The Columbian

Churches & Religion

Thousands of people gathered Friday evening at Vancouver Waterfront Park for Let Us Worship, a national tour petitioning against bans on large gatherings at houses of worship.

Large Christian event packed Vancouver Waterfront Park

September 9, 2020, 6:01am Churches & Religion

Thousands of people worshipped at Vancouver Waterfront Park on Friday evening as part of a national tour protesting what it termed an "unprecedented attack" on freedom to worship. Read story

FILE - In this photo taken on March 27, 2020, Pope Francis, white figure standing alone at center, delivers an Urbi et orbi prayer from the empty St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican. If ever there was a defining moment of Pope Francis during the coronavirus pandemic, it came on March 27, the day Italy recorded its single biggest daily jump in fatalities. From the rain-slicked promenade of St. Peter's Basilica, Francis said the virus had shown that we're all in this together, that we need each other and need to reassess our priorities.

Pandemic a test for globe-trotting pope

September 5, 2020, 6:00am Churches & Religion

On the March day that Italy recorded its single biggest jump in coronavirus fatalities, Pope Francis emerged from lockdown to offer an extraordinary prayer and plea to his flock to reassess their priorities, arguing the virus had proved they needed one another. Read story

Scholars predict spirituality surge from virus

August 29, 2020, 6:02am Churches & Religion

During the Black Death, which originated in Asia and terrorized Europe from 1347 to 1352, artists captured the macabre zeitgeist with depictions of mocking skeletons wielding scythes and leading townsfolk to their painful deaths. Read story

FILE - In this Friday, April 10, 2020. file photo, the shadow of a priest holding a crucifix is cast on the ground as he leads the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross ceremony, at the Ospedale di Circolo in Varese, Italy. Two authoritative religious bodies are calling on Christians to band together to fight "sins" laid bare or aggravated by the pandemic, including racism and economic injustice. The Vatican and the World Council of Churches, which is based in Switzerland, issued a joint document on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020 asserting that the COVID-19 pandemic "has reminded us of the scandalous gap between the rich and the poor." The document declared that Christians are compelled to work to heal inequalities, including between men and women.

Vatican, church council call for fight against injustice

August 28, 2020, 4:59pm Churches & Religion

Two authoritative religious bodies on Thursday called on Christians to band together to fight “sins” laid bare or aggravated by the pandemic, including racism and economic injustice. Read story

Aliyah Marandiz, pictured in her home last month, is a member of the local Baha'i community. In the wake of recent protests against racism and police brutality, Marandiz says she has seen her fellow Baha'i practice their core belief of eradicating racism through service to their community. (Ricardo B.

Baha’is say racial justice ‘integral part of our faith’

August 22, 2020, 6:00am Churches & Religion

Aliyah Marandiz, who grew up a member of the Baha’i faith, said that her religion influences her actions, her perspective and how she treats other people, much the same way any religion would. Read story

Christian groups unveil justice reform push

August 22, 2020, 6:00am Churches & Religion

A coalition of Christian groups including the Church of God in Christ and the National Association of Evangelicals is launching a new criminal justice reform push that seeks to rally believers behind policing changes grounded in biblical principles. Read story

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., meets people before a Corinthian Baptist Church service, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa. Harris, tapped on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 as Joe Biden's running mate, attended services at both a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple growing up.

Harris brings Baptist, interfaith roots to Democratic ticket

August 15, 2020, 8:47am Churches & Religion

Kamala Harris, tapped on Tuesday as Joe Biden’s running mate, attended services at both a Black Baptist church and a Hindu temple growing up – an interfaith background that reflects her historic status as the first Black woman and woman of South Asian descent on a major-party presidential ticket. Read story

As his 3-year-old son Tzvi looks on, Rabbi Mordechai Chalk leads a service for his congregation via a teleconference app from his home in London on Friday, June 19, 2020, just before sunset. Taking services online-only has been particularly challenging for the Orthodox Jewish community, members of which are proscribed from using electronics on Shabbat, their day of rest.

Across faiths, pandemic alters worship, rites

August 15, 2020, 6:00am Churches & Religion

London and its environs are home to a notable diversity of faiths and flocks. Rites that have been the bedrock of their beliefs for centuries had to evolve swiftly during the pandemic lockdown to be safe and relevant for the faithful amid global uncertainty. Read story

Updated COVID-19 guidance issued for religious services in Washington

August 12, 2020, 8:28am Churches & Religion

Some coronavirus restrictions on in-person worship have been relaxed for churches, under new guidance issued by Gov. Jay Inslee. Read story

An image of Christ is in place in the ceiling of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020 at the World Trade Center in New York. The original church was destroyed in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The shrine is expected to open in 2021.

Church destroyed on 9/11 to be replaced

August 8, 2020, 6:02am Churches & Religion

After a three year halt due to financial problems, work resumed Monday on a Greek Orthodox church being built to replace one destroyed in the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Read story