Institutions
Christian flag in speech battle flies, briefly, over Boston
By Mark Pratt — August 3, 2022
BOSTON (AP) — The Supreme Court case revolved around whether the flag-raisings were an act of the government or private parties.
Christianity was a major part of Indigenous boarding schools – a historian whose family survived them explains
By Brenda J. Child — August 2, 2022
(The Conversation) — A historian of the residential schools explains how religion played a key role in assimilationist systems for Indigenous children in Canada and the United States.
Salvadoran Archbishop praises government crackdown on gangs
By Associated Press — August 1, 2022
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador’s gangs, which have been estimated to count some 70,000 members in their ranks, have long controlled swaths of territory and extorted and killed with impunity.
EXPLAINER: What’s behind the storming of Iraq’s parliament?
By Qassim Abdul-zahra and Samya Kullab — July 29, 2022
BAGHDAD (AP) - Wednesday's storming of parliament came after al-Sadr's Tehran-backed political rival, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, nominated a pro-Iran politician to be Iraq's new leader.
Seattle Pacific University sues Washington state over probe into LGBTQ exclusion
By Alejandra Molina — July 28, 2022
(RNS) — Counsel for the school said Attorney General Bob Ferguson singled out the university 'because of its Christian beliefs, demanding information about the school’s religious hiring practices and employees.'
Pope in Quebec amid decline of Catholic Church in province
By Rob Gillies — July 27, 2022
QUEBEC CITY (AP) — Although nearly all of the province’s 6.8 million French speakers have Catholic roots, fewer than 10% attend Mass regularly, compared with 90% several decades ago.
Tribal leaders, members react to pope’s apology on schools
By Associated Press — July 26, 2022
MASKWACIS, Alberta (AP) — He expressed sorrow over the schools' systemic marginalization, denigration and suppression of Indigenous people, languages and culture.
Bart Barber wants the Southern Baptist Convention to regain its rural soul
By Riley Farrell — July 21, 2022
FARMERSVILLE, Texas (RNS) — The struggle to pull the SBC’s 13.7 million members ‘back from the brink’ has fallen squarely on the shoulders of Barber, a pastor from rural Texas.
Vatican says they’re gifts; Indigenous groups want them back
By Nicole Winfield — July 21, 2022
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Indigenous groups from Canada, who were shown a few items in the collection when they traveled to the Vatican last spring to meet with Francis, question how some of the works were actually acquired and wonder what else may be in storage after decades of not being on public display.
UN slams killings, rights abuses under Afghanistan’s Taliban
By Rahim Faiez — July 21, 2022
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The report said as many as 700 people have been killed and 1,400 wounded since mid-August 2021, when the Taliban overran the Afghan capital of Kabul.
Pope tells religious orders to report abuse, protect others
By Associated Press — July 19, 2022
ROME (AP) — Religious orders have had some of the worst records, in part because their diffuse structure outside the diocesan hierarchy has enabled abusers to easily move to different countries rather than face justice at home.
As states ban abortion, a new spotlight on an old battle over sex education
By Riley Farrell — July 14, 2022
(RNS) — Half of the states set to ban abortion have no mandate that schools teach sex education. Only four require curricula to address contraception.
Parent sues Australian cardinal over child sex abuse charge
By Associated Press — July 14, 2022
(AP) — Both boys were 13 years old at the time.
Vatican names 3 women to office that vets bishop nominations
By Associated Press — July 13, 2022
ROME (AP) — The dicastery's members, who include cardinals, bishops and now women, meet periodically to evaluate proposed new bishops whose names are forwarded by Vatican ambassadors.
From caravans to markets, the hajj pilgrimage has always included a commercial component
By Noorzehra Zaidi — July 12, 2022
(The Conversation) — The start of the hajj is reigniting debates around its commercialization, but pilgrimages are also a time for seeking business opportunities, writes a scholar of Islam.
