Thursday’s News & Ideas - 7/17/2025
- Attack on Gaza’s Catholic church
- Some refugees allowed entry
- Resisting deportations
- Global caregiving crisis
- Iranian Christian persecution
- Reading Tolstoy in prison
Israeli strikes kill 22 in Gaza, two die in church late pope often spoke to
Reuters: Israeli forces killed at least 22 people in attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including two people who died in a strike on a church that late Pope Francis used to speak to regularly, medics and church officials said.
Religion News Service: Attack on West Bank Christian town stirs calls for Israeli government to curb settler violence
Judge orders government to admit more refugees whose flights were canceled
Religion News Service: According to the government, as many as 12,000 refugees had made travel plans to the U.S. before the refugee freeze. They may all press their case now.
Inside the grassroots fight against Trump’s deportation machine*
Rolling Stone: Armed with phone cameras and training, these groups stand between immigrants and ICE.
The great global caregiving crisis
Deseret News: The U.S. is aging into a caretaker shortage. So is the rest of the world.
At least 21 Christians arrested in Iran under ceasefire, heightened persecution
Baptist Press: Iran is increasingly persecuting Christians under its ceasefire with Israel, arresting at least 21 believers, raiding house churches and promoting incendiary propaganda, according to religious freedom advocate Article 18.
The Spark
Teaching men who will never leave prison
In a maximum-security facility* in upstate New York, students tackled Samuel Richardson’s “Clarissa” and Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” They found a sense of purpose that transcended ordinary coursework, writes Brooke Allen for The New Yorker.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
