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Nicaraguan Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes leads a mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral, as a suspension of diplomatic ties between Nicaragua and the Vatican has been proposed according to a Nicaragua’s foreign ministry statement, in Managua, Nicaragua March 12, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has ordered the closure of the Vatican Embassy in Managua and that of the Nicaraguan Embassy to the Vatican in Rome, a senior Vatican source said on Sunday.

Pope Francis attends the Ash Wednesday mass at the Santa Sabina Basilica in Rome on February 22, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

Pope Francis marks 10 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church on Monday celebrating Mass with cardinals in the chapel of the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel where he has lived since his election.

Rebecca Randall 2-27-2023

George Washington Carver. Via Alamy. 

Over his career, Luther Williams has seen the impact of racist education standards and a lack of Black representation in science.

Dante Nieto 2-24-2023

Maryuri, a recent migrant from Venezuela whose last name is withheld to protect her identity, speaks in front of the John A. Wilson Building in Washington, D.C., during a Feb. 22 press conference organized by Congregation Action Network to advocate for better migrant support services. Evan Robinson-Johnson/Sojourners.

Local faith leaders and asylum seekers gathered on Feb. 22 to demand that Washington, D.C., government allow asylum seekers to access resources available to the rest of the district’s unhoused population. 

Mitchell Atencio 2-23-2023

Headshot courtesy Vincent Lloyd. Graphic by Mitchell Atencio/Sojourners

Lloyd, a theologian and director of Africana studies at Villanova University (and Sojourners contributor), writes about his experiences teaching a seminar on “Race and the Limits of Law in America” through the Telluride Association. In the blistering essay, Lloyd writes that he experienced a “mutiny” — expelled from his role by his high school students led by a “charismatic” college-aged student who created a “cult” of anti-racism and eventually accused him of harm, micro-aggressions, and perpetuating “anti-black violence” through the seminar.

Mitchell Atencio 2-16-2023

A graphic of Shane Claiborne. Original photo courtesy HarperCollins, graphic by Mitchell Atencio/Sojourners

When I opened Shane Claiborne’s new book, I rolled my eyes and sighed. Claiborne’s book, Rethinking Life: Embracing the Sacredness of Every Person, was dedicated to “all the women of faith over the centuries, the midwives of a better world, and to the two most significant women in my life—my mom, Patricia, and my wife, Katie Jo.”

A man sits on the sidewalk across from a multi-story building that has collapsed onto the street.

A building that has collapsed following the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes, in Hatay, Turkiye on February 9. (Photo by Erhan Demirtas/NurPhoto)

The rescue of a 2-year-old boy after 79 hours trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey, and several other people raised spirits among weary search crews. But hopes were fading that many more would be found alive in the ruins of towns and cities.

Muvija M, Reuters 2-08-2023

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby gives and address during an Armistice Service at Westminster Abbey in Westminster, London, Britain, November 11, 2018. Paul Grover/Pool via REUTERS

The Church of England will look into the use of gender-neutral terms to refer to God in prayers, but the centuries-old institution said on Wednesday there were no plans to abolish current services.

A sign outside the first L'Arche home in Trosly, France. Photo by Christopher Bemrose via Flickr.

More than just an accounting of Vanier and Philippe’s abuse, the report offers a clear timeline and analysis of the secret intentions and motivations named by the two men and their accomplices. It also offers a look at the many figures who attempted to hold Vanier and Philippe accountable, or rein in their abuse.

Rodney Wells, a stepfather, and RowVaughn Wells a mother of Tyre Nichols, take the stage with their attorney Ben Crump, during a news conference at Mt. Olive Cathedral CME Church in Memphis, Tenn., on January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer

“Shame on us if we don’t use his tragic death to finally get the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed,” Ben Crump told CNN's State of the Union.

Mitchell Atencio 1-29-2023

Jean Vanier. Photo courtesy of L'Arche.

A report released today concluded that Jean Vanier — a Catholic lay leader and founder of L’Arche, a worldwide network of communities supporting adults with intellectual disabilities — founded the first L’Arche community primarily as a cover for a secretive religious sect with exploitative “mystical-sexual” beliefs and practices. The report also found Vanier sexually exploited at least 25 nondisabled women from 1952 until just before his death in 2019, far more than previously known.

Muvija M, Reuters 1-18-2023

Christian gay rights campaigners protest in the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, southern Britain, Jan. 15, 2016. REUTERS/Toby Melville

The Church of England will refuse to allow same-sex couples to get married in its churches under proposals set out on Wednesday in which the centuries-old institution said it would stick to its teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Kaila Nichols 1-06-2023

Attendees bow their heads in prayer during a vigil at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. Kaila Nichols/Sojourners

“Help us find the courage to reject the unholy and harmful ideologies of white supremacy and Christian nationalism, and to not be silent about the crisis of our democracy,” Mary Novak prayed.

12-31-2022

Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, waves from a balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican after being elected by the conclave of cardinals, April 19, 2005. REUTERS/Max Rossi

Former Pope Benedict, who in 2013 became the first pontiff in 600 years to resign, died on Saturday at age 95 in a secluded monastery in the Vatican where he had lived since stepping down.

D. Rebecca Dinovo 12-27-2022
A picture of (adorable) beagle puppies pouncing and nibbling on a stick in thick grass.

In summer 2022, the Humane Society of the United States rescued nearly 4,000 beagles from an Envigo breeding facility in Virginia after officials found multiple animal welfare violations. / Carolyn Cole / Getty Images

I REMEMBER HEARING that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had adopted one of the beagles [from] the largest rescue that the Humane Society has ever done.

What struck me was how long people had been trying to whistleblow and alert authorities. It took years for real action to be taken, but [that’s] not surprising, especially when you’re dealing with a large corporation. I have found [animal welfare activism] incredibly challenging and at times discouraging. Criticisms I’ve received personally in the church [imply] animal welfare is a peripheral issue. The fact is these are God’s creatures who are suffering, and we’re responsible, as part of our Christian vocation, to be stewards of our earth and of all the animals.

Members of the U.S. House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol sit beneath an image showing former President Donald Trump speaking on the telephone in the Oval Office during the the committee's final meeting on Dec. 19, 202

Members of the U.S. House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol sit beneath an image showing former President Donald Trump speaking on the telephone in the Oval Office during the the committee's final meeting on Dec. 19, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

The U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Monday asked federal prosecutors to charge Donald Trump with obstruction and insurrection for his role in sparking the deadly riot.

President Joe Biden is applauded as he signs the “Respect for Marriage Act,” a landmark bill protecting same-sex marriages, during a ceremony on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec. 13, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law on Tuesday at a jubilant celebration that featured singer Cyndi Lauper performing “True Colors” in front of thousands of supporters on the White House lawn.

People wearing anti-semitic clothes wave Nazi flags, as they protest outside the Tampa Convention Center where Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) Student Action Summit (SAS) is being held, in Tampa, Fla., July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello

President Joe Biden is establishing an inter-agency group to coordinate efforts to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination, the White House said on Monday.

Ukrainian law enforcement officers inspect one of churches of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine Nov. 22, 2022. REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko

Ukraine’s top security officials have ordered punitive measures against seven senior clerics, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, part of a crackdown on a branch of the Orthodox Church with longstanding ties to Moscow.

Mitchell Atencio 12-08-2022

A pride flag hangs at the First Congregational Church United Church of Christ after a mass shooting at LGBTQ nightclub Club Q in Colorado Springs, Co., Nov. 23, 2022. REUTERS/Isaiah J. Downing

Thom Andreas was a gay Christian kid in the 1990s when his hometown of Colorado Springs, Co. was becoming known as the “evangelical mecca” or “evangelical Vatican.” And this gave Andreas a front-row seat as the movement advocated against LGBTQ rights and dignity in politics and faith.