Sight editor DAVID ADAMS takes a look at some of the big stories that helped shape our 2023…
JANUARY
Brazil riots: Christians represented a significant faction of those who took part
EDUARDO CAMPOS LIMA, in an article first published on Religion News Service, reports that at least four evangelical pastors were among those arrested in the aftermath of the attack…
The Long Read: Church helps mining community evolve in dark, warming Arctic
GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, of The Associated Press, reports from Longyearbyen in Norway’s remote north…
FEBRUARY
“The old is gone”: Ruins of Turkish city of Antakya tell story of a rich past
SARAH EL DEEB, of Associated Press, reports from the storied Turkish city…
Southern Baptist Convention: How did Saddleback get kicked out of the SBC? It’s complicated
The five congregations ousted last week were the first to be expelled from the Southern Baptist Convention on a national level for having women pastors since the ban on women pastors was instituted in 2000. BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service, reports…
MARCH
Confronting the past: Two decades after Saddam’s fall, Iraqis still haunted by disappearances
CHARLOTTE BRUNEAU, of Reuters, reports from Iraq, a country which has one of the highest numbers of missing persons in the world…
“I miss my people, my nation”: Fear, anxiety follow Nicaraguan faith leaders into exile
MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ, of Associated Press, reports on the plight of those exiled from Nicaragua because of their faith…
APRIL
Reconciliation and community-building: Grassroots faith leaders navigate a Northern Ireland in flux
PETER SMITH, of Associated Press, reports on how faith leaders are continuing the work of bringing separated communities together…
Church under pressure: Holy Land Christians say attacks rising in far-right Israel
ISABEL DEBRE, of Associated Press, reports from Jerusalem…
MAY
King Charles III crowned in ceremony blending history and change
MICHAEL HOLDEN, KATE HOLTON and ANDREW MACASKILL, of Reuters, report…
US-Mexico border: Amid confusion, El Paso pastors provide migrants with shelter and counsel
GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, of Associated Press, reports on the faith leaders who, along with prayers, are counselling migrants about the daunting challenges that await them on US soil…
JUNE
“Guns fired everywhere”: Sudan war spells more disaster for Darfur city on Chad border
MAHAMAT RAMADANE and NAFISA ELTAHIR, of Reuters, report on the situation in El Geneina…
Doomed or sign of hope?: Pope Francis’ mission for peace in Ukraine is underway
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi returned from Kyiv on Tuesday where he was sent by the Pope to promote a just peace in Ukraine. CLAIRE GIANGRAVÉ, of Religion News Service, reports…
JULY
Worship music: Big churches sound alike. Little churches are the ‘Wild West’ of music, study finds.
US-based worship professor Will Bishop said that focusing on the most popular worship songs can miss what churches are actually singing. BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service, reports…
Balancing act: Flooded with sightseers, Europe’s iconic churches struggle to accommodate both worship and tourism
GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, of Associated Press, reports on challenges facing houses of worship in Europe…
AUGUST
Niger coup: Behind military takeover, a feud over the former President’s legacy
MOUSSA AKSAR, DAVID LEWIS and DAVID GAUTHIER-VILLARS, of Reuters, report…
Orthodox Church: Ukrainian churches purge vestiges of Russian influence
For centuries, Orthodox Ukrainians saw the traditional Julian calendar as one of the anchors of their church’s identity. Now many are switching to the Gregorian calendar. MEAGAN SALIASHVILI reports for Religion News Service…
SEPTEMBER
Historic encounter: Pope heads to Mongolia to minister to its few Catholics and complete centuries-old East-West mission
NICOLE WINFIELD, of Associated Press, reports on expectations ahead of the Pope’s historic four-day visit to Mongolia this week…
“They knew”: Fury of Libyans that warnings went unheeded before flood
Reuters reports that the “catastrophe” which shattered the city of Derna this week had been warned about…
OCTOBER
“A massacre”: How an Israeli kibbutz ‘paradise’ turned into hell in Hamas attack
MAAYAN LUBELL and EMILY ROSE, of Reuters, report from Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel…
Australian referendum: How churches are responding to the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament
DAVID ADAMS looks at how Christian churches in Australia are engaging with the upcoming referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament…
NOVEMBER
Turkey: As Christians celebrate a new church, religious minorities still call for respect
Though he has allowed new houses of worship to be built and old ones to be reopened, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan needs to do more, observers say, to restore respect for a truly pluralistic society as much as for church property. DAVID I KLEIN, of Religion News Service, reports…
Pursuing peace: Congolese faith leaders step up efforts to promote dialogue among warring groups
TONNY ONYULO, in an article first published on Religion News Service, reports that church leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo are conducting weekly workshops to train traditional and church leadership in how to promote peace in their communities…
DECEMBER
Documentary: Pastor rescues North Korean defectors on foot in new documentary ‘Beyond Utopia’
KATHRYN POST, of Religion News Service, reports that the film features rare footage of the rescue missions led by Pastor Seungeun Kim and his ministry, Caleb Mission…
Christmas food: Convent-made delicacies help monks and nuns win fans and pay the bills
GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO and MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ, of Associated Press, report…
Gaza in 2024: Signs of more devastation, open-ended occupation
In an in-depth explainer, SAMIA NAKHOUL, of Reuters, looks at what the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict may look like as we head into a new year…
