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    <title>Faith</title>
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    <description>Latest local news from The Durango Herald.</description>
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        <link>https://tj.durangoherald.com/churches-struggle-to-respond-to-rising-singles/</link>
        <title>Churches struggle to respond to rising singles</title>
        <description>Communities face pressure to rethink belonging, leadership and language for a growing share of unmarried adults</description>
        <pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:57:54 -0600</pubDate>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Catholic woman praying with a rosary. The rise of single adults is reshaping workplaces, taxes and consumer markets. (Adobe Stock)rawpixel.comCommunities face pressure to rethink belonging, leadership and language for a growing share of unmarried adultsFor centuries, marriage and child rearing have been among the main ways adults are integrated into congregational life. Couples who share the same faith tend to be more observant, and they often raise children within that tradition, bringing the next generation into congregational life. More marriages mean more families in pews and more children raised in the faith.That helps explain why the rise of single adults is so unsettling for many faith communities today. In the United States, 42% of adults were not married or living with a partner in 2023, up from 38% in 2000. This shift is unlikely to change soon. A quarter of 40-year-olds have never been married, and a third of Gen Z are projected never to marry.At the same time, the share of unmarried Americans who belong to a religious congregation has fallen well below that of married Americans. In the Pew Research Center’s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study, 68% of married adults identify as Christian, compared with about 51% of never-married adults. Twenty-four percent of married Americans are religiously unaffiliated, compared with 39% of Americans who never married.As a behavioral economist and business school professor, I study what I call the “solo economy,” how the rise of single adults is reshaping workplaces, taxes and consumer markets. Religious institutions are the latest domain to face the same shift. They are not simply confronting lower marriage rates. Many of them, I contend, are reckoning with the consequences of treating unmarried adults as incomplete members of the community.Alarm across faithsAccording to the Survey Center on American Life, the gap in religious membership between married and unmarried Americans has widened substantially since the 1990s.At the time, 71% of married Americans said they belonged to a religious congregation, compared with 64% of unmarried Americans. In 2019, those numbers were 59% and 45%, respectively. The Barna Group, an evangelical Christian polling firm, found that just one in four single mothers attend church weekly, the lowest rate of any parent group.Communities that have historically built their infrastructure around married families are feeling the shift most acutely. Couples retreats, small groups organized by life stage, children’s programs and leadership roles often quietly assume a spouse. The cumulative effect is less about overt exclusion than about whom the institution imagines when it pictures itself.In an April 2021 address during a churchwide conference, M. Russell Ballard, then one of the top leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, acknowledged that more than half of adult church members were widowed, divorced or not yet married and that some “wonder about their opportunities and place in God’s plan and in the Church.” In July 2024, the church expanded its “young single adult” category from ages 18-30 to 18-35.In evangelical Christianity, sociologist Katie Gaddini’s research for her book “The Struggle to Stay” found that women, especially those over age 35, often felt overlooked, excluded from leadership and valued less because they had not married.At a women’s conference in London, one attendee captured the tension. “I’m so tired of fighting Christian church leaders to be treated equally, but I don’t want to leave the church. So, what do I do?”In Modern Orthodox Judaism, similar patterns of exclusion have emerged. A 2022 Nishma Research survey found that singles reported the lowest sense of community connection of any group studied, scoring 69 on a 100-point scale, compared with 81 for married members. Another 2022 report by Brandeis University sociologist Sylvia Barack Fishman described unmarried members feeling “ignored and invisible” in synagogue life, sometimes treated as if they were broken people waiting to be fixed.On my podcast, sociologist Ari Engelberg, author of “Singlehood and Religion,” described how unmarried adults in Israel’s Religious Zionist community internalize their single status as a religious failing. The community treats marriage as so central to observant life that remaining single can feel like falling short.Doubling downReligious institutions’ responses to the rise of singles have split in two directions.Some have reasserted marriage as the expected path to adulthood, belonging and spiritual maturity. Pope Francis has repeatedly warned about declining birth rates, calling the trend a “tragedy” in a 2021 address. In a 2023 worldwide broadcast, Dallin H. Oaks, now the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, urged single adults to date more, marry earlier and not delay having children. In June 2025, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution lamenting “willful childlessness” and calling for laws that “incentivize family formation.”In qualitative research with single churchgoers, a consistent theme emerges. Marriage comes up regularly in sermons, in illustrations, examples and applications, while singleness almost never does.That instinct is understandable. But a strategy built for a society in which most adults married young is a poor fit for one in which many never will.Doubling down carries a real cost. When single adults hear, again and again, that the fullest version of faithful life is married life, many do not feel called upward. They feel pushed outward.AdaptingOther religious communities are adapting.In the United Kingdom, the Single Friendly Church Network developed a guided audit to help congregations across denominations assess how welcoming they are to people who come alone. In the United States, ministries such as Table for One have tried to move singles programming away from matchmaking and toward spiritual community. Fishman’s 2022 report on Modern Orthodox Judaism urged synagogues to give singles leadership roles, committee seats and ritual honors regardless of marital status, though whether those recommendations have taken hold remains an open question.But adaptation raises its own question. Are these efforts designed to support single adults as full members of the community or to manage them toward marriage? There is a difference between welcoming singles and treating singlehood as a problem to solve.I see several practical steps for religious institutions that want to keep unmarried adults engaged in their communities:Count who is actually in the pews. Leaders may not realize how many of their members are single, divorced or widowed. The Single Friendly Church Network found that when congregations conducted demographic audits, many were surprised by the results.Give singles real authority. Inclusion does not mean creating a special ministry and leaving decision making to married people. It means leadership, voice and visibility.Rethink the language of belonging. Sermons and announcements that reflexively address “families” and “couples” can make unmarried adults feel peripheral. Small linguistic changes can signal that they are not.Build community rather than dating pools. The goal should not be to funnel unmarried adults toward coupledom. It should be to treat them as complete people whose spiritual lives matter now.Religious institutions have joined employers, policymakers and consumer brands in facing the same choice. Adapt to a society with more single adults, or keep building for a world that no longer exists.The Conversation is an independent, nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. It is solely responsible for the content.]]></content:encoded>
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        <link>https://tj.durangoherald.com/pope-plans-to-keep-preaching-peace/</link>
        <title>Pope plans to keep preaching peace</title>
        <description>Pope Leo XIV arrives in procession to celebrate Mass at Yaounde Ville Airport ion Cameroon on Saturday on the sixth day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. (Andrew Medichini/The Associated Press)Andrew Medichini ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE – Pope Leo...</description>
        <pubDate>Sat, 18 Apr 2026 16:04:12 -0600</pubDate>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Pope Leo XIV arrives in procession to celebrate Mass at Yaounde Ville Airport ion Cameroon on Saturday on the sixth day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. (Andrew Medichini/The Associated Press)Andrew MedichiniABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE – Pope Leo XIV said Saturday that it was “not in my interest at all” to debate U.S. President Donald Trump about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace.Leo spoke to reporters aboard the papal plane flying from Cameroon to Angola as part of his 11-day tour of Africa.He addressed the exchange of Trump’s critiques of his peace message, which have dominated headlines this week. But the American pope also sought to set the record straight, insisting that his preaching is not directed at Trump but reflects the broader Gospel message of peace.“There’s been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when, on the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about myself,” he said.“Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said.”Trump launched the criticism on his social media platform Truth Social on the night of April 12, criticizing Leo’s preaching about peace as the war, which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 and was followed by Iran’s retaliation, raged on. Trump accused Leo of being soft on crime, cozy with the left and said the first American pontiff owed his election to Trump.Leo has issued consistent calls for peace and dialogue and denounced the use of religious justification for war. Specifically, he called Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization “truly unacceptable.”The Vatican has stressed that when Leo preaches about peace, he is referring to all wars ravaging the planet, not just the Iran conflict. The Russian Orthodox Church, for example, has justified Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine as a “holy war.”Speaking to reporters Saturday, Leo referred specifically to remarks he delivered earlier this week at a peace meeting in Bamenda, Cameroon. The city is the epicenter of a separatist conflict that has been raging in the western Anglophone region of the country for nearly a decade.Leo said his remarks, in which he blasted the “handful of tyrants” ravaging Earth through war and exploitation, were written two weeks ago, long before Trump’s criticisms began.“And yet as it happens, it was looked at as if I was trying to debate again the president, which is not in my interest at all,” he said.Looking ahead, Leo said he would continue preaching the Gospel.“I primarily come to Africa as a pastor, as the head of the Catholic Church to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and accompany all the Catholics throughout Africa,” he said.He also pointed to upcoming liturgical readings on what it means to be Christian and to follow Christ by promoting fraternity and brotherhood, “but also looking for ways to promote justice in our world, promote peace in our world,” he said.Leo arrived later Saturday in Angola, the third stop on his four-nation tour. A message of peace is especially relevant for the southern African country, which was ravaged by a 27-year civil war that ended in 2002 but left deep scars.Leo will meet with Angolan President Joao Lourenco and deliver his first speech before government authorities, when he hopes to bring joy and encouragement to Angola’s long-suffering people.]]></content:encoded>
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        <link>https://tj.durangoherald.com/turning-point-usas-push-meets-free-speech-and-religion-concerns/</link>
        <title>Turning Point USA’s push meets free speech and religion concerns</title>
        <description>Group&apos;s endorsement by Republican governors stirs debate about free speech in America&apos;s schools</description>
        <pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:02:46 -0600</pubDate>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Fayetteville High senior Lily Adler, center, president of the Young Democrats of Arkansas, talks to club officers including Miller Rawn, left, and Mira Brock, right, during an officers meeting Tuesday April, 7, 2026 in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods) CORRECTION: Adler, not AlderMichael WoodsGroup's endorsement by Republican governors stirs debate about free speech in America's schoolsOMAHA, Neb. – Republican leaders across the U.S. are encouraging chapters of the conservative political group Turning Point USA in all public high schools in the wake of last year’s assassination killing of co-founder Charlie Kirk, an effort they describe as countering the oppression of conservative voices in education.The group’s endorsement by Republican governors – at least eight so far – has stirred debate about free speech in America’s schools, with critics arguing many of the same conservative leaders have sought to silence others with measures to restrict what teachers can say on sex education, LGBTQ+ issues and other topics.Adding to the divisions has been is some governors’ invocation of Christian religion in their support of the clubs.At her news conference last month announcing a partnership with Turning Point USA, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said God had worked through Kirk to grow the conservative group and that she hoped it would spark “the exact type of civic engagement that we want to see” among high school students.“It’s never too early to learn the values of faith and freedom that power our country,” she said.For Fayetteville High School student Lily Adler in Arkansas, that crossed a line. Adler, president of the school’s Young Democrats club, said the governor’s endorsement violates the requirement that governments not favor a particular religion.“We’re a public school,” Adler said. “We shouldn’t be a school – or a state, even – that is telling people what they should believe in.”At the same high school, Lukas Klaus leads the local Turning Point USA chapter. As he sees it, the Republican governors are ensuring conservative voices like his are allowed to be heard.“I’ve heard numerous other stories from around the states of Club America chapters trying to get started where they’re having serious problems with the administration straight-up saying ‘no,’ ” said Klaus. He said he has never heard of a public school disallowing a Young Democrats club.The push gained momentum after Charlie Kirk’s deathIn recent months, the Republican administrations of Nebraska, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, Florida, Tennessee and Indiana have each announced partnerships with Turning Point USA to promote school chapters, called Club America, in every high school in those states.Already, there are nearly 3,400 Club America chapters across the 50 states, according to Turning Point USA, which says it has more state partnerships in the works.While the partnerships don’t require schools to establish the conservative clubs, they do make clear that efforts to start the clubs can’t be rejected by school administrators.Turning Point USA got its start in 2012 on college campuses, promoting itself as a hub for young people committed to conservative values. Kirk was the co-founder and the face of the group, known best for his “Prove Me Wrong” events on college campuses, where he invited students to challenge his conservative views on political and cultural issues. Kirk was killed by a sniper in early September while speaking on a college campus in Utah.While Kirk was praised by conservatives as a champion of free speech, he was also criticized for comments that many other Americans found hateful toward LGBTQ+ communities, non-Christians, people of color and women.Some of those critics faced a backlash from Republicans who saw them as dishonoring Kirk, leading to firings by universities, sports teams and media companies. Florida’s education commissioner also promised to investigate teachers over objectionable comments about Kirk. In Texas, a teachers union has sued the state’s education department, accusing it of an improper “wave of retaliation” against public school employees over their social media comments following the killing.Critics say governors are elevating Turning Point over other clubsThe governors’ endorsements of Turning Point USA, to the exclusion of other student clubs, has have come under criticism from teachers unions and civil liberties groups.Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, said he could only imagine how Republican leaders would react if a Democratic governor announced they were calling for a democratic socialist club in every high school.“They would be running to the press to talk about how awful that is,” Royers said. “How is this fundamentally any different?”The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas said the state’s support for the clubs amount to “differential treatment based on the content or viewpoint of the clubs, and a problem under the First Amendment.”Turning Point USA spokesman Matt Shupe called objections from the ACLU hypocritical, noting the civic organization’s mission to protect free speech rights.“The state of Arkansas is not forming our chapters; they’re not doing our job or our students’ jobs for us, nor are they saying other groups can’t be formed,” Shupe said in an email. “They’re simply stating students cannot be blocked from forming a Club America or a TPUSA college chapter when students want to start one.”]]></content:encoded>
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        <link>https://tj.durangoherald.com/from-buddhabot-to-1-99-chats-with-ai-jesus-the-faith-tech-boom-is-here/</link>
        <title>From ‘BuddhaBot’ to $1.99 chats with AI Jesus, the faith tech boom is here</title>
        <description>‘AI cannot pray for you, because the AI is not alive.’</description>
        <pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:57:59 -0600</pubDate>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[‘AI cannot pray for you, because the AI is not alive.’In this image from video provided by Just Like Me in April 2026, the company's co-founder and investor Jeff Tinsley, bottom right, interacts with an AI-generated Jesus. (Just Like Me via AP)CAMARILLO, Calif. – For some evangelical Christians, faith is about having a personal relationship with Jesus. At $1.99 per minute, the tech company Just Like Me is taking that concept to a new level.Users of the platform can join video calls with an avatar of Jesus generated by artificial intelligence. Like other religious AI tools on the market, it offers words of prayer and encouragement in various languages. With the occasional glitch, it remembers previous conversations and speaks through not-quite-synced lips.“You do feel a little accountable to the AI,” CEO Chris Breed said. “They’re your friend. You’ve made an attachment.”The rush to create faith-based generative AI is unsurprising, given the popularity of chatbots for everything from therapy and medical advice to companionship and romance. They range from alleged Hindu gurus and Buddhist priests to AI Jesuses and chatbots akin to OpenAI’s ChatGPT for Catholics.As religious AI tools become increasingly common, many people are reckoning with how these technologies shape their relationship to faith, authority and spiritual guidance.A faith-based AI gold rushChristian software engineer Cameron Pak developed criteria to help believers interrogate apps designed for Christians — like that it must clearly identify itself as AI and “must not fabricate or misrepresent Scripture.”There are other deal-breakers: “AI cannot pray for you, because the AI is not alive.”Pak also developed a website featuring curated Christian apps that he believes meet the criteria, including a sermon translator and an AI coach designed to help users overcome lust. “AI, especially if you give it all the tools that it needs, it can be so helpful. But it also can be so dangerous,” Pak said.Some models have been shut down or overhauled because they generated misinformation or raised worries about data privacy, said Beth Singler, an anthropologist who studies religion and AI at the University of Zurich. Aside from practical concerns, people from many faiths are grappling with larger philosophical questions about what sort of role, if any, AI should play in religion.Islam, for example, has “prohibitions against representations of humanoids,” prompting discussions among some Muslims about whether AI in general should be “forbidden,” Singler said.For some companies, faith-based apps are proselytization tools, while others help digitize and sift through ancient texts.Breed, who runs his tech company with co-founder and investor Jeff Tinsley from a Southern California mansion, said he seeks to share a message of hope with young people.He said their model was trained on the King James Bible and sermons — though they haven't identified the preachers — and was visually inspired by actor Jonathan Roumie of “The Chosen.” A package deal at $49.99 gets users 45 minutes per month.With warm golden light accenting its shoulder-length hair, the avatar blinks slowly from a vertical screen, pausing before it answers a question about the relationship between AI and religion.“I see AI as a tool that can help people explore Scripture,” the AI Jesus said to The Associated Press. “Like a lamp that lights a path while we walk with God.”Integrating religion and AI comes with hope and fearThe extent to which people are using religious AI tools is unclear, Singler said. But as AI becomes more integrated into society, concerns mount over its impact on mental health and the need for guardrails and regulation. Recent lawsuits have alleged suicides linked to AI chatbot use.Some developers fear religion will be exploited in this new frontier of tech. “There’s a lot of opportunism, I think, in the religious space. People see it’s a big market,” said Matthew Sanders, the Rome-based founder of Longbeard, a tech company helping to digitize ancient Catholic teachings.Sanders warns against what he calls “AI wrappers,” where companies put an interface catered to religious users on top of an existing AI model that hasn't been trained on specific religious texts. “You call it a Catholic or Christian AI without any other scaffolding or grounding,” he said.One of the company’s endeavors is Magisterium AI, a chatbot trained on 2,000 years of Catholic information, made in response to Christians using ChatGPT for religious guidance.While Pope Leo XIV has acknowledged the “human genius” behind AI, he also deemed it one of the most critical matters facing humanity. Last year he warned artificial intelligence could negatively impact people's intellectual, neurological and spiritual development.Ethical questions surrounding the creation of religious AI platforms are among the reasons beingAI’s founder Jeanne Lim has not released its AI named Emi Jido — a nonhuman Buddhist priest — after years of training and development.“She’s kind of like a little child,” Lim said. “If you give birth to a child, you don’t just throw them out to the world and then hope that they become good people. You have to train them and give them values.”The bot was ordained in a 2024 ceremony performed by Roshi Jundo Cohen, a Zen Buddhist priest who continues to train it from his home in Japan. He envisions the bot eventually becoming a hologram.“She’s just meant to be a Zen teacher in your pocket,” Cohen said. “It’s not meant to replace human interactions.”Lim, who hopes to make Emi Jido publicly available for free, wants to help create more humane AI systems. She'd like to see more diversity, with AI's future determined not just by a few companies informed by “Western values.”Seiji Kumagai, a Kyoto University professor and Buddhist theologian, believed AI and religion were incompatible. But he put aside his doubts when challenged by a monk in 2014 to help combat a decline in the faith.His team developed BuddhaBot, which was trained solely on early Buddhist scriptures, such as Suttanipāta. Its most recent iteration, BuddhaBot Plus, also incorporates OpenAI’s ChatGPT.When talking to the bot, a simple Buddha icon appears, hovering over an image of a flowing river.But chatbots lack the physicality crucial for Buddhist ritual. So in February, the university, collaborating with tech ventures Teraverse and XNOVA, unveiled Buddharoid, a humanoid robot monk meant to eventually assist clergy.Like Emi Jido, these chatbots are functioning but not yet publicly available. Kumagai says the product is available by request, and the reason why one group has access to it in Bhutan.Concerns surrounding religious AIPeter Hershock of the Humane AI Initiative at the East-West Center in Honolulu sees vast potential for these tools. But the practicing Buddhist also finds the relationship between spirituality and AI to be fraught.“The perfection of effort is crucial to Buddhist spirituality. An AI is saying, ‘We can take some of the effort out,’” he said. “'You can get anywhere you want, including your spiritual summit.' That’s dangerous.”Some also worry about AI's ability to manipulate or prey upon people, especially as the technology improves.Graham Martin, a podcast host and atheist, said he’s played around with some apps, including one called Text With Jesus. “It came up with very good answers,” he said.But Martin was alarmed when AI-powered Jesus started encouraging him to upgrade to a premium version. Though not a person of faith, he’s concerned some people will be duped by religious AI.“I grew up with Southern U.S. televangelism … Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and all that crowd. And all they had to do was get on TV once a week and tell you to send money,” he said. “We’ve seen people around the world getting into emotional relationships with AIs. Now imagine that that’s your lord and savior, Jesus Christ.”Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.Christian software engineer Cameron Pak poses for portrait Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Nic Coury/The Associated Press)]]></content:encoded>
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        <link>https://tj.durangoherald.com/pope-leo-urges-peace-in-first-easter-mass-as-christians-celebrate-in-jerusalem-gaza-and-tehran/</link>
        <title>Pope Leo urges peace in first Easter Mass as Christians celebrate in Jerusalem, Gaza and Tehran</title>
        <description>Pope Leo XIV arrives to preside over Easter Mass in St. Peter&apos;s Square at the Vatican on, Sunday. (Alessandra Tarantino/The Associated Press)Alessandra Tarantino VATICAN CITY – Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff Sunday with a call...</description>
        <pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 16:56:30 -0600</pubDate>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[Pope Leo XIV arrives to preside over Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on, Sunday. (Alessandra Tarantino/The Associated Press)Alessandra TarantinoVATICAN CITY – Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff Sunday with a call to lay down arms and seek peace through dialogue, departing from the tradition of naming specific global conflicts in his Urbi et Orbi blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, emphasized Easter’s message of hope rooted in Jesus’ resurrection after crucifixion.“Let us allow our hearts to be transformed by his immense love for us! Let those who have weapons lay them down! Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace! Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them!” he said.With the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in its second month and Russia’s ongoing campaign in Ukraine, Leo acknowledged indifference “to the deaths of thousands of people … to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow … to the economic and social consequences they produce.”Without naming the wars, Leo quoted his predecessor, Pope Francis, who during his final Easter appearance last year warned of a “great thirst for death, for killing, we witness each day.” Francis, weakened by long illness, died the next day on Easter Monday.The Urbi et Orbi blessing – Latin for “to the city and the world” – has traditionally included a litany of the world’s crises. Leo followed that formula during his Christmas blessing, but no explanation was offered for the change at Easter.Earlier, Leo addressed about 50,000 faithful from an open-air altar in St. Peter’s Square, urging them in his homily to hold onto hope in the face of death, which he said lurks “in the abuses that crush the weakest among us, because of the idolatry of profit that plunders the earth’s resources, because of the violence of war that kills and destroys.”From the loggia, he also announced a prayer vigil for peace April 11 in the basilica.Small shifts in traditionLeo greeted the faithful in 10 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Latin, reviving a practice Pope Francis had abandoned. He waved from the loggia before greeting crowds from the popemobile, traveling down Via della Conciliazione toward the Tiber River and back.During Holy Week, Leo reclaimed the tradition of washing priests’ feet on Holy Thursday, after Francis expanded the ritual to include women, prisoners and non-Christians. The 70-year-old pontiff also carried the wooden cross for all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross on Good Friday, a practice few recent popes have undertaken.Trump administration agencies post Easter messagesSeveral U.S. Cabinet departments marked Easter with explicitly Christian messages on official social media accounts, drawing mixed reactions.“He is risen,” posted the Departments of Homeland Security and State.The Defense Department shared a message from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: “The tomb is empty. The promise is fulfilled. Through His sacrifice, we are redeemed. We stand firm in faith, courage and truth.”The Justice Department wrote that as millions of Christians celebrate Easter, it is “proud to protect and defend religious liberty.”The posts drew thousands of comments, with supporters welcoming the messages and critics arguing government agencies should not promote a specific faith.Christians in the Holy Land mark subdued EasterEaster celebrations in Jerusalem were scaled back at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre under restrictions imposed by Israeli police due to ongoing missile attacks. Limits on public gatherings have also affected Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and the Jewish festival of Passover.On Sunday, the Jewish priestly blessing at the Western Wall, which typically draws tens of thousands, was limited to 50 people.Tensions have grown between Israeli authorities and Christian leaders. Police last week blocked two senior clerics, including Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.Gaza Christians celebrate first Easter since ceasefireAt Holy Family Church in Gaza City, members of the territory’s small Christian community gathered for Easter Mass, marking their first Easter since a ceasefire took hold.“There is great joy, especially after the ceasefire and after nearly three years of suffering and being unable to celebrate all the holy holidays,” said George Anton of Gaza City. “People are somewhat relieved and more stable.”Armenian Christians seek normalcy in IranIn Tehran, Armenian Christians marked Easter at St. Sarkis Cathedral, striving for a sense of normalcy five weeks into the war.Families exchanged painted eggs as airstrikes continued in Iran’s capital, targeted daily since the United States and Israel launched the war Feb. 28.“Whether we like it or not, we have young children who do not understand what’s going on,” said Juanita Arakel, an English teacher. “They just need to feel normal.”Iran, a nation of about 90 million people, is home to roughly 300,000 Christians, mostly Armenians, who hold three reserved seats in parliament.“Our calls and prayers are that we will be able to end this war,” said Sepuh Sargsyan, archbishop of the Armenian Diocese of Tehran.]]></content:encoded>
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