Today's religion and world affairs news from the United
States and around the globe: Pope Francis holds the first public Mass of his South American tour, an anti-Israel group gains strength, and an unconventional pastor finds success with her unusual tactics.
AROUND THE WORLD
Hundreds Of Thousands Attend Pope Francis Mass In South America
by Niconle Winfield and Allen Panchana
Huffington Post Religion
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/06/pope-francis-mass-south-america_n_7735564.html?1436191209
Pope Francis received a hero's welcome in Ecuador's biggest city Monday as he celebrated the first public Mass of his South American tour. (…) The Vatican originally estimated more than 1 million people would turn out for the Mass, and government organizers put the crowd at above that figure in the hour before the service began. But Gabriel Almeida, the government spokesman at the scene, rolled back the estimate to about 550,000 after officials viewed aerial images of the area.
Young and Muslim in China’s Tense Far West
by Helen Gao
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/07/06/what-its-like-to-be-young-and-muslim-in-chinas-tense-far-west-uighur-xinjiang/
The government’s yearlong “strike hard” campaign, launched in May 2014, which included the censoring of prayers, the closing of Islamic schools, and the banning of certain religious dress, has threatened virtually all forms of local religious and cultural expressions and triggered an identity crisis among Uighurs. By further alienating people who might otherwise serve to bridge the gap between China’s dominant Han and Uighurs, the policies also constrain the Chinese state’s ability to seek ethnic reconciliation.
Will the Burqa Be Banned in Berlin?
by Anna Sauerbrey
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/07/opinion/anna-sauerbrey-will-the-burqa-be-banned-in-berlin.html?_r=0
Like several other German states, Berlin requires its employees in certain positions by law to refrain from wearing religious symbols or dressing in a way that makes them recognizable as members of a certain denomination. (…) Though opposition to the head scarf is more closely associated with France, many liberals and conservatives in Germany also believe that the head scarf as a religious symbol should be banned from official posts and schools.
Pope Says Families Need a Miracle, Hints at 'Scandalous' Changes for the Church
by Daniel Burke
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/06/world/pope-ecuador-scandalous/index.html
Hinting that changes could be coming to the Catholic Church, Pope Francis asked a large crowd to pray for God to make miracles out of ideas that some believers might consider "impure" or even "threatening." (…) In his homily, or sermon, the Pope referred to a highly anticipated meeting of bishops to be held in Rome this October. The Catholic leaders are expected to discuss changes to several controversial areas of church teaching, including divorce and homosexuality.
Boycott Israel Drive Gains Strength, Raising Alarm in Israel
by Tia Goldenberg
Washington Post/AP
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/boycott-israel-drive-gains-strength-raising-alarm/2015/07/07/c3621430-249e-11e5-b621-b55e495e9b78_story.html
The BDS movement--named for its call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel--began as an idea by 170 Palestinian civil society groups worldwide in 2005. It has grown into a global network of thousands of volunteers lobbying corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with Israel. Its members include campus activists, church groups and even liberal American Jews disillusioned by Israeli policies.
Palestinians Connect to Jerusalem Holy Shrine With ‘Selfies’
RNS/Reuters
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/07/07/palestinians-connect-to-jerusalem-holy-shrine-with-selfies/
Palestinians young and old have jumped on a trend for taking “selfies” at Al Aqsa, the 8th century Muslim shrine in Jerusalem, both as a personal memento and for relatives prevented from visiting the ancient compound. (…) Many of those taking selfies were holding up hand-written notes addressed to relations who were not able to be there.
DOMESTIC
Satanic Temple Sees Arkansas as Possible Monument Location
New York Times/AP
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/06/us/ap-us-displaced-demon-deity.html
The Satanic Temple, which advocates for the separation of church and state, spent more than $100,000 to design and construct an 8½-foot-tall bronze Baphomet, which depicts Satan as a goat-headed figure with horns, hooves, wings and a beard. With Oklahoma justices outlawing a Ten Commandments display from around its Capitol, The Satanic Temple has turned its attention to Arkansas, where lawmakers this year approved a similar Ten Commandments display on public land.
Most of the Busiest U.S. Airports Have Dedicated Chapels
by Aleksandra Sandstrom
Pew Research Center
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/06/most-of-the-busiest-u-s-airports-have-dedicated-chapels/
The first U.S. airport chapel, Our Lady of the Airways, opened at Boston’s Logan International Airport about 60 years ago. Since then, airports all over the country have added spaces for prayer, worship and meditation.
Nadia Bolz Weber: A Pastor for America's Outsiders
by Jane Little
BBC News
http://www.bbc.com/news/33377925
At the House for All Sinners and Saints in the US city of Denver, a foul-mouthed tattoo-loving Lutheran pastor who was once a Pagan, an alcoholic and a stand-up comedian, is reinventing church.
Hundreds Of Thousands Attend Pope Francis Mass In South America
by Niconle Winfield and Allen Panchana
Huffington Post Religion
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/06/pope-francis-mass-south-america_n_7735564.html?1436191209
Pope Francis received a hero's welcome in Ecuador's biggest city Monday as he celebrated the first public Mass of his South American tour. (…) The Vatican originally estimated more than 1 million people would turn out for the Mass, and government organizers put the crowd at above that figure in the hour before the service began. But Gabriel Almeida, the government spokesman at the scene, rolled back the estimate to about 550,000 after officials viewed aerial images of the area.
Young and Muslim in China’s Tense Far West
by Helen Gao
Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/07/06/what-its-like-to-be-young-and-muslim-in-chinas-tense-far-west-uighur-xinjiang/
The government’s yearlong “strike hard” campaign, launched in May 2014, which included the censoring of prayers, the closing of Islamic schools, and the banning of certain religious dress, has threatened virtually all forms of local religious and cultural expressions and triggered an identity crisis among Uighurs. By further alienating people who might otherwise serve to bridge the gap between China’s dominant Han and Uighurs, the policies also constrain the Chinese state’s ability to seek ethnic reconciliation.
Will the Burqa Be Banned in Berlin?
by Anna Sauerbrey
New York Times op-ed
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/07/opinion/anna-sauerbrey-will-the-burqa-be-banned-in-berlin.html?_r=0
Like several other German states, Berlin requires its employees in certain positions by law to refrain from wearing religious symbols or dressing in a way that makes them recognizable as members of a certain denomination. (…) Though opposition to the head scarf is more closely associated with France, many liberals and conservatives in Germany also believe that the head scarf as a religious symbol should be banned from official posts and schools.
Pope Says Families Need a Miracle, Hints at 'Scandalous' Changes for the Church
by Daniel Burke
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/06/world/pope-ecuador-scandalous/index.html
Hinting that changes could be coming to the Catholic Church, Pope Francis asked a large crowd to pray for God to make miracles out of ideas that some believers might consider "impure" or even "threatening." (…) In his homily, or sermon, the Pope referred to a highly anticipated meeting of bishops to be held in Rome this October. The Catholic leaders are expected to discuss changes to several controversial areas of church teaching, including divorce and homosexuality.
Boycott Israel Drive Gains Strength, Raising Alarm in Israel
by Tia Goldenberg
Washington Post/AP
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/boycott-israel-drive-gains-strength-raising-alarm/2015/07/07/c3621430-249e-11e5-b621-b55e495e9b78_story.html
The BDS movement--named for its call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel--began as an idea by 170 Palestinian civil society groups worldwide in 2005. It has grown into a global network of thousands of volunteers lobbying corporations, artists and academic institutions to sever ties with Israel. Its members include campus activists, church groups and even liberal American Jews disillusioned by Israeli policies.
Palestinians Connect to Jerusalem Holy Shrine With ‘Selfies’
RNS/Reuters
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/07/07/palestinians-connect-to-jerusalem-holy-shrine-with-selfies/
Palestinians young and old have jumped on a trend for taking “selfies” at Al Aqsa, the 8th century Muslim shrine in Jerusalem, both as a personal memento and for relatives prevented from visiting the ancient compound. (…) Many of those taking selfies were holding up hand-written notes addressed to relations who were not able to be there.
DOMESTIC
Satanic Temple Sees Arkansas as Possible Monument Location
New York Times/AP
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/06/us/ap-us-displaced-demon-deity.html
The Satanic Temple, which advocates for the separation of church and state, spent more than $100,000 to design and construct an 8½-foot-tall bronze Baphomet, which depicts Satan as a goat-headed figure with horns, hooves, wings and a beard. With Oklahoma justices outlawing a Ten Commandments display from around its Capitol, The Satanic Temple has turned its attention to Arkansas, where lawmakers this year approved a similar Ten Commandments display on public land.
Most of the Busiest U.S. Airports Have Dedicated Chapels
by Aleksandra Sandstrom
Pew Research Center
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/06/most-of-the-busiest-u-s-airports-have-dedicated-chapels/
The first U.S. airport chapel, Our Lady of the Airways, opened at Boston’s Logan International Airport about 60 years ago. Since then, airports all over the country have added spaces for prayer, worship and meditation.
Nadia Bolz Weber: A Pastor for America's Outsiders
by Jane Little
BBC News
http://www.bbc.com/news/33377925
At the House for All Sinners and Saints in the US city of Denver, a foul-mouthed tattoo-loving Lutheran pastor who was once a Pagan, an alcoholic and a stand-up comedian, is reinventing church.
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