Weekly religion news roundup (June 19-25, 2026)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Hannah Estifanos
Supreme Court rules against Rastafarian man over religious rights claim against prison officials. Officials at a Louisiana prison cut off Damon Landor’s dreadlocks in violation of his religious beliefs. The case centered on whether he could seek damages. (NBC News)
Except for white evangelicals, Americans have soured on Trump’s leadership. Nearly 70% of Americans agree that core democratic freedoms are in danger of being lost while 59% consider President Donald Trump to be a “dangerous dictator” whose powers should be limited, according to a new survey by Public Religion Research Institute. (Baptist News Global)
Pope Leo XIV exalts first American saint Cabrini as a model for Christians for her care of migrants. Pope Leo XIV on Saturday exalted the first American saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, as a model for Christians today to care for migrants in need, as he visited her birthplace during a day trip to northern Italy. (Associated Press)
Counterterror police investigate after 5 hurt in Edinburgh attacks that appeared to target Muslims. The charity Muslim Engagement and Development said that several of those injured are Muslim. The Scottish Association of Mosques said that two of the injured men were attacked after attending prayers at their local mosque. (Associated Press)
With Cuba in crisis, faith groups work to influence policy, deliver aid. Amid mounting internal and external pressure, faith communities have been speaking up and meeting with both the US and Cuban governments. (The Christian Century)
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.
In Nepal’s highlands, climate change threatens Tibet’s Bon faith. Bon is considered the Indigenous religion of Tibet. Its exact historical origins are unclear, but it is thought to include influences from Persia, Central Asia and China, as well as ancient Tibet. (Al Jazeera)
Astronaut Victor Glover is still trying to find the spiritual words to describe his Moon mission. ‘At the end of it, when we were just responding totally instinctually, we talked a lot about God,’ Glover told RNS in a recent interview, referring to the Artemis II crew. (Religion News Service)
Central African Religious Leaders Concerned about US Deportees. They fear the migrants, which include Christian converts fleeing persecution, may get caught in the country’s sectarian cross hairs. (Christianity Today)
Police charge a third suspect in a Melbourne synagogue arson allegedly directed by Iran. The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team, which brings together federal and state police with a spy agency, charged the man, who has not been named, with offenses including arson. (Religion News Service)
Pastor Saeed Abedini, former political prisoner in Iran, accused of abducting daughter. Evangelical pastor Saeed Abedini was once an international symbol of a Christian being persecuted for his faith. Now, he’s been accused in a lawsuit of abducting his 5-year-old daughter from her mother in Turkey and fleeing the country. (The Roys Report)
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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