Today's religion and world affairs news from the United States and around the globe: the Pope Francis effect, Yemen's collapse, and elections in Nigeria.
AROUND THE WORLD
The Pope Francis Effect Might Be Real
by David Gibson
Religion News Service
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/03/25/pope-francis-effect-early-data-suggest-real/
Pope Francis appears more popular than ever among American Catholics, and he hasn’t even visited the U.S. yet, a trip that is planned for September and could well boost his visibility—and appeal—even further.
Head of The Episcopal Church Says It's 'Sinful' to Ignore Climate Change
by Antonia Blumberg
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/katherine-jefferts-schori-climate-change_n_6949532.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church had strong words this week for people who deny climate change based on "political interests" or "willful blindness." "The Judeo-Christian tradition has always called those motivations sinful," Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori said Tuesdayat an event to raise awareness about climate change. "It’s decidedly wrong to use resources that have been given into our collective care in ways that diminish the ability of others to share in abundant life."
Why Yemen Has Come Undone
by Jack A. Goldstone
CNN op-ed
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/26/opinions/goldstone-yemen-chaos/index.html
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Yemen has collapsed—again. A country that has split and been pulled together before, has the youngest and fastest growing population in the region, is running low on oil and water, and possesses a "personalist" government rather than stable institutions, was on the top of every expert's list as the fragile state most likely to fail next.
Iraqi Cleric Urges Unity Amid Tension Over US Strikes
by Loveday Morris
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/iraqi-cleric-urges-unity-amid-tension-over-us-strikes/2015/03/27/75bb4f5a-d40b-11e4-8b1e-274d670aa9c9_story.html
Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric called for unity Friday among the array of armed factions fighting Islamic State militants in the country, after rifts surfaced in the wake of US-led airstrikes on the city of Tikrit.
The Brutal Reason Boko Haram Just Took 500 ‘Young Women and Children’
by Terrence McCoy
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/25/the-brutal-reason-boko-haram-just-took-500-young-women-and-children/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_1_na
Boko Haram, unlike the Islamic State, doesn’t worry about attracting fresh recruits. They simply take them. It’s an effective method of swelling their ranks to match the international coalition assembled to fight them.
Nigeria Elections: Mapping a Nation Divided
BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31101351
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous country—but poverty is widespread and the country is in the grip of a violent uprising by Islamists Boko Haram. The BBC maps the country's divisions ahead of its postponed elections.
Putin’s Corrupted Orthodoxy
by Philip Jenkins
American Conservative
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/putins-corrupted-orthodoxy/
Russia’s military-ecclesiastical complex has fueled a dangerous revival in religious nationalism.
Exclusive: Paris Saying ‘Non’ to U.S. Control of Peace Process
by Colum Lynch
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/26/exclusive-paris-saying-non-to-u-s-control-of-peace-process/
The Obama administration is willing to anger Israel by letting the U.N. get more active in peace talks with Palestinians. But it may be Paris, not Washington, that ends up in the lead.
DOMESTIC
Republicans, in Shift, Demand Lockstep Support for Israel
by Peter Baker
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/us/politics/republicans-criticize-james-baker-for-speech-on-benjamin-netanyahu.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
Where past Republican leaders had their disagreements with Israel, today’s Republicans have made support for the Jewish state an inviolable litmus test for anyone aspiring to national office.
Getting Nicer
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/03/tolerance-america
Despite all the partisan bickering, Americans are an increasingly tolerant bunch. A new study published in Social Forces, an academic journal, finds that the country’s attitudes towards once-marginalised groups, such as communists, gays and atheists, have softened considerably since the 1970s.
The Pope Francis Effect Might Be Real
by David Gibson
Religion News Service
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/03/25/pope-francis-effect-early-data-suggest-real/
Pope Francis appears more popular than ever among American Catholics, and he hasn’t even visited the U.S. yet, a trip that is planned for September and could well boost his visibility—and appeal—even further.
Head of The Episcopal Church Says It's 'Sinful' to Ignore Climate Change
by Antonia Blumberg
Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/26/katherine-jefferts-schori-climate-change_n_6949532.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church had strong words this week for people who deny climate change based on "political interests" or "willful blindness." "The Judeo-Christian tradition has always called those motivations sinful," Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori said Tuesdayat an event to raise awareness about climate change. "It’s decidedly wrong to use resources that have been given into our collective care in ways that diminish the ability of others to share in abundant life."
Why Yemen Has Come Undone
by Jack A. Goldstone
CNN op-ed
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/26/opinions/goldstone-yemen-chaos/index.html
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Yemen has collapsed—again. A country that has split and been pulled together before, has the youngest and fastest growing population in the region, is running low on oil and water, and possesses a "personalist" government rather than stable institutions, was on the top of every expert's list as the fragile state most likely to fail next.
Iraqi Cleric Urges Unity Amid Tension Over US Strikes
by Loveday Morris
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/iraqi-cleric-urges-unity-amid-tension-over-us-strikes/2015/03/27/75bb4f5a-d40b-11e4-8b1e-274d670aa9c9_story.html
Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric called for unity Friday among the array of armed factions fighting Islamic State militants in the country, after rifts surfaced in the wake of US-led airstrikes on the city of Tikrit.
The Brutal Reason Boko Haram Just Took 500 ‘Young Women and Children’
by Terrence McCoy
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/25/the-brutal-reason-boko-haram-just-took-500-young-women-and-children/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_1_na
Boko Haram, unlike the Islamic State, doesn’t worry about attracting fresh recruits. They simply take them. It’s an effective method of swelling their ranks to match the international coalition assembled to fight them.
Nigeria Elections: Mapping a Nation Divided
BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31101351
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous country—but poverty is widespread and the country is in the grip of a violent uprising by Islamists Boko Haram. The BBC maps the country's divisions ahead of its postponed elections.
Putin’s Corrupted Orthodoxy
by Philip Jenkins
American Conservative
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/putins-corrupted-orthodoxy/
Russia’s military-ecclesiastical complex has fueled a dangerous revival in religious nationalism.
Exclusive: Paris Saying ‘Non’ to U.S. Control of Peace Process
by Colum Lynch
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/26/exclusive-paris-saying-non-to-u-s-control-of-peace-process/
The Obama administration is willing to anger Israel by letting the U.N. get more active in peace talks with Palestinians. But it may be Paris, not Washington, that ends up in the lead.
DOMESTIC
Republicans, in Shift, Demand Lockstep Support for Israel
by Peter Baker
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/us/politics/republicans-criticize-james-baker-for-speech-on-benjamin-netanyahu.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
Where past Republican leaders had their disagreements with Israel, today’s Republicans have made support for the Jewish state an inviolable litmus test for anyone aspiring to national office.
Getting Nicer
Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/03/tolerance-america
Despite all the partisan bickering, Americans are an increasingly tolerant bunch. A new study published in Social Forces, an academic journal, finds that the country’s attitudes towards once-marginalised groups, such as communists, gays and atheists, have softened considerably since the 1970s.
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