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In Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians observe scaled-down Good Friday rituals
Read full article: In Jerusalem, Palestinian Christians observe scaled-down Good Friday ritualsHundreds of Christians have joined the Good Friday procession in Jerusalem’s Old City, commemorating one of the faith’s most sacred days with noticeably thinner crowds amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
Read full article: A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peaceA Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition.
Thousands of faithful attend Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem against a backdrop of war
Read full article: Thousands of faithful attend Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem against a backdrop of warThousands of Christian faithful attended Palm Sunday celebrations at Jerusalem’s sacred Mount of Olives on the first day of Holy Week.
Grieving and often overlooked, Palestinian Christians prepare for a somber Christmas amid war
Read full article: Grieving and often overlooked, Palestinian Christians prepare for a somber Christmas amid warFrom Jesus' biblical birthplace of Bethlehem to New York City, many Palestinian Christians this Christmas season are gripped with helplessness, pain and worry amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Under the shadow of war in Gaza, Jesus' traditional birthplace is gearing up for a subdued Christmas
Read full article: Under the shadow of war in Gaza, Jesus' traditional birthplace is gearing up for a subdued ChristmasBethlehem is gearing up for a subdued Christmas without the festive lights and customary Christmas tree towering over Manger Square.
Lebanon's Christians feel the heat of climate change in its sacred forest and valley
Read full article: Lebanon's Christians feel the heat of climate change in its sacred forest and valleyFor Lebanon’s Christians, the cedars are sacred, these tough evergreen trees that survive the mountain’s harsh snowy winters.
Jews spitting on the ground beside Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land sparks outrage
Read full article: Jews spitting on the ground beside Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land sparks outrageA video that shows ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting on the ground beside a procession of foreign Christian worshipers carrying a wooden cross in the holy city of Jerusalem has ignited intense outrage and a flurry of condemnation in the Holy Land.
Stained glass window shows Jesus Christ with dark skin, stirring questions about race in New England
Read full article: Stained glass window shows Jesus Christ with dark skin, stirring questions about race in New EnglandA nearly 150-year-old stained-glass church window showing a dark-skinned Jesus Christ interacting with women has been rediscovered in a Rhode Island church.
Hymns through masks: Christians mark another pandemic Easter
Read full article: Hymns through masks: Christians mark another pandemic EasterChristianity’s most joyous feast day is being celebrated worldwide with worshippers spaced apart in pews and singing choruses of “Hallelujah” through face coverings for the second Easter Sunday in a row.
Christians mark Good Friday, Holy Week under virus woes
Read full article: Christians mark Good Friday, Holy Week under virus woesFor a second year, Christians in the Holy Land are marking Good Friday without the mass pilgrimages usually seen in the Holy Week leading up to Easter because of the coronavirus.
Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in Bethlehem and elsewhere
Read full article: Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in Bethlehem and elsewhereFew people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened Christmas Eve celebrations. The Philippines prohibited mass gatherings and barred extended families from holding traditional Christmas Eve dinners. On Christmas Eve in Italy, church bells rang earlier than usual. In Athens, Christmas Eve was eerily silent. The schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas day included Masses in English and Spanish, and a bilingual jazz vespers service.
'Hurting for hope,' South Dakota rural churches mark Advent
Read full article: 'Hurting for hope,' South Dakota rural churches mark Advent– The Nativity stable at Canton Lutheran Church will be silent this year, breaking from a community tradition of gathering for a live Christmas performance. Instead, churches in this rural corner of South Dakota are grappling with how to approach an Advent filled with quiet mourning after the coronavirus tore through the region. South Dakota and North Dakota, states largely spared from the worst of the pandemic during the spring and summer, have seen a frightening pace of death since October. “Advent is the season when we look forward, and long and wait for that new life to come upon us,” the Rev. How do you do that when you can’t give them a hug?” said Thies, the pastor at Canton Lutheran.
Christmas tree-lighting in Bethlehem a muted, virtual event
Read full article: Christmas tree-lighting in Bethlehem a muted, virtual eventChristmas tree is lit outside the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)BETHLEHEM – Only a few dozen people attended the lighting of the Christmas tree in the biblical city of Bethlehem on Saturday night, as coronavirus restrictions scaled back the annual event that is normally attended by thousands. Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman said Christmas is being observed this year in ways like no time before. “We resorted to modern technology and to the virtual world to celebrate the lighting of the Christmas tree, wishing hope and optimism would flutter upon Palestine and the world,” Salman said. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists typically visit Bethlehem, fill hotels and dine at restaurants during the Christmas season, bringing the area a much-needed injection of cash.
‘It was just God’s work': 2 women pulled from car moments before it burst into flames
Read full article: ‘It was just God’s work': 2 women pulled from car moments before it burst into flamesHOUSTON, Texas – Two women were pulled to safety moments before their car bust into flames. An Uber transporting the women home was traveling northbound on the Eastex Freeway, near Jefferson, when a truck collided with it. “All of a sudden we saw cars coming from all directions and crashing through the wall and everything,” Shelvin said. “Once I saw the car was wrecked real bad, I knew there was a gas tank right in the back," Shelvin said. “I knew at anytime there was going to be an explosion.”After pulling the women from the Uber, the vehicle burst into flames and an "explosion went all over the place,” Shelvin said.
Shopper called a demon by woman rebuking people, ordering them out of grocery store vitamin aisle, viral video shows
Read full article: Shopper called a demon by woman rebuking people, ordering them out of grocery store vitamin aisle, viral video showsHOUSTON A maskless woman called another shopper a demon while invoking the name of Jesus Christ as she ordered people out of an aisle she was shopping in at a Washington store, video shows. As she paces up and down the vitamin aisle, the woman said, I command you in Jesus Christs name to get off this aisle. Like, is that how you think youre going to get your message across? someone can be heard saying on the video. She doesnt want anyone to go down that aisle until she can get what she wants and leave the aisle. In the last video from the store, the woman can be seen being held down on the floor by someone.
Kevin Hart, Ludacris and More Celebs Call for Change After Attending George Floyds Memorial (Exclusive)
Read full article: Kevin Hart, Ludacris and More Celebs Call for Change After Attending George Floyds Memorial (Exclusive)George Floyd's memorial was moving for both viewers at home and those in attendance at the service, held at North Central University in Minneapolis on Thursday. The comedian shared his condolences with Floyd's family, as well as families of "all lives that were lost to these senseless deaths." Attorney Benjamin Crump and film producer Will Packer were also at Floyd's memorial, as were T.I., Rev. See more on Floyd's memorial in the video below. RELATED CONTENT:Steph Curry, Cara Delevingne & More Protest George Floyd's DeathKanye West Gives $2 Million to Floyd, Arbery & Taylor FamiliesTiffany Haddish and More Celebs Attend George Floyd Memorial ServiceExclusiveExclusiveImageBylineJennifer DrysdaleThu, 06/04/2020 - 18:48