Thursday's News & Ideas - 7/27/2023

Sinead O’Connor, evocative and outspoken singer, is dead at 56*
The New York Times: She broke out with the single “Nothing Compares 2 U,” then caused an uproar a few years later by ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II on “S.N.L.”
Al Jazeera: Sinead O’Connor’s Muslim identity missing in obituaries, some fans say

From apps to labyrinths, walking gained as a spiritual tool in COVID-19 crisis
Religion News Service: How the creator of a new walking app, a co-founder of a decades-old walking group and a new generation of labyrinth enthusiasts turned to walking for spiritual renewal.

Portugal is starting the atoning process for clergy sex abuse. Here’s what other countries have done
The Associated Press: The Catholic Church in the United States, Australia and some other countries began coming to terms with their clergy sexual abuse legacies years ago and set up mechanisms to compensate victims

Media still question whether Trump’s Christians are ‘real’ Christians
Religion Dispatches: For Donald Trump’s Christians, there is no difference between religion and politics. They’re not pretending otherwise. The rest of us shouldn’t either.

New museum on faith in England hopes to buy Henry VIII tapestry from Spain
The Guardian: A work described as the “birth certificate of the Church of England” could form the centerpiece of the Faith Museum in Durham.

The Spark

The nuclear bomb’s enduring, evolving place in pop culture
The bomb has haunted pop culture since the Cold War. But it’s different now, Vox says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers