Weekly religion news roundup (October 9-15, 2026)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Hannah Estifanos
Pope Leo XIV diagnosed with lung cancer after surgery to remove part of right lung. Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery Tuesday that confirmed he has lung cancer and doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung, the Vatican said. (Associated Press)
Settlers set fire to mosque in West Bank as Israeli forces raid villages. Settlers also attacked a boy in a separate incident in the town of Beita, south of Nablus. (Al Jazeera)
Why an interfaith coalition is pushing to change Bosnia-Herzegovina’s constitution. Thirty years after the end of the Bosnian War, religious leaders across Bosnia and Herzegovina are calling to change the country’s constitution, which they say entrenches divisions between religious communities and keeps the country locked in the shadow of war. (The Christian Century)
Faith leaders on the ballot: 11 races to watch. This election cycle is shaping up to be an unusually faith-fueled affair. The shift has been especially striking on the Democratic side, where 12 pastors, former pastors and seminarians ran for Congress this year, with eight eventually emerging as Democratic nominees. (National Catholic Reporter)
Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh groups say FBI data undercounts bias. Three dozen organizations — including the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Sikh Coalition and the Union for Reform Judaism — have come out against the FBI’s 2026 Hate Crimes report, raising concerns about incomplete and unreliable data. (Religion News Service)
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.
Congregants celebrate the reconstruction of one of America’s oldest Black churches. The First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, one of the oldest Black churches in the U.S., celebrated the reconstruction of its original meeting house with a re-dedication on Friday. (ABC News)
Border crisis in Spain’s Ceuta has exposed its Christian-Muslim fault lines. Ceuta, a sliver of land in North Africa, is an anomaly for Spain: a city where Muslims and Christians live in almost equal numbers. But a monthslong migration crisis in the Spanish exclave has exposed divisions in a place that bills itself as a beacon of coexistence. Some people say the fault lines were always there. (Associated Press)
Military archbishop asks that Catholics be excused from livestreamed execution. The archdiocese’s statement adds to the list of faith leaders who have condemned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plans to livestream the execution of former Major Nidal Hasan. (Religion News Service)
Christian nationalism in Britain driven by people who seldom go to church, says report. Research challenges the notion that the growing visibility of crosses and other symbols reflects a revival of Christianity. (The Guardian)
Staff layoffs and resignations reported at Christianity Today. Christianity Today is in “chaos” with staff departures and layoffs, according to the editor of another Christian journal. (Baptist News Global)
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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