrated amid tense political climate. Holiday marked with parades and services but tempered by anxieties over racial and social equality under Trump. (The Guardian)
US Catholic cardinals urge Trump administration to embrace a moral compass in foreign policy. Three U.S. Catholic cardinals urged the Trump administration on Monday to use a moral compass in pursuing its foreign policy, saying U.S. military action in Venezuela, threats of acquiring Greenland and cuts in foreign aid risk bringing vast suffering instead of promoting peace. (Associated Press)
Christians Provide Food, Medicine, and Spiritual Hope at Venezuela’s Border. After Maduro’s ouster, ministries in Cúcuta, Colombia, don’t know if Venezuelan migrants will return home or if more will flee. (Christianity Today)
Russian intelligence targets major Orthodox Christian leader as ‘Antichrist in a Cassock.’ “Antichrist in a Cassock,” “Antichrist of Constantinople” and “Devil Incarnate” were among the terms Russia’s foreign intelligence service used to attack the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Bartholomew I, accusing him of meddling in Ukraine and trying to push the Russian Orthodox Church out of the Baltic states. (Religion News Service)
Nigerian imam honoured for saving Christian lives dies aged 90. A Nigerian imam who gained international recognition for saving hundreds of lives from a mainly Christian community during an outbreak of violence has died at the age of 90. (BBC 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.
Hare Krishna group to file lawsuit over Florida prison ban on Hindu holy text. The Bhagavad Gita As It Is, considered one of the most prevalent editions of the sacred Gita text, has been banned from Florida prison systems since 2022. (Religion News Service)
In Texas, a terrorism designation derails a youth sports league. Because Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated the Council on American Islamic Relations as a foreign terrorism organization, a Muslim youth sports league has been denied use of a public school facility. (Baptist News Global)
Christian leaders urge protecting worshippers’ rights after protesters interrupt service. Several faith leaders called urgently for protecting the rights of worshippers while also expressing compassion for migrants after anti-immigration enforcement protesters disrupted a service at a Southern Baptist church in Minnesota. (Associated Press)
World’s oldest monastic brewery to be sold as German beer sales slide. Brewing tradition of nearly 1,000 years at Weltenburg Abbey in Bavaria to be bought up by Munich company Schneider Weisse. (The Guardian)
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany to mark baptism of Jesus. Thousands took part in ceremonies where the tabots were escorted by priests dressed in colorful robes while carrying ceremonial umbrellas from churches to the lakeshores or rives amid chants and hymns. (Religion News Service)
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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