NEWS OF THE WEEK
At the Vatican, a two-week-long meeting of bishops came to a close highlighting big differences over several controversial family issues. Many inside and outside the Church were surprised by an unprecedented new tone in the summit’s midterm report, which called … More
President Obama this week directed his administration to respond to the Ebola crisis in a “much more aggressive way” and appointed an Ebola czar. In Texas, churches offered special prayers for the infected U.S. health care workers. Meanwhile, Ebola continues … More
Inflammatory new images this week from the extremist group ISIS: The cover of ISIS’s English-language magazine portrays the group’s black flag flying over the Vatican with the headline “The Failed Crusade.” An article inside praised the revival of what it … More
The international community observed World Food Day with appeals for more food aid for the millions of refugees displaced by ISIS and the ongoing Syrian civil war. Humanitarian officials said those crises and the spread of Ebola have diverted resources … More
Seattle megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll resigned this week. He was the controversial leader of Mars Hill Church, which at its peak had a reported 14,000 members in 15 locations. Driscoll had been the subject of heavy criticism and a church … More
In Ferguson, Missouri, faith leaders were among the dozens arrested while demonstrating against local law enforcement practices. They called it “Moral Monday,” and it capped four days of protests calling for justice in the case of Michael Brown, the unarmed … More
Some pastors in Houston, Texas are up in arms after being ordered to turn over their sermons to the city. This week the city’s attorneys subpoenaed sermons by pastors who have been opposing a nondiscrimination ordinance that among other things … More
Bahá’ís celebrate the birth of the B’ab. They regard the B’ab as a messenger of God who prepared the way for the founder of their faith, Bahá’u’lláh. Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains begin the five-day celebration of Diwali (October 23-27), the … More
This week U.S. health officials said they would begin screening travelers from West Africa for Ebola at five major U.S. airports. The first person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S., Thomas Eric Duncan, died at a Dallas hospital. He had … More
In Syria, the U.S. continued airstrikes against Islamic State militants attempting to take control of the key border town of Kobani. In recent weeks ISIS attacks have forced tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to neighboring Turkey. At … More
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