1+ week, 4+ day ago   (803+ words) (ANALYSIS) Hundreds of pilgrims traveling to Mount Kailash were among those affected by devastating floods that struck the Nepal–Tibet border on Aug. 26. The floods destroyed the border crossing most commonly used to reach what is arguably the most revered…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (350+ words) Most practicing Jews in the United States fall into one of three categories. 

 There are the Orthodox Jews, who are committed to following Jewish law to the letter and who uphold all the traditions set by rabbis over the centuries....

2+ week, 3+ day ago   (719+ words) (TRAVEL) I recently returned from leading an educational program in Thailand focusing on how Buddhists practice the religion in their day-to-day lives. The participants — Buddhist practitioners from North America and Europe — wanted to deepen their understanding and practice of the…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago   (841+ words) (ESSAY) Before a shrine of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha lay a white Spitz, her lifeless body wrapped in a gold “dharani blanket” covered in Sanskrit and Chinese. To the left, a wall was stocked with Buddhist and Taoist offerings, to be burned....

3+ week, 2+ day ago   (496+ words) (ANALYSIS) Cardinals, archbishops and bishops have many ways to communicate with Vatican officials, and even with the pope himself, outside of occasional personal meetings. In the digital age, one blunt way to reach Pope Leo XIV is to write a…...

1+ mon, 3+ day ago   (1614+ words) TAYBEH, West Bank — On hills just east of Ramallah is the village of Taybeh. Its population has fallen to 1,200 today, while more than 80% of the town's sons and daughters now live abroad. What sets Taybeh apart from every other village…...

1+ mon, 5+ day ago   (526+ words) Pope Leo is expected to receive a warm welcome when he travels to three Latin American countries in November. Leo, who spent two decades serving the Catholic church in Peru, is expected to visit the diocese he led in Chiclayo,…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago   (751+ words) Every year, millions of pilgrims walk from the deserts of southern Iraq to the holy city of Karbala for Arbaeen, one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world. In 2026, pilgrims will converge on Karbala on Aug. 5. Arbaeen falls 40 days…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago   (1028+ words) (ANALYSIS) I joined members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement at Chatter Park in Hong Kong on May 13, 2000, as they celebrated World Falun Dafa Day. The annual event commemorates the anniversary of the day the group claims its leader, Li…...

1+ mon, 3+ week ago   (1073+ words) Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is one of Africa’s most religious nations. Around 90% of the population identifies as Christian, but faith in the kingdom is far from uniform. Christianity in Eswatini often blends with traditional Swazi beliefs, creating a spiritual…...