Weekly religion news roundup (November 7-13, 2025)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Rev. Dr. Anna Piela
A refugee’s deportation rattles a deeply conservative town: ‘What Trump has done is not Christlike’. Binod Shah, a refugee from Bhutan, went to church, got married and started an auto shop in Twin Falls, Idaho. But an arrest record got him caught in the ICE dragnet. (The Guardian)
Israeli settler attack on West Bank mosque draws international condemnation. Calls for justice grow as Israeli settlers set Hajja Hamida Mosque ablaze in latest attack on Palestinians in West Bank. (Al Jazeera)
Chicago civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalized for rare neurological disorder. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has been receiving around-the-clock care at home, has been hospitalized with a rare neurological disorder, according to his Chicago-based organization. (Associated Press)
In Tanzania, faith leaders who speak out against post-election violence are targeted. Catholic Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi has called for justice for the victims, warning that there can be no peace without it. (RNS)
After Hurricane Melissa, Jamaican Baptists Look to Rebuild from the Ruins. Churches step in as shelters, aid sites, and sources of hope after the island’s strongest storm. (Christianity Today)
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.
A conversation with Michael Woolf about ICE and Chicago. On Halloween, ICE agents carried out a number of raids in and around Chicagoland — including in Evanston, home of Lake Street Church, an Alliance of Baptist congregation. In response, Lake Street’s senior pastor, Michael Woolf, joined protests at the Broadview detention facility the next day. (Baptist News Global)
Pope Leo XIV Receives Exiled Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez. Bishop Álvarez is in forced exile after being deported by the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, in January 2024. (National Catholic Register)
Bishops ban trans care at Catholic hospitals, sidestep nurses’ push for better work conditions. The bishops face criticism from transgender Catholics and their advocates, who say that the bishops failed to meaningfully consult their community, as well as from nurses, who say the bishops should enforce existing directives around labor rights and service to the poor. (RNS)
Gravestones toppled at Jewish cemetery in Denmark. A Danish police officer said the force was investigating reports of damage at a Jewish cemetery in the center of the country and considering a possible antisemitic motive. (Jewish News Syndicate)
How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Bible Translation. An estimated 3,300 languages in the world don’t have their own translation of the Scriptures. In order to improve the speed and cultural accuracy of Bible translations into more rare languages, Avodah Connect is using artificial intelligence technology. (Religion Unplugged)
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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