Latest Prayer News

Japan marks WWII's end, Kishida doesn't mention aggression
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida renewed Japan's no-war pledge at a somber ceremony Monday as his country marked the 77th anniversary of its World War II defeat, but he did not mention Japanese wartime aggression. In his first address as prime minister since...

From Mecca to the Vatican, exploring sacred sites with VR
Click and gape at the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel ceiling up close. Click again and join thousands of pilgrims praying and circling around the cube-shaped Kaaba at Islam’s most sacred site. Or strap on a headset and enter the holy city of Jerusalem. There you’ll hear the murmur...

Pope in Canada prays for healing for 'terrible' colonization
LAC SAINTE ANNE, Alberta (AP) — Pope Francis prayed for healing Tuesday from the “terrible effects of colonization” as he led a pilgrimage to a Canadian lake that has been known to Native peoples for centuries as a sacred place of healing. The prayer service at Lac Sainte Anne...

Pope seeks prayers for his 'penitential' Canadian pilgrimage
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Sunday asked for prayers to accompany him on what he called his “penitential” pilgrimage to Canada to apologize to Indigenous groups for abuses inflicted by the Catholic church. Greeting the public in St. Peter's Square, Francis noted that...

Ukraine Muslims pray for victory, end of occupation
KOSTIANTYNIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — By the time the Russians invaded, 43-year-old Mufti Said Ismahilov — one of the Muslim spiritual leaders of Ukraine — had already resolved that he would step aside from his religious duties to fight for his country. At the end of last year, as...

Jesuits in moment of silence in Mexico for murdered priests
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Roman Catholic Church began a special round of prayers for peace in Mexico on Sunday after two Jesuit priests and a tour guide were slain June 20. Jesuits held a moment of silence for the priests, who were alledgedly killed by a local drug gang leader as...

On Greece's Santorini, 13 cloistered nuns pray for the world
THIRA, Greece (AP) — Cruise-ship tourists crowding souvenir shops and couples chasing the perfect Instagram sunset throng the alleyway outside the Monastery of St. Catherine, steps from Santorini’s world-famous volcanic cliffs. Inside this convent on one of the trendiest islands...

A hajj closer to normal: 1 million Muslims begin pilgrimage
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — It is a scene that stirs hope — and relief — for Muslims around the world. A million pilgrims from across the globe gathered on Thursday in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the initial rites of the hajj, marking the largest Islamic...
Editorial Roundup: Nebraska
Omaha World-Herald. July 3, 2022. Editorial: Religious freedom includes keeping government out of religious matters It’s right there in the first words of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an...
EEOC: 2 fired for not joining company Christian prayer
Two employees with a North Carolina company say they were fired after refusing to participate in the firm’s daily Christian prayer meetings, which they said went against their respective religious beliefs, according to a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. ...
