Thursday’s News & Ideas - 7/2/2026

PCUSA, American Academy of Religion call Gaza war a genocide
Religion News Service: The largest Presbyterian denomination in the US and the American Academy of Religion both referred to Israel’s war in Gaza as genocide in new resolutions condemning the war.

From prayer circles to sujood, religion is all over the 2026 World Cup*
The Christian Century: When Lamine Yamal, Spain’s teenage star, dropped to his knees after scoring at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, he wasn’t just celebrating a goal, he was performing sujood.

Vatican declares Society of St. Pius X in schism, excommunicates bishops
NPR: The Vatican responded aggressively Thursday to a traditionalist society that consecrated bishops without the pope’s consent, declaring the Society of St. Pius X in schism, excommunicating its bishops and priests and warning its faithful they too face the harshest sanctions in the Catholic Church.

After nearly a century, Los Altos’ Maryknoll Seminary sells for $43M
Palo Alto Online: A century-old Catholic seminary overlooking Interstate 280 in Los Altos has sold for $43 million, marking a new chapter for one of the Peninsula’s most distinctive hillside landmarks.

‘Techno in a monastery – are you ready?’ The Greek priest whose doom metal album is the year’s hippest record
The Guardian: His church thinks electric guitars are the devil’s work. But Father Tabakis is on a mission to change that with “Paradise Metal,” a religious dubstep album.

The Spark

How Mexico’s World Cup run brought a small Oregon town to life
From the beginning, many of the Bracero workers played soccer when they weren’t working in fields and forests. It helped close the distance between their new home and the one they left behind.

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