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

Trump picks several Catholics for Cabinet: Kennedy, Rubio, Stefanik, Ratcliffe

Left to right: John Ratcliffe, Marco Rubio, Elise Stefanik, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. / Credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Image; MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images; Jason Mendez/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 18, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen several Catholics to serve in his Cabinet and other parts of his administration, including environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., three-term Sen. Marco Rubio, and Rep. Elise Stefanik.

The 45th and soon-to-be 47th president made more than a dozen announcements within 10 days of his electoral victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. Many of his Cabinet nominees and other administration official picks have yet to be announced.

Among the Catholics Trump has chosen for his Cabinet are Kennedy, who was nominated to be the secretary of Health and Human Services; Rubio as secretary of state; Stefanik as ambassador to the United Nations; and John Ratcliffe, nominated as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

These four Cabinet-level positions require Senate confirmation. 

Trump also announced he will appoint Tom Homan as the “Border Czar,” a position that does not require Senate confirmation. Homan is a Catholic and was previously the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the president-elect’s first administration.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and the son of former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, was nominated by Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees 10 agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to public health,” Trump said in his announcement. “... HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in the country.”

A lifelong Democrat before launching an independent bid for president of the United States during the 2024 election, Kennedy dropped out of the race in August and endorsed Trump after the former president promised him a health-related role. He is Catholic and credits “a profound spiritual enlightenment” for his recovery from drug addiction in his early adulthood. However, he deviates from Church teaching on life by supporting legal abortions.

Kennedy has been critical of the childhood vaccine schedule. Kennedy has said he would not “take vaccines away from anybody” as secretary of Health and Human Services but that he would promote more inquiry into side effects. He has long been critical of large pharmaceutical companies influencing regulations and the impact that processed food has on the nation’s health.

“I look forward to working with the more than 80,000 employees at HHS to free the agencies from the smothering cloud of corporate capture so they can pursue their mission to make Americans once again the healthiest people on Earth,” Kennedy said in a statement.

Marco Rubio

Trump nominated Rubio, a one-time rival for the presidency, to serve as secretary of state.

“Marco is a highly respected leader and a very powerful voice for freedom,” a statement from the Trump transition team read. “He will be a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.” 

Rubio has served as a senator from Florida since 2011 and was previously in the Florida House of Representatives. His parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba. He was raised in the Catholic faith at an early age, but his family began attending a Mormon church during his childhood before returning to Catholicism. Although the senator is Catholic, he sometimes attends a Baptist church with his wife. 

“As secretary of state, I will work every day to carry out [Trump’s] foreign policy agenda,” Rubio said in a statement after the announcement. “Under the leadership of President Trump, we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else.”

Rubio has historically supported a hawkish foreign policy, which is at times at odds with Trump’s campaign rhetoric that is skeptical of American involvement in foreign wars. In recent years, however, he has moved closer to Trump’s view on foreign policy. He was initially in favor of the United States providing aid to Ukraine but voted against the most recent aid bill.

Elise Stefanik

The president-elect nominated Stefanik to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, which primarily represents American interests in the international organization. 

“[Stefanik] was the first member of Congress to endorse me and has always been a staunch advocate,” Trump said in a statement. “... [She] led the charge against antisemitism on college campuses. She will be an incredible ambassador to the United Nations, delivering peace through strength and America First national security policies.” 

Stefanik is the chair of the House Republican Conference, which makes her the fourth-ranking Republican in the chamber. She will be replaced by Rep. Lisa McClain in this role. Stefanik is a strong and vocal supporter of Israeli military action in the Palestinian Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon. She is Catholic and is opposed to abortion but supports same-sex marriage. 

“The work ahead is immense as we see antisemitism skyrocketing coupled with four years of catastrophically weak U.S. leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of both allies and adversaries,” Stefanik said in a statement.

“I stand ready to advance President Donald J. Trump’s restoration of America First peace through strength leadership on the world stage on Day 1 at the United Nations,” she said.

Stefanik, like Rubio, has historically been more hawkish on foreign policy but has moved closer to Trump’s views of late. She initially backed American aid to Ukraine but later opposed it. She has previously supported Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

John Ratcliffe

Ratcliffe, who briefly served as the director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and is a former congressman, will head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 

“From exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation to catching the FBI’s abuse of civil liberties at the FISA court, John Ratcliffe has always been a warrior for truth and honesty with the American public,” Trump said in a statement. “When 51 intelligence officials were lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop, there was one, John Ratcliffe, telling the truth to the American people.”

Like Rubio and Stefanik, Ratcliffe has also been historically hawkish. He has been strongly critical of Chinese officials and Iran. He has criticized the Biden administration for not providing more intelligence and military aid to Israel. 

Original Source:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/260527/trump-picks-several-catholics-for-cabinet-kennedy-rubio-stefanik-ratcliffe