Religion

The Pope tries using Good Friday to bring together Ukrainians and Russians

8:14am April 16, 2022

by Julian Hayda

This year, the Vatican proposed having Ukrainian and Russian families carry the cross together during the annual Good Friday ceremony in Rome. Then Ukrainians objected.

A traditional Passover seder plate on the first night of Passover.

Ukrainian Jews displaced by war find Passover especially poignant this year

6:44pm April 15, 2022

by Deena Prichep

The Passover story is about displacement and the search for a promised land. For Ukrainian Jews this Passover, the story has special resonance as the holiday finds them scattered across the world.

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Faith leaders reflect on their messages during the weekend's religious ceremonies

4:44pm April 15, 2022

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Imam Mohamed Herbert, Rabbi Ruth Zlotnick and Reverend Marshall Hatch about how their respective faith communities are observing this holy weekend.

Encore: The Rev. Howard-John Wesley on taking a break from the pulpit after 30 years

4:57pm April 13, 2022

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with the Rev. Howard-John Wesley of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., about his sabbatical, which coincided with the beginning of the pandemic.

In southern India, haleem is a cherished Ramadan tradition — and not just for Muslims

4:44pm April 13, 2022

by Sushmita Pathak

In southern India's Hyderabad, Ramadan means haleem: a spicy meat & lentil stew with Arab roots. In the past few decades, the dish has become a cherished Ramadan tradition, and not just for Muslims.

A menorah memorial at the entrance of the Drobitsky Yar Holocaust memorial outside Kharkiv, Ukraine, was damaged in Russian shelling last month.

Holocaust museums in 4 countries condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine as war crimes

1:40pm April 12, 2022

by Rachel Treisman

The group of 17 Holocaust museums from the U.S., U.K., Canada and South Africa are supporting an international investigation into whether Russia committed war crimes and genocide in Ukraine.

Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

In the Palm Sunday Mass, Pope Francis pushes for peace in Ukraine

9:23am April 10, 2022

by The Associated Press

Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass before crowds in St. Peter's Square for the first time since the pandemic, Pope Francis called for a truce.

Hebrew Union College may stop ordaining rabbis in the Midwest after 150 years

12:04pm April 09, 2022

by Jolene Almendarez

Cincinnati is the North American birthplace of Reform Judaism, largely because of the 1875 founding of Hebrew Union College. But the school's dwindling enrollment is forcing a difficult decision.

First Nations delegate calls Pope apology for residential schools 'healing'

5:02pm April 03, 2022

Pope Francis apologized for his Church's role in running Canadian boarding schools where Native kids were abused. NPR's Miles Parks speaks with Taylor Behn-Tsakoza, whose delegation met with the Pope.

Istanbul, Turkey: Muslim worshippers perform a night prayer called 'tarawih' during the eve of the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan at Hagia Sophia mosque on Friday, April 1, 2022.

See how almost a quarter of humanity ushered in Ramadan, their holiest month

5:24pm April 02, 2022

From sun-up to sundown, physically able Muslims will fast — abstaining not just from food but also so much as a sip of water.