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

Locals call for prayer as 70 bodies found in Democratic Republic of Congo church after attack

North and South Kivu have been embroiled in armed conflict for years. / Credit: MONUSCO/Clara Padovan

ACI Africa, Feb 23, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Locals at a village in the embattled North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are appealing for prayers after approximately 70 bodies were found inside a church building in the village.

Local sources contacted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International said the killings took place between Feb. 12 and Feb. 15 in Maiba, a village in the eastern region of the DRC. 

In a report that ACN published on Feb. 21, the sources said that on Feb. 12, rebels from an Islamist terrorist group, originally from Uganda, entered the village and took approximately 100 people hostage.

The sources recounted that on Feb. 15, about 70 bodies were discovered inside a Protestant church. 

“Many of them had been bound and some beheaded. Among the victims were women, children, and the elderly,” said the source, which ACN did not identify for fear of reprisals from the many armed groups that operate in the region.

“It is likely that these victims were unable to resist or endure the forced march, because when the rebels take hostages, they make them travel with them, either as reinforcements for their group or as forced labor for the war effort,” the source is quoted as telling ACN. 

According to the source, abductors force people to carry the loot after raiding villages.

“If you get tired on the way, you’re done,” the source told ACN. “I believe that is what happened to these 70 people.”

According to the same sources, the Maiba massacre was carried out by the armed Islamist group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which operates in Uganda and the DRC and has terrorized the local population for over a decade.

“The Islamic groups have stepped up their attacks and raids in remote villages, killing thousands of Congolese civilians. Before they used to be in other areas, but now it is Lubero which is being attacked,” the local source told ACN.

The source shared that fear has gripped the village because the residents believe that the terrorists have local collaborators who facilitate their operations.

This Maiba massacre comes at a very delicate time for the region, given the worsening of the humanitarian situation in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, which have seen heavy terrorization by another armed group, the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.

Reportedly supported by neighboring Rwanda and the Congolese armed forces, the M23 has taken important cities and outposts in the region, including Goma and Bukavu, amid heavy fighting.

ACN’s local sources have expressed fear that over the next few days, M23 will take Butembo, North Kivu’s second-largest city, as it did Goma and Bukavu.

“We are living through very, very difficult times. We are expecting the rebels to enter the city any moment now, as they are only 70 kilometers [about 44 miles] away from here. There is a lot of psychological suffering in Butembo, because the war is literally at our door. We have seen how other regions were overrun by chaos, and now it seems it is our turn,” the source is quoted as saying.

The source concluded with a call for prayers, imploring: “Let us pray. Prayer is what keeps our hope alive amidst this situation we are living through.”

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Original Source:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262381/locals-call-for-prayer-as-70-bodies-found-in-democratic-republic-of-congo-church-after-rebel-attack