Weekly religion news roundup (May 29-June 4, 2026)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Hannah Estifanos
Democrats split on Israel parade as Mamdani keeps promise to skip event. New York mayor refused to attend as other Democrats drew rebukes for marching with Israel’s far-right finance minister. (The Guardian)
Ultra-Orthodox protesters block roads and trains across Israel over military draft. Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox demonstrated across Israel on Monday, blocking roads and trains and setting cars on fire to protest mandatory enlistment in Israel's military. (NPR News)
Ahead of papal visit, Spain pushes forward with reparations for church sex abuse victims. Spain’s long-delayed reckoning with sexual abuse within the Catholic Church entered a new phase this year with the launch of a reparations program for cases in which accused clergy members have died and whose alleged crimes are too old to be prosecuted. (Associated Press)
Samaritan’s Purse to open Ebola field hospital in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Samaritan’s Purse, the evangelical international humanitarian relief organization, airlifted an Ebola treatment unit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo last week in response to the outbreak of the deadly disease. (The Christian Century)
Most US Christians have heard clergy address controversial topics. Most people who attend religious services regularly have heard clergy speak on at least one social or political issue in recent months, according to a new survey by Pew Research. Abortion, homosexuality and Israel are the most commonly mentioned topics. (Baptist News Global)
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.
How Voodoo overcame suppression and became a democratic force in the West African nation of Benin. Democracy came to the cradle of Voodoo religion in 1991, when Benin’s military dictator of many years surprisingly lost an election that he had organized. Two decades and three presidents later, this West African nation is a bastion of democracy in a region dubbed “the coup belt” for the trend since 2020 of military takeovers. (Associated Press)
‘The Autism Pastor’ Lamar Hardwick dies at age 47. Hardwick was known for his disability advocacy and dynamic preaching. (Religion News Service)
Washington priest removed as exorcist after linking UFOs to work of demons. Catholic archbishop of US capital says Mgr Stephen Rossetti’s statements ‘gravely undermine’ church teaching. (The Guardian)
Christian Groups Could Lose Property Under India’s ‘Dangerous’ New Bill. Christians believe they are the target of the latest amendment to the country’s foreign funding law. (Christianity Today)
Former abbot of China’s famous Shaolin Temple sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption. Shi Yongxin is alleged to have embezzled and misappropriated funds for personal use, as well as violating Buddhist precepts by maintaining relationships with multiple women. (NBC News)
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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