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Editor's note:
For transgender Catholics in the United States, maintaining their faith can entail complex calculations. They face rebukes from some fellow Catholics, including many bishops, yet find full acceptance in a growing number of welcoming parishes. AP Religion Team director David Crary, who has covered LGBTQ issues for many years, took an in-depth look at recent, contradictory developments. On one hand, several Catholic dioceses have issued guidelines targeting trans people with restrictions and refusing to recognize their gender identity. One of the policies – from the Diocese of Marquette in northern Michigan – says trans Catholics should be denied the sacraments unless they repent. Yet several trans Catholics told Crary they’ve found spiritual homes in inclusive parishes with LGBTQ ministries and supportive priests.
Religion News
Across US, worshippers seek solidarity at Ukrainian churches, pray for peace
In cities with some of the largest Ukrainian populations in the United States, worshippers prayed for peace and an end to war Sunday. By Emily McFarlan Miller, Kathryn Post, and Renée Roden/Religion News Service
After Brazil mudslides, grief and faith among the ruins
Every day Alex Sandro Condé leaves the shelter where he has been staying since deadly landslides devastated his poor, mountainside neighborhood in Brazil. He goes to seek out others who have suffered loss — and he doesn’t have to look hard. By David Biller/The Associated Press
A Catholic priest in Arizona whose baptisms up until last summer are presumed to be invalid has a new assignment in the church: Healing and helping those he invalidly baptized. By Jacques Billeaud and Luis Andres Henao/The Associated Press
Pipe organ made famous on ‘Hour of Power’ program returns
There are few pipe organs in the world with a nickname, a feminine pronoun and a Facebook fan page. The Hazel Wright organ was removed piece by piece in 2013 from Christ Cathedral’s sanctuary in Southern California and shipped to Italy for repair. Nearly a decade and $3 million later, it’s back in action. By Deepa Bharath/The Associated Press
Methodists, Mormons back latest Scouting bankruptcy plan to fund survivor claims
Other religious groups have not taken a position on the plan announced by the BSA on Feb. 10. By Adelle M. Banks/Religion News Service
Commentary and Analysis
A Holocaust historian explains why Ukrainian history needs to be understood in terms of both past violence against Jews as well as the state's pluralistic vision. By Jeffrey Veidlinger for The Conversation
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former comedian, actor and producer and now a Jewish Churchill. By Jeffrey Salkin/Religion News Service
To understand Russia's war in Ukraine, look to the blend of religious and militaristic nationalism under Putin – on full display in the Church of the Russian Armed Forces. By Lena Surzhko Harned for The Conversation
Responses to COVID-19 health guidelines have been polarized, including in churches. But religious communities have a long history of involvement in public health. By Andrew Gardner for The Conversation
Inna Zotikova, 26, of Chicago, holds a sign during a rally outside the Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. RNS photo by Emily McFarlan Miller
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- This Week in Religion is a publication of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative, a collaboration among the Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation U.S.
- The three news organizations work to improve general understanding and analyze the significance of developments in the world of faith.
