Leading the search for wisdom this week are faith leaders rethinking their ministry in communities shaken by ICE raids. Catholic voices seem louder this week – for migrants, for Gaza and against nuclear war. Other voices are also being heard. Watch for the rocks as you dive into the troubled water.
Shaken by ICE raids, pastors rethink ministries
The fear of raids has pushed some congregations back to pandemic-era worship strategies. ‘This is domestic terror’, they say. From Religion News Service.
Supporting immigrants
Faith leaders rally to support immigrants facing deportation in Southern California. Since early June, the Trump administration has significantly ramped up immigration arrests and raids, especially in Southern California, taking people into custody at businesses, farms and public spaces like parking lots. From the Associated Press.
Black Catholic congressman ‘incarcerated’ while trying to enter immigrant detention facility in Brooklyn. From Black Catholic Messenger.
OPINION In troubling times, everyone (including Catholics) must ‘stay woke.’ Douglas Stringer writes for Black Catholic Messenger on America’s “slipping grip of democracy and how a phrase touting vigilance shouldn’t be a byword, but rather a call to action.”
The United Methodist Church’s racial monitoring agency is awarding grants to what it calls “Bold ministries” aiding immigrants. But it’s not telling who’s getting the money to protect the safety of the ministries and their locations. From Baptist News Global.
Republicans champion religious freedom—but not for detained migrants. From America Magazine.
A federal judge in San Francisco has extended Temporary Protected Status for approximately 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal, at least until November. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem decided last month to revoke the status. From Baptist News Global.
Calls for peace on atomic bomb anniversary
Faith leaders observed the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki August 6 and 9, with vigil and demonstration, along with calls for peace. Items from the Christian Century, Pew Research, and from Religion News Service.
British Cardinal condemns Gaza plan
Westminster Archbishop Issues Statement Condemning Israel’s Plan to Take Over Gaza City. The statement from Cardinal Vincent Nichols comes after Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan on Aug. 8 to expand military operations. From the National Catholic Register.
Evangelical group seeks to overturn same-sex ruling
We think that it’s not a matter of if, but just a matter of when, the Supreme Court will overrule Obergefell,’ said Mathew Staver, head of Liberty Counsel. From Religion News Service.
Peruvian abuse case ‘tricky to translate’
A press conference, with its serious translation errors, demonstrates the difficulties Ana María Quispe Díaz has faced as her story is scrutinized on an international stage. Religion News Service says the Peruvian abuse case has global implications.
International witness
The Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince denounced the “collapse of humanity” in Haitian society, “where the unthinkable has become commonplace,” in response to the kidnapping of nine people from an orphanage on the outskirts of the capital on Aug. 3. From Catholic News Agency.
Vietnam’s Catholics battle against plastic pollution. Their faith-driven movement is restoring not just the ecosystem, but hope for future generations
Korean archbishop calls for unification on liberation day. The ‘Joy of liberation’ must be brought to completion through national reconciliation and unity, says Archbishop Chung of Seoul. From Union of Catholic Asian News.
‘White identitarians’ draw rebuke in Missouri
News of a whites-only group seeking to establish a private community in Missouri is generating mounting opposition from a broad range of religious, civic and political leaders.
Haters or ‘real’ haters?
When conservative Christian activist groups are called hateful or placed on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s hate map, they claim innocence and reverse the charge: “The real haters are those people who say we’re hateful.” From Baptist News Global.
Christian or anti-Christian?
A constitutional watchdog group has filed a second lawsuit against the Trump administration’s Anti-Christian Bias Task Force. From Baptist News Global.
Debate over sacred land
Trump’s push for drilling, mining sharpens debate for Alaska Natives about land they view as sacred. So when Alaska Natives debate proposals to drill, mine or otherwise develop the landscape of the nation’s largest state, it involves more than an environmental or economic question. It’s also a spiritual and cultural one. From the Associated Press.
Syracuse Bishop takes on 3 parishes
While it is not common for a bishop to take the role of parish priest to multiple churches, Bishop Douglas Lucia is not new to taking on various roles. Since he was ordained a priest in 1989, Bishop Lucia has simultaneously served in pastoral and administrative roles across northern New York and Canada. From the National Catholic Register.
Hegseth? Women ‘shouldn’t be allowed to vote’
A video on social media features pastors saying women shouldn’t be allowed to vote – and the video was reposted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Associated Press says the reposting illustrates Hegseth’s deep and personal connection to a Christian nationalist pastor with extreme views on the role of religion and women.
Priest, slain by a Klansman, to be memorialized
Priest slain for celebrating interracial marriage to be memorialized in Alabama. Black Catholic Messenger reports the annual commemorative Mass in honor of Fr James E. Coyle will take place in Birmingham, where he was murdered by a Klansman in 1921.
Bike ride to Santa Claus
Three postal workers set off Saturday (August 9) on their nearly 3,000-kilometer (1,860-mile) bicycle journey from St. Nikolaus, Germany, to the small town of Rovaniemi, Finland, which is home to Santa Claus Village, according to German news agency dpa.
Links
- “How the Big Bad Budget Law Hurts Our Communities,” a one page fact sheet is available HERE from NETWORK Catholic Social Justice Lobby.
- The weekly Justice Bulletin is written by Barbara Molinari Quinby.
- Vatican News Update – from the Vatican.
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