Weekly religion news roundup (June 5-11, 2026)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Hannah Estifanos
Defense Department slashes its religious designations list from more than 200 choices to 31. The Department of Defense announced on Friday a significant reduction in the number of religious affiliations it officially recognizes. (Associated Press)
Pope’s youth rally in Spain gets raw, with frank discussion of depression and domestic violence. Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday sought to encourage Spain’s young people to persevere in their faith, as he presided over an evening rally that was notable for its frank discussion of depression, domestic violence and “toxic” family relationships. (Associated Press)
Sensitive locations lawsuit amended with more concerns. Open and joyful expressions of faith are being replaced by fear and isolation due to immigrant enforcement raids at American houses of worship, according to an amended lawsuit aimed at the Trump administration. (Baptist News Global)
Religious leaders warn against World Cup's impact on migrants and the poor. As the FIFA World Cup opens on June 11 across the United States, Mexico and Canada, a group of Dominican friars, sisters and lay leaders is calling on Catholics to celebrate the tournament while also paying attention to the people who may be left behind by it. (National Catholic Reporter)
Despite DHS force, faith leaders keep ministering at Delaney Hall. Charlene Walker, who leads the multifaith advocacy group Faith in New Jersey, noted that clergy and other religious leaders have been present both outside and inside Delaney Hall long before the recent surge in demonstrations, with many protesting or advocating for immigrants at the site for roughly a year. (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.
‘Demonized, called hysterical’: the rise of witchcraft retreats where US women go to defy man and church. In an age of spiritual isolation, witches are flocking to the woods of Ireland and elsewhere to form covens of ‘sisterhood.’ (The Guardian)
After DOGE cuts, State Department awards $240M to Catholic international aid group. Before last year’s USAID cuts, federal funding supported about half of CRS’ $1.5 billion budget, making the new grant a fraction of the support the agency once received from the government. (Religion News Service)
India’s Bengal pushes out Muslim Bangladeshis, deepening religious tensions. Hundreds taken to the border and many others put in detention centers as part of a ‘detect, delete and deport’ crackdown on undocumented migrants. (Al Jazeera)
Knesset advances bill recognizing Torah study as national value amid coalition split. Granting the proposal Basic Law status would give it quasi-constitutional weight in Israel’s legal system. (Jewish News Syndicate)
As polyamory gains visibility, monogamy faces a vote in the Presbyterian Church (USA). A proposal that would require ordained clergy to be monogamous is on the docket at the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s General Assembly this summer. (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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