Pope Francis Makes Passionate Plea For Putin To End Cycle Of ‘Violence And Death’ In Ukraine
Plus a spiritual discretion warning in Muslim comedy "Ramy" and more headlines
Hi ReligionUnplugged readers,
In his weekly Sunday address from the Vatican, Pope Francis broke his perceived neutrality about the war in Ukraine.
He appealed to Vladimir Putin to end the military escalation in Ukraine, decried the threat of nuclear war and asked the Russian leader to “stop this spiral of violence and death.” The pontiff added he was “saddened at the immense suffering of the Ukrainian people as a result of the aggression they have suffered.”
Senior contributor Clemente Lisi reports.
Season three of Muslim comedy “Ramy” came to Hulu last Friday. It’s another narratively rich season full of insights into the lives of American Muslims. One episode in particular sets it apart.
A spiritual discretion advisory leads the seventh episode: “The type of relationship depicted in this episode is extremely hard to execute with dignity and care,” it reads.
The type of relationship it refers to is polygyny, a practice which allows a man to have more than one wife. Interpretations vary, but the Quran allows for this kind of relationship. Our culture reporter Jillian Cheney explains the history of this tradition and discusses how it plays a role in “Ramy.” Don’t miss it!
See you next week! If you like what you read, share this with your family and friends.
Pope Francis Makes Passionate Plea For Putin To End Cycle Of ‘Violence And Death’ In Ukraine
Season 3 Of Muslim Comedy ‘Ramy’ Gives Viewers A ‘Spiritual Discretion’ Warning — Here’s Why by Jillian Cheney
(REVIEW) Since its first season, Hulu comedy “Ramy” has been devoted to providing a genuine look at Islam and American Muslim culture. One episode of its latest season discusses the existence of polygamy in Islam, a sensitive topic that the show handles incredibly well.
Majority Of Catholics Say Biden Should Not Seek Reelection In 2024, New Poll Finds by Clemente Lisi
A majority of Catholic voters agree that President Joe Biden should not run for a second term in 2024, while Republicans are also favored by this voter bloc in the upcoming midterm elections, a new poll has found. At the same time, support for Biden among Hispanic Catholics continues to wane, a worrying trend for Democrats heading into next month’s midterms.
Iranian Women Have Been Rebelling Against Restrictions Since The Islamic Revolution In 1979 — With Renewed Hope That Protests This Time Will End Differently by Pardis Mahdavi
(ANALYSIS) Shouts of “death to the dictator” and “woman, life, freedom” are reverberating throughout the streets of Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, while in custody of the “morality police” in Tehran. These protests have been gaining increased momentum and international attention, giving many Iranians inside and outside of Iran some glimmers of hope.
How Congress Is Trying To Fight Against Uyghur Forced Labor by Deborah Laker
In December 2021, Congress adopted the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act with strong bipartisan support. The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force has issued guidance instructing companies on how to conduct human rights due diligence and supply chain tracing. But Uyghur activists say more must be done.
Zimbabwean Government Blames Religious Anti-Vaxxers For Deadly Measles Outbreak by Cyril Zenda
As Zimbabwe battles a measles outbreak, government and health care officials blame religious sects whose doctrines are emphatically opposed to Western medicine.
‘Honk For Jesus’ Reflects On The Burdens Christian Women Are Forced To Bear by Jillian Cheney
(REVIEW) “Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul” is a movie about a lot of the worst parts of church culture: hypocrisy, prosperity gospel, abuse, misplaced loyalty and celebrity church culture. Most importantly, it’s about the expectation placed on Christian women to submit to people who actively hurt them and bear the full weight of the wrongs of others.
Religion Is Shaping Brazil’s Elections, But Its Evangelicals Aren’t The Same As America’s by Amy Erica Smith
(ANALYSIS) With one week to go before Brazil’s presidential election, the two front-runners, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro are battling for the religious vote. The group of people termed “evangelicals” is much more diverse in Latin America than in the United States – and it’s politically quite diverse, too.
Cardinal Zen’s Trial Adjourned Before Defense Can Cross-Examine Witnesses by Clemente Lisi
After just two days into the trial of retired Chinese Cardinal Joseph Zen and five co-defendants, a Hong Kong magistrates’ court adjourned the proceedings until Oct. 26. The sudden turn of events took place on Wednesday in a trial that officials had said would last five days.
Opinion
‘Faith-Based FEMA’: Relief Organizations Mobilize To Help After Hurricane Ian
In Friday’s Weekend Plug-In column, Bobby Ross Jr. opens with the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian and faith-based groups’ plans for disaster relief in Florida and beyond. Plus, as always, catch up on all the best reads and top headlines in the world of faith.
Don’t forget! You can subscribe to receive Bobby’s column early on Fridays for only $5 a month. Click the button below to subscribe!
International Community Is Failing The Uyghurs But A Change May Be Ahead by Ewelina U. Ochab
Faith And Politics: Italian Election Coverage Loaded With Meloni Media Baloney by Clemente Lisi
Whatever You Believe About History Is Likely Wrong by Paul Prather
Faith, Family And The Dropping Number Of Marriages (Part 1) by Terry Mattingly
Ritual Prostitution And The Rage Over Trump by Michael Metzger
Don’t miss our latest podcast
On The Ground: An Interview With Jehu Kitoli
In this podcast, Jehu Kitoli, a Kenyan member of the Nairobi Hebrew Congregation, describes his long journey to Judaism. Jehu grew up Anglican. As a teenageer, Jehu began to read the Bible and found contradictions between the Hebrew scriptures and the teachings of Paul. “I discovered that the Bible was a document given to Jews and addressed to the children of Israel, who were to be in a covenant relationship with God,” Jehu said. He wanted to pray the same prayers that King David and King Solomon prayed. He wished to be a holy person, but that meant following Judaism’s onerous set of 613 commandments. He became observant, adopted kosher laws and learned Hebrew on his own. It took Jehu two years to get permission to enter the synagogue in Nairobi, but during his first visit, he felt he had found his spiritual home. Thus began his 15-year process of converting to Judaism. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or listen directly on our website.
In case you missed it
Editorial picks from our archives
Mother Teresa Documentary Coming To Theaters In October Following Rome Premiere by Clemente Lisi
“Mother Teresa: No Greater Love” will be in nearly 1,000 theaters across the United States for an exclusive two-day only event Oct. 3-4. The documentary is part of Fathom Events’ “Saint Series,” a collection of films that delves into the lives of saints.
Why Some Religious People Still Refuse To Celebrate Halloween by Kate Nicholl
Halloween came to America in the early 19th Century, but gained popularity when the Irish immigrated to America during the Potato Famine. They brought along their Halloween traditions of dressing up and trick-or-treating. Today, the holiday has evolved quite a bit.
Thanks again for reading!
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