World Religions News

You’ve probably heard of the Protestant work ethic from the renowned sociologist Max Weber’s classic treatise, “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism,” which links Puritanism to modern capitalism. ...

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NEW YORK (RNS) — Hundreds gathered at Central Park’s Columbus Circle entrance on Saturday morning (March 28) for an interfaith vigil ahead of New York City’s “No Kings” march to protest the Trump administration. 

The Rev. Paul Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, kicked off the event by noting the importance of faith communities taking a place within the “No Kings” movement.

“Faithful people from all different backgrounds have to show up for ‘No Kings’ because authoritarians and would-be kings … their main pillar is often religious folks who want to prop up autocracy so they have proximity to power and impose their idea on what faith is on all the rest of us,” he told the crowd gathered in front of the USS Maine National Monument.

In his hands, Raushenbush held a sign that read “Yes to religious freedom for all” and “Christian Nationalism” crossed out.

Saturday was the third edition of the No Kings rally and drew millions across the country, and in Europe, for protests in more than 3,500 cities, including Washington, Miami, San Francisco and in Europe.

The marches, first held in June and again in October, denounce what protestors see as executive overreach. “Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant. But this is America, and power belongs to the people — not to wannabe kings or their billionaire cronies,” reads the movement’s website.

Saturday’s flagship rally was held in St. Paul, Minn., where Alex Pretti and Renée Good were fatally shot in January by federal agents deployed in the state as part of U.S. Immigration Enforcement’s “Metro surge” operation.

Minnesota clergy who had led widespread efforts to counter ICE in the Twin Cities spoke at the rally. Rev. JaNaé Bates, co-director of the interfaith group ISAIAH, said many people of faith believed the Trump administration’s policies clash with their faith principles.

“These are direct affronts to the faith that we profess and what Christ calls us to do,” Bates told Religion News Service before the rally. She was joined at the rally by Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg of congregation Shir Tikvah and Imam Makram El-Amin, a member of the Minneapolis downtown clergy.

The New York vigil was coordinated by organizers of “Multifaith Mondays,” a weekly pro-democracy prayer vigil held since last March, and Interfaith Alliance, a religious freedom advocacy group.

As Jewish communities prepare for Passover this week and Christians for Holy Week, speakers connected the vigil to the two religious holidays.

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, senior rabbi emerita at congregation Beit Simchat Torah, drew parallels between Pharaoh’s rule and President Trump’s governance. Passover, which starts  April 1, commemorates the Exodus story of the Jewish people, led by Moses, fleeing Egypt through God’s help.

“Are we the Israelites yearning for freedom, or are we Pharaoh?” she asked the crowd. “In a place in which Pharaoh dominates the news. It is on us to remember Pharaoh does not win in the end, we all must be Moses organizing our own small worlds, our own small communities.”

Some attendees also waved makeshift Palm leaves, made of green foam pool noodles pierced with green sticks, to commemorate Palm Sunday (March 29), which marks the start of Holy Week – the final stretch of the Lenten season culminating in Easter Sunday. The Palm Sunday tradition echoes the story of Jesus’ triumphal return to Jerusalem as the faithful waved palm leaves along his path.

Laura Miraz, a member of Riverside Church who helped craft the dozens of palm leaves, said she waved them as a symbol of unity during the vigil.

“Waving the palms today is a celebration of the people of God who are coming together — people of all faiths and beliefs — to stand up for one thing, and that is democracy for the liberty of all people, regardless of gender, documentation,” she said.

The crowd chanted songs that have become staples of progressive religious activist groups over the past year, including “We will protect each other.” The song, which was co-written by Martín Urbach, was taught to religious activists at a “Singing Resistance” event in March at Riverside Church.

The vigil also featured a Sikh prayer from Gurvir Singh Sidhu, a state policy manager with the Sikh Coalition, and a Buddhist reflection shared by Sarah Dōjin Emerson, a Zen priest with the Brooklyn Zen Center.

At the corner of 66th Street and Central Park, a small group of Jewish activists observed a special Shabbat service ahead of the rally. The period of rest, which stretches from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset and can include restrictions on travel and electronics, makes it difficult for some Jews to join protests.

“I have been going to rallies for a long time, and one of the things that some of us have started thinking about is, how could we bring in some of the Shabbat spirit and let it infuse our experience of ‘No Kings,’” said 71-year-old Sharon Bronznick, a member of “Jews for freedom,” who helped coordinate the service.

Leaders of the vigil insisted on the importance of sustaining the momentum built over the last year among the city’s religious activists beyond the “No Kings” march.

Rev. Adriene Thorne, senior minister at Riverside Church, noted the importance of faith communities getting engaged at a hyper-local level.

“When things calm down in the city and in the nation, faith leaders can get very focused on the things that are happening in their particular communities,” she said after the vigil.

Raushenbush said Interfaith Alliance will host a national town hall on Tuesday (March 31) to advise faith groups on ways to get involved in resisting ICE operations and in the 2026 midterm elections.

“This is the springboard for the next thing,” he said.

What does it mean to be in a war that nobody openly declares? What are the legal and moral boundaries of military force? And what does true courage look like today — especially for ordinary citizens who feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to respond?

With the global impact of the war in Iran growing daily, this week on The State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is joined by Retired Lt. Gen. Charles D. Luckey — former head of the US Army Reserve, former JAG officer, and veteran of three combat tours, including in Iraq. He’s also a seminary student at Wake Forest Theological Seminary — and all these identities intersect to provide unique insights and observations.

MONACO (RNS) – A highlight of Pope Leo XIV’s one-day trip to Monaco was his meeting with young Catholics in the country, including those who represent a surging number of catechumens, or people converting or returning to the faith and preparing to receive the sacraments.

While research points to skepticism regarding a possible Catholic “revival” — following years of steady decrease in the number of faithful as parents struggle to pass down the faith to the new generations — some recent data and reports from Catholic dioceses have suggested growth in some pockets of Catholicism worldwide.

But speaking at the Chapel of St. Dévote in Monaco on Saturday (March 28), Leo seemed to take notice of an increased interest in Catholicism among youth. He observed that if “today the faith faces challenges and obstacles, yet nothing can dim its beauty and truth.”

“We can see this in the growing number of men and women of all ages who desire to know the Lord and ask to be baptized,” he said.

Monaco, which is majority Catholic despite its tiny population and square footage, is welcoming 70 new catechumens this year, more than double those registered in 2025, and triple that of 2024. While many of them are young, they represent a variety of ages and backgrounds.

“As in other countries, we have the pleasure of welcoming many catechumens. Some will be baptized in a week. Others are beginning their journey of Christian initiation,” said Dominique-Marie David, archbishop of Monaco, in his remarks at the church.

“Their presence among us is a gift from God that fills us with joy, but also a challenge that calls us to responsibility,” he added.

A significant portion of the catechumens come from neighboring France, which has witnessed a surge in the number of young people converting or returning to the Catholic faith in recent years. According to an annual survey by the French bishops, over 20,000 catechumens will be baptized during the Easter Vigil this year, a 20% uptick compared to the already-record numbers of 2025.

Recent church data suggests similar trends in Belgium, Austria and even in the United States. A New York Times article this week reported that this Easter, many U.S. Catholic dioceses are likely to see their highest number of baptisms in recent years. 

But some scholars have raised doubts regarding some of the evidence of a “quiet revival.” A recent report on churchgoing in the United Kingdom was withdrawn this week, citing errors in the data collected.

Pope Leo’s first major public event as pontiff was the Jubilee of Youth, last summer in Rome, where he was greeted by 1 million people, according to Vatican estimates. Since then, he has spoken candidly and passionately to youth about faith and the challenge of modernity.

“We live in a world that always seems to be in a hurry, eager for novelty, obsessed with unfettered fluidity,” Pope Leo said in Monaco. “It is marked by an almost compulsive need for constant change, be it in fashions, appearances, relationships, ideas, or even the dimensions of the person that are essential to their very identity.

“However, it is love that gives stability to life. It is, first and foremost, the fundamental experience of God’s love, and then, by extension, the sacred and enlightening experience of mutual love,” he added.

Ethan, a 25-year-old catechumen in Monaco, whose last name was not given, said in his testimony before the pope that he gravitated toward the Catholic faith because of the “lack of substance and a solid foundation” in society. “In this time of Lent, tens of thousands of my brothers and sisters, catechumens in all the world, have decided to follow Christ and his Crucifixion in his resurrection,” he said.

In his speech, Leo drew on the example of the recently canonized Saint Carlo Acutis, known as the “patron of the internet” and the first millennial saint, and Saint Devota, the patron saint of Monaco, to inspire younger generations. He offered prayer and moments of silence and reflection “to quiet the frenzy of doing and saying, of messages, reels and chats.”

“Dear young people, do not be afraid to give everything — your time, your energy — to God and to your brothers and sisters, to pour yourselves out completely for the Lord and for others,” the pope concluded.