Cardinal Timothy Dolan defended the priests working at St. Patrick’s Cathedral this week, saying the funeral held there for a transgender activist came as a surprise and that the prelates “knew nothing about this that was coming up.”
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This is the second in a five-part series about a Norwegian journalist’s perspective on the changing dynamics of Christianity in America. New York is known for its diversity, including religious diversity. But among religious groups in the city, evangelical Christians are relatively few. In recent years, these churches have cooperated across ethnic and cultural boundaries.
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Last week, the last of the three criminals confessed to conspiring to defraud churches as part of a scheme they cooked up back in 2013. The news was announced by the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, which charged the three men in 2019.
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(TRAVEL) Among all the hustle, bustle and stress that comes with Christmas, we should also all be reminded that it is a time of prayer. While prayer can take up many forms, Catholics are returning to in-person Mass now that COVID-19 lockdowns have largely been done away with.
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The social media accounts of Brian Laundrie, the subject of a federal arrest warrant after the remains of his fiance Gabby Petito were found in Wyoming Sept. 19, reveal an interest in dark themes related to violence, demons and death. One image, for example, shows grim reapers surrounding sheep being led to slaughter.
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This week’s Weekend Plug-in covers a big, big week in religion news, from the chaotic end of the war in Afghanistan to a momentous development in the nation’s battle over abortion. Plus, as always, catch up all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith, including disaster relief efforts gearing up after Hurricane Ida.
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(REVIEW) “The Sons of Sam,” a new Netflix crime documentary, retells a series of murders in 70s New York City from the perspective of an obsessive journalist who hoped to prove the serial killer David Berkowitz was connected to a nationwide network of satanic killers. It praises the journalist for unfounded claims and neglects to discuss Berkowitz’s Christian conversion, a necessary and inspiring part of his story.
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(EXCERPT) “Faith-Based Fraud,” by Warren Cole Smith, is a new book on financial and other scandals in the church. Almost a chapter centers around Bernard Madoff, who confessed to one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history.
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(ANALYSIS) On Feb. 26, Jews celebrate Purim with feasts, carnivals and charity. A historian of American Judaism points to Purim as an important holiday that increased Jews’ visibility in the United States in the 19th century.
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Ongoing court battles pit religious groups vs. governmental regulations designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Weekend Plug-in highlights the latest developments and runs down the week’s top reads in the world of faith.
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(REVIEW) The documentary “Flannery” interviews a broad range of creatives about the life and work of Flannery O’Connor. O’Connor’s short stories and novels focus heavily on race and religion—inspired by her Catholic faith—and the documentary explores the lasting power of these works.
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The Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was the only house of worship that was destroyed in the 9/11 attacks, and has been working to rebuild since. Construction restarts after several delays, and the church hopes to reopen next year.
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(OPINION) Over the weekend, African-American activists were arrested in New York for pouring black paint over a Black Lives Matter mural. Some have lauded it as a courageous act, and others have dismissed it as no more than vandalism of public art.
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In the Weekend Plug-in column, Bobby Ross Jr. reports on positive news concerning Associated Press religion writer Rachel Zoll, who is battling brain cancer.
Read More(OPINION) There are plenty of baseball players who openly practice Christianity, but Billy Sunday is unique in that he exchanged his bat for a Bible and embarked on a career as a preacher, capitalizing on his time as a ballplayer to generate interest in his revivals.
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(OPINION) American Catholicism lost one of its giants following the death of 89-year-old Joseph O’Hare, a Jesuit priest who served as president of Fordham University for nearly two decades as well as the editor of America magazine.
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(OPINION) President Donald Trump’s impeachment is underway in the U.S. Senate, something that has dominated news coverage in recent days and will continue to do so. While Trump is at the center of the Senate trial, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is a key figure in all of this as well.
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The anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center is always a busy time for Stanley Praimnath. He has found purpose in talking about his experience that day, and he wants to share it with anyone willing to listen.
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Judge Noach Dear, an Orthodox Jew, and his court attorney Deema Azizi, a Syrian Muslim refugee, prefer to wear their religious garb - a yarmulke and hijab respectively. Their shared expressions for their faiths unites rather than divides them.
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New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral is considered one of the most visible symbols of Roman Catholicism in the United States. It takes up an entire block in the center of the city and at the heart of the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
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