Thursday's News & Ideas - 7/14/2022

Life in Lviv: Ukrainian priest on funerals, food aid and prayers for victory
Religion News Service: The Rev. Oleksiy Zavada, a Ukrainian Catholic priest, describes how life in western Ukraine carries constant reminders of the realities of war on the front lines.
New York Times: Priests once aligned with Russia come under suspicion in Ukraine*

Akron faith community calls for 'unity' in gathering for Jayland Walker
Akron Beacon Journal: It was a call for unity, with an emphasis on faith, as hundreds packed The Remedy Church in Akron for a "unity gathering to foster community healing." The tone was in contrast to recent protests over the police shooting of Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man.

Three churches in Bethesda vandalized, two of them set on fire*
Washington Post: Three churches in Bethesda were vandalized, and two of them were also set on fire over the weekend in incidents that authorities think are connected.
The Catholic Telegraph: Pastor of Catholic church in Bethesda, Maryland, describes arson, desecration of tabernacle

Christianity and poetry*
First Things: Poetry is not merely important to Christianity. It is an essential, inextricable, and necessary aspect of religious faith and practice. The fact that most Christians would consider that assertion absurd does not invalidate it, writes poet Dana Gioia.

Photos: Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha
Al Jazeera: Millions of Muslims around the world celebrate the festival that marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

The Spark

The robot guerrilla campaign to recreate the Elgin Marbles
Oxford researchers hope to resolve a long-running dispute between Britain and Greece with a robot that can create copies of large historical objects.* In June, the robot began carving a highly detailed copy of one of the Parthenon marbles on display at the British Museum: a life-size head of a horse.

*Access is limited for non-subscribers.