Before it was a place of horror and destruction, Auschwitz was a town where Catholics and Jews lived together in harmony.
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(OPINION) This year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day aims to reflect the “continued importance of collective action against antisemitism and other forms of bias to ensure respect for the dignity and human rights of all people everywhere.”
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(REVIEW) Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the film Holy Silence focuses on the pontificate of Pius XII and whether the pope did enough to help Jews from Nazi persecution during World War II.
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(OPINION) Walking part of a medieval pilgrimage route alone along the northern coast of Spain taught me self-sufficiency and how to be fully present.
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(REVIEW) There is a Hollywood fascination with all that’s morbid about religion. It has traditionally had a profane approach when it comes to the Catholic church. That it loves to dramatize reality into what can sometimes be an ugly trope, this is exactly what we get with HBO’s new TV mini-series.
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(OPINION) Arguments got heated and continued at a slow burn. One commentator even wrote to the Vatican requesting information about a ceremonial plant in a bowl.
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Retired Pope Benedict XVI issued a strongly-worded defense for priestly celibacy — countering his successor Pope Francis who’s been considering allowing married men to be ordained in the Amazon to deal with a shortage in that part of the world.
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The Travels of Guðríður Símonardóttir tells the little-known story of an Icelandic woman in the 17th century who was captured by North African pirates. She was enslaved at a harem in Algiers until ransomed, then married Iceland’s most famous poet. His hymns, inspired by the couple’s suffering, are still sung in churches and at funerals.
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(OPINION) The media’s reaction to the slap, from social media to major news organizations, again showed the divide that continues to exist among Catholics around the world. Those who like Francis saw a man being grabbed and reacting like anyone would. His detractors saw a man with little patience for parishioners.
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Crowds of Romanians gathered on the coast of the Black Sea to watch priests bless holy water and throw three crosses into the water, representing God in the trinity of father, son and holy spirit. Then the race in near-freezing water began to retrieve a cross, believed to bring its owner blessings in the new year.
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The Media Project staff, board and members worldwide submitted nominations for the best efforts in religion journalism that we admired most in 2019.
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(OPINION) This time of year brings with it pieces looking back on the biggest stories of the year. It’s also a time to look ahead. The coming year will certainly be a busy one once again for journalists who cover Catholicism, Pope Francis and the church’s hierarchy.
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(OPINION) Some observers anticipate a breakup of the United Kingdom once it leaves the European Union. There are a few scenarios that could play out for the nation’s churches if that happens.
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A Torah scroll that survived the destruction of the Jewish community in Ozorkow, Poland was recently refurbished and will be rededicated at Ahavath Achim Synagogue on Jan. 5.
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(OPINION) An in-depth examination of the euthanasia case of a celebrated athlete by The New York Times neglected to grapple with religion’s role in the debate. There was plenty of opportunity to.
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(OPINION) An experiment planned for 2020 could pave the way for scientists in the field to “play God.” We should all be paying attention, and journalists should be helping us facilitate an important conversation.
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(ANALYSIS) Americans continue to be generous — but churches and some faith-based groups have suffered the most these days when it comes to donations. A drop in donations to these non-profits would also have a global impact.
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(REVIEW) Ghayasuddin Siddiqui founded a handful of Islamist organizations in the U.K. and feels responsible for attitudes that may have inspired London’s Islamic terrorist attacks. By the nineties, he recanted his Islamist views and today leads social justice and assimilation efforts in the British Muslim community.
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(OPINION) Acts of violence based on religion or belief are on the increase globally. This includes atrocities that amount to genocide and crimes against humanity. While such acts of violence affect all religious groups (especially minority religious groups), over the recent months, report after report has been raising the issues that relate to the persecution of Christians globally.
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(OPINION) For those who have never heard of it, L’Osservatore Romano is a daily newspaper that reports on the Vatican. It is printed in Italian with weekly editions in six languages, including English, and once a month in Polish.
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