The Year Ahead: 5 Religion News Trends To Watch In 2025
It may be the start of a new year, but many of the same issues and concerns will dominate the news cycle in 2025.
Religion Unplugged recently highlighted our most popular stories of 2024 and the stories several religion journalists felt were their best of last year.
With 2024 close to being in the rear-view mirror, here are five religion news trends to watch for as we approach 2025:
Pope Francis and power in the Catholic Church
This is another way of saying that the pontiff’s health will remain a talking point this year. Pope Francis will turn 89 this year. His health and potential successor remains much on the mind of many in Rome and beyond the Vatican’s walls.
His papacy has been highlighted by both reform and scorn. His emphasis on climate change and outreach to LGBTQ Catholics has inflamed tensions between progressives and conservatives within the church.
The search for his successor or the shaping of the next papacy could dominate headlines this year, one in which the Catholic Church also celebrates its Jubilee.
Religious nationalism and global politics
Nationalism based on a faith tradition has been on the rise in many countries. India, Turkey and Hungary all typify this trend.
In 2025, as more right-wing governments come to power, these movements will continue to reshape political landscapes with negative consequences for religious minorities. Furthermore, the blending of religion with nationalism could lead to increased tensions and violence.
In India, Hindu nationalism under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to continue shaping the political and religious landscape. The treatment of religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, will remain very much something to monitor.
Erosion of religious freedom
With the rise of religious nationalism, there could be more aggressive policies affecting religious minorities, such Christian minorities in India and Syria.
Although there are some positive trends, the status of religious freedom — particularly in authoritarian regimes — will remain an important global issue.
The number of countries who impose heavy government restrictions on religious freedom peaked in 2022, according to a new Pew Research Center study released last month. The situation may very well worsen this year.
Rise of faith amid secularism
Throughout North America and Europe, religious affiliation has been in decline for decades, but there are signs of a counter-reaction. A resurgence of Christianity, Islam and alternative spiritual practices are all something to keep an eye on.
This year, debates around secularism, religious identity and the role of faith in public life could intensify, especially as younger generations confront how faith and the public square should co-exist.
The rise of religious “nones” – those with no religious affiliation – were all the talk in recent years. Whether this trend has been stemmed remains to be seen in the coming months.
Widespread use of AI
Artificial intelligence is a technology issue, but it’s also one that involves ethics, morality, faith and human flourishing. These are all things that are tied to religious beliefs.
There is no doubt that the rapid advancements and widespread adoption of AI and other robotics-based tech have presented profound moral challenges.
Concerns about AI and its impact on society is something various faith traditions will continue to grapple with this year. In fact, AI is such a transformative force that it will be capable of shaping religious beliefs and society as a whole this year and over the coming decade.
There are also other issues to watch in 2025. The ongoing abortion battle and its impact on U.S. politics and coming peace talks, under a new Trump administration, between Israel and Hamas are all also something to keep tabs on in 2025.
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi.