Weekly religion news roundup (May 16-22, 2025)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Rev. Dr. Anna Piela
Thousands of Gaza’s children face imminent death under Israeli siege: UN. Food security group says more than 93 percent of children in Gaza, about 930,000, are at risk of famine. (Al Jazeera)
Supreme Court tie vote dooms taxpayer funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. The Supreme Court on Thursday effectively ended a publicly funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma, dividing 4-4. (Associated Press)
Fire at historic Black church in Memphis was intentionally set, investigators say. A fire that severely damaged a historic Black church that served as the headquarters for a 1968 sanitation workers’ strike, which brought the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis, was intentionally set, investigators said Wednesday. (Associated Press)
New Orleans archdiocese says it reached abuse settlement as lawyers say deal falls short about $100m. Some lawyers of more than 600 abuse claimants trying to block approval of current agreement of chapter 11 case. (The Guardian)
Pope Leo XIV calls for aid to reach Gaza and an end to hostilities in his first general audience. Vatican said that around 40,000 people were on hand for the audience, which came just days after an estimated 200,000 people attended the inaugural Mass on Sunday for history’s first American pope. (RNS)
Episcopal Church refuses to resettle white Afrikaners, ends partnership with US government. 'In light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step,' the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church said in a letter. (RNS)
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.
Trump’s redefining of ‘antisemitism’ is all part of a plan. Before President Donald Trump’s second election, the Heritage Foundation created a blueprint for dismantling support for Palestinians in the U.S. Trump already has implemented three key parts of the plan: attacking nonprofits, cutting funding for universities and revoking visas of foreign students set for deportation. (Baptist News Global)
‘Recommit to Pride,’ faith coalition urges. Faith-based organizations are pushing back against the increasing mistreatment of LGBTQ people by calling for renewed support for Pride Month celebrations. “The majority of religious people in America support full LGBTQ equality,” close to 20 groups say in a petition promoting the “Recommit to Pride” campaign. The participants from different faith traditions say they are “showing up and refusing to back down.” (Baptist News Global)
With fewer ordinations, seminaries find ways to serve young professionals in other fields. On a Tuesday evening in early April, an audience sat enraptured in Princeton Theological Seminary’s dining hall as, one by one, adults in their 20s walked up to a platform, took the microphone and shared a story. (Hartford Courant)
Nearly 1 in 3 Americans consult astrology, tarot cards or a fortune teller, Pew study finds. Over half of LGBTQ+ Americans consult astrology or a horoscope at least yearly. (RNS)
Two Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead outside D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum. The suspect shouted “Free Palestine” as he was being arrested, law enforcement officials said. (NBC 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.
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