Wednesday's News & Ideas - 7/27/2022
- COVID relief available
- Interfaith group promotes gun control
- Indigenous priest welcomes Pope
- Bishop to meet abuse victim
- Architecture as sacred work
- What is it like to be an octopus?
Federal program could provide relief to COVID-ravaged churches
Baptist News Global: Many U.S. churches utilized the Payroll Protection Program, or PPP. But fewer congregations and other nonprofit organizations have been as quick to tap into an additional provision of the CARES Act of 2020, designed to maintain staffing levels during challenging economic times.
An interfaith group in Oregon is behind one of nation’s strictest gun control measures
Religion News Service: “Never underestimate what can come from a church basement, a synagogue, a mosque or a temple,” said the Rev. Mark Knutson, senior pastor of Augustana Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon.
Priest with indigenous roots becomes symbol of Pope’s Canada journey
Crux: The Rev. Cristino Bouvette’s father is a member of the Cree-Metis people and his mother is Italian. Thus, he was chosen to become a bridge between the Vatican and First Nations of Canada. He’s the national liturgical coordinator of the pope’s visit, and the motto of his life could be the same as the trip’s – “Walking together.”
Religion News Service: Who is St. Anne and why is she so important to indigenous peoples?
Albany bishop to 'walk with' alleged clergy abuse victim
(Albany) Times-Union: Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger has agreed to meet on the steps of the church where the man said he met the former priest who abused him as a boy. The encounter was arranged after the alleged victim, Stephen Mittler, wrote a letter inviting officials with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany to follow through on their pledge to "walk with the survivors."
The prodigal architect: Finding the sacred in a profane life
Mockingbird: We are all gifted by God with the burden of knowing the possibilities of what we can make. Whether it’s the farmer’s diligence, the musician’s ear, or the accountant’s mind, those gifts define our mission in life. For architects, the ability to create shape and space in the service of buildings is just our burden and gift, writes Duo Dickinson.
The Spark
The mysterious inner life of the octopus
Octopuses are problem-solvers, mischief-makers and notorious escape artists. They also appear to have a rich inner life, the BBC says. So what is it like to be an octopus?
