Thursday's News & Ideas - 1/30/2025

Chaos for millions in HIV/AIDS treatment program in Africa* 
Christianity Today: A stop in all of PEPFAR’s work shuttered clinics this week. Then, a welcome exemption for “life-saving” treatment left organizations uncertain. 
Religion News Service: Suspending PEPFAR: An emergency of our own making

In congregations, fear, misinformation and preparation after ICE policy change* 
The Christian Century: After the Trump administration promised to end a policy preventing ICE from arresting immigrants at houses of worship, schools and hospitals, church attendance took a hit. But so far there has only been one arrest at a house of worship reported.

Catholic church in the Philippines accused of impunity over priest abuse* 
The New York Times: A watchdog group, Bishop Accountability, said it had found scores of clerics with ties to the country who have been publicly accused of sexual abuse. But very few have been disciplined.

How joy turned to horror as Kumbh Mela festival crowd crush unfolded 
The Guardian: This year’s event, heavily promoted by India’s ruling party, continues despite deaths of at least 30 people.

St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull just went on tour — here’s what the medieval saint himself would have said about its veneration 
The Conversation: The last time his skull went on tour, thousands of Catholics came to pay homage. Christians should venerate relics, Aquinas says, because the saints’ bodies were dwelled in by God. The very parts of their bodies were the instruments, or “organs,” of God’s actions.

The Spark

The Doomsday Clock has never been closer to metaphorical midnight. What does it mean?
The ominous metaphor ticked one second closer to midnight this week. The clock now stands just 89 seconds away — its first move in two years and the closest the clock has come to midnight in its nearly eight-decade history, writes NPR.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers