Religions Around The World

In the early morning hours, monks can be seen walking on their alms round in Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Showing humility and detachment from worldly goods, the monk walks slowly and only stops if he is called. Standing quietly, with his bowl open, the local Buddhists give him rice, or flowers, or an envelope containing money.  In return, the monks bless the local Buddhists and wish them a long and fruitful life.
Christians Celebrate Good Friday
Enacting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in St. Mary's Church in Secunderabad, India. Only 2.3% of India's population is Christian. 
Ancient interior mosaic in the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora
The Church of the Holy Saviour in Istanbul, Turkey is a medieval Byzantine Greek Orthodox church.
Dome of the Rock located in the Old City of Jerusalem
The site's great significance for Muslims derives from traditions connecting it to the creation of the world and to the belief that the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey to heaven started from the rock at the center of the structure.
Holi Festival in Mathura, India
Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the end of winter. Also known as the “festival of colors”,  Holi is primarily observed in South Asia but has spread across the world in celebration of love and the changing of the seasons.
Jewish father and daughter pray at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel.
Known in Hebrew as the Western Wall, it is one of the holiest sites in the world. The description, "place of weeping", originated from the Jewish practice of mourning the destruction of the Temple and praying for its rebuilding at the site of the Western Wall.
People praying in Mengjia Longshan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan
The temple is dedicated to both Taoism and Buddhism.
People praying in the Grand Mosque in Ulu Cami
This is the most important mosque in Bursa, Turkey and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture built in 1399.
Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of the Savior Monastery of St. Euthymius
Located in Suzdal, Russia, this is a church rite of sanctification of apples and grapes in honor of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Fushimi Inari Shrine is located in Kyoto, Japan
It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. Fushimi Inari is the most important Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.
Ladles at the purification fountain in the Hakone Shrine
Located in Hakone, Japan, this shrine is a Japanese Shinto shrine.  At the purification fountain, ritual washings are performed by individuals when they visit a shrine. This ritual symbolizes the inner purity necessary for a truly human and spiritual life.
Hanging Gardens of Haifa are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel
They are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel. The Shrine of the Báb is where the remains of the Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh in the Bahá'í Faith, have been buried; it is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís.
Pilgrims praying at the Pool of the Nectar of Immortality and Golden Temple
Located in Amritsar, India, the Golden Temple is one of the most revered spiritual sites of Sikhism. It is a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to worship God equally. Over 100,000 people visit the shrine daily.
Entrance gateway of Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple Kowloon
Located in Hong Kong, China, the temple is dedicated to Wong Tai Sin, or the Great Immortal Wong. The Taoist temple is famed for the many prayers answered: "What you request is what you get" via a practice called kau cim.
Christian women worship at a church in Bois Neus, Haiti.
Haiti's population is 94.8 percent Christian, primarily Catholic. This makes them one of the most heavily Christian countries in the world.

World Religions News

Pope Leo XIV brings about unity in the Syro-Malabar Church

The major archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church, Raphael Thattil. / Credit: Syro-Malabar Church

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 28, 2025 / 16:23 pm (CNA).

The Holy See Press Office has published a series of decisions by Pope Leo XIV to bring about unity in the Syro-Malabar Church of India, which has been at serious risk of schism in recent years due to liturgical disputes.

The Syro-Malabar Church is one of the 23 Eastern Churches in full communion with the bishop of Rome and follows the Chaldean liturgical tradition. It is the largest Eastern Church after the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and its origins date back to the preaching of St. Thomas the Apostle.

Since 1999, the Church has undergone a long period of division as a result of liturgical reforms that were later confirmed by the synod of the Syro-Malabar Church in 2021.

In July, Pope Leo XIV terminated the 2023 appointment of Archbishop Cyril Vasil’ as papal delegate to the Syro-Malabar Church after an internal agreement was reached without his mediation.

Appointments of new bishops

The Vatican reported Aug. 28 that it had accepted resignations, made several episcopal appointments, and created several ecclesiastical provinces in the Syro-Malabar Church.

First, the synod of bishops of the Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Church accepted the resignation of the bishop of Belthangady, Mar Lawrence Mukkuzhy, and elected as new eparch Claretian Father James Patteril, “to whom the Holy Father had granted prior assent,” according to information provided by the Holy See.

Patteril, 63, is a native of Mangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka. He professed his vows in the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1988 and was ordained a priest in 1990.

After completing his studies in philosophy and theology, he was sent to Germany to study pastoral theology at the Pastoral-Theologisches Institut of the Pallottine Fathers in Friedberg. He has exercised his pastoral ministry in India and Germany.

Carmelite Father Joseph Thachaparambath has been elected bishop of the Eparchy of Adilabad. Born in 1969 in Nalumukku, India, he entered the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate congregation in 1985.

After completing his studies in philosophy and theology, he was ordained a priest in 1997. His pastoral work has focused on parish life and teaching at various educational institutions within his religious institute. Since 2023, he has served as superior of the Mar Thoma Province.

His Beatitude Mar Raphael Thattil, major archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, with the consent of the synod of bishops, has accepted the resignation of Thomas Elavanal of the Missionary Congregation of the Most Holy Sacrament as bishop of the Eparchy of Kalyan.

New ecclesiastical provinces of the Syro-Malabar Church

Regarding the territorial organization of the Syro-Malabar Church, the Holy See has announced the establishment of several ecclesiastical provinces and the assignment of the corresponding metropolitan archbishops.

The ecclesiastical province of Faridabad will be composed of the dioceses of Faridabad, Bijnor, and Gorakhpur. The Diocese of Faridabad will become an archdiocese, with its current bishop, Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, designated as archbishop.

The ecclesiastical province of Kalyan will have the Eparchies of Chanda and Rajkot as suffragans, with Kalyan remaining as the archiepiscopal see. Its first archbishop will be Sebastian Vaniyapurackal, currently bishop of the Major Archiepiscopal Curia.

The ecclesiastical province of Shamshabad, named after the see that is being elevated to a metropolitan archdiocese, will have the Eparchy of Adilabad as its suffragan. Its first archbishop-designate will be Bishop Prince Antony Panengaden, currently the prelate of the same see.

Ujjain is the fourth ecclesiastical province created, taking its name from the Diocese of Ujjain. Its suffragan sees are Jagdalpur, Sagar, and Satna. The current bishop of Ujjain, Sebastian Vadakel, a member of the Missionary Society of St. Thomas the Apostle, was appointed metropolitan archbishop.

Finally, the Eparchy of Hosur has been designated a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archeparchy of Trichur.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Original Source:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266235/pope-leo-xiv-brings-about-unity-in-the-syro-malabar-church