News & Views

News and Views

July 1, 2024

Religious The Kremlin-controlled Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate (ROC MP) reportedly directed all its clergy to change their liturgy to include pro-war prayers in support of Russia’s war of conquest against Ukraine. A Russian Telegram channel with insider sources within the ROC MP amplified on March 31 a document dated March 29, in which Head of the ROC MP Affairs, Metropolitan Gregoriy of Voskresensk, instructed clergy to read a prayer — the “Prayer for Holy Rus” — on a daily basis during […]

News and Views

May 1, 2024

Religious While hiking in the Lower Galilee, a man was surprised to spot a small scarab seal sparkling on the ground. Used by Near Eastern cultures for millennia, seals are important indicators of peoples who lived in or passed through different places. The iconography of the seal, carved in the shape of a scarab beetle, identified it as Assyrian, possibly dating back to the eighth century BCE, suggesting the presence of Assyrians in Israel at that time. — Bible History Daily, 2/11/2024 […]

News and Views

March 1, 2024

Religious Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu was a star, even mentioned as a potential future pope. He is now an accused criminal. Vatican magistrates alleged Becciu had embezzled more than $100,000 through a nonprofit group run by his brother. Since the summer of 2021, the 75-year-old Becciu has been on trial for embezzlement, abuse of office and witness tampering. He is the first cardinal to be tried in Vatican City’s criminal court. Nine others face charges concerning the alleged theft of money intended […]

News and Views

January 1, 2024

Religious U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is developing a national strategy to combat Islam fear as the White House faces skepticism from many Muslim Americans for its staunch support of Israel’s military assault on Hamas in Gaza. The White House originally was expected to announce its plans to develop the strategy when Biden met with Muslim leaders, but that was delayed, according to three people familiar with the matter. — AP, 10/31/2023 A spokesperson for Russia’s Chief Rabbinate in Dagestan said that […]

News and Views

November 1, 2023

Religious Russian authorities continue their campaign of religious persecution in occupied Ukraine. Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported that Russian security services searched the homes of an unspecified number of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Armyansk, Simferopol, Saky, and Dzhankoi (cities north and northeast of Sevastopol) in occupied Crimea. Lubinets reported that Russian forces have initiated more than 100 criminal cases based on religious discrimination and persecution against citizens in occupied Crimea. — ISW, 8/22/23 When several hundred Lutherans in […]