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.

San Diego Diocese offers prayerful accompaniment at immigration hearings

Clergy accompany migrants at a courthouse in San Diego. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Scott Santarosa

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 15, 2025 / 11:13 am (CNA).

A new initiative launched by the Catholic Diocese of San Diego and its interfaith partners is offering accompaniment and a spiritual presence for migrants and asylum seekers at their immigration hearings in Southern California.

The program — Faithful Accompaniment in Trust & Hope (FAITH) — was launched on Aug. 4 amid the increasing number of deportations within California and nationwide amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“They’re walking into a whole building and system that’s against them,” Jesuit Father Scott Santarosa, who is leading the FAITH program, told CNA.

FAITH is primarily led by three partners: the diocese, which sits right along the southern border; Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Parish in Barrio Logan, which is 15 miles from the border and of which Santarosa is the pastor; and the multifaith San Diego Organizing Project (SDOP).

The program enlists volunteers of several faiths to accompany people before, during, and after immigration court appearances. As of Aug. 14, about 100 people have signed up to volunteer from seven faith groups: Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Unitarian Universalists, Muslims, members of the United Church of Christ, and members of the Church of the Nazarene.

Santarosa said the main priority is to “be present accompanying migrants to court” and to “be a prayerful presence with them and for them.”

A person who is scheduled to appear at an immigration hearing can sign up to have a volunteer accompany him or her within the courtroom and, if he or she chooses, meet with a volunteer before or after the hearing to pray with or simply speak with the volunteer.

Santarosa said only 10-20 people awaiting hearings have signed up to meet up with volunteers over the last two weeks but added: “I think that number will go up — I hope it does.” He noted that if the volunteer is requested ahead of time, that volunteer will “have a little more standing in the eyes of the court … [and the judge] may allow us to sit in on a migrant’s case.”

At this stage of the program, most of the volunteers are attending in groups and then breaking apart to offer a presence at hearings that are open to the public. Some remain in the hallways, Santarosa noted, because Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is sometimes “waiting to arrest people whose cases have been dismissed.”

“Even when we don’t know the person … we’ve had people really express a lot of gratitude that we’ve been there,” Santarosa said.

Bishop Michael Pham and the diocesan auxiliary bishops are among the volunteers who have provided accompaniment at the courthouse.

Santarosa said a lot of volunteers speak Spanish and the program also has one volunteer who speaks Vietnamese and another, an imam, who speaks Arabic. He said he also hopes to find volunteers who speak Haitian Creole and others who speak Mandarin Chinese.

He noted that many people appreciate the ability to converse in their native language, noting that on the first day one person awaiting a hearing “didn’t have a lawyer and the imam stood up to talk with him … in one of his native languages and that was a comfort to him.”

Initiative inspired by the Gospel, diocesan incidents

Prior to launching the program, the diocese celebrated a Mass on June 20 for International Refugee Day, after which the bishop, some priests, and others went to the courthouse to offer accompaniment to people awaiting immigration hearings.

The diocese had a sign-up sheet for anyone who would like to volunteer to accompany migrants at the courthouse, which yielded about 100 signatures and ultimately led to the FAITH program.

When asked about the motivation for the initiative, Santarosa said it’s “not enough to just have thoughts and prayers” and that “Jesus expects us to actually take care of [people’s] physical needs.”

“I think there’s a … mandate in that Gospel that we need to put our faith into action,” he added.

Santarosa referenced Matthew 25: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,” which Jesus says to his disciples when speaking about those who will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me,” Jesus Christ says in the Gospel passage.

Santarosa also spoke about specific diocesan needs, noting that two parishioners have been deported within the past six months. He also personally accompanied one of his parishioners to two immigration hearings at her request and helped her get a lawyer to assist with filling out her asylum request paperwork.

Since the San Diego Diocese launched the program, Santarosa said other dioceses have reached out to ask for details about how to implement the program. He encouraged other dioceses to start similar programs, saying: “It’s really not that complicated” and “people of goodwill and the faithful” will volunteer.

“I think it’s a great thing for clerics, for [Church] leaders, and for laypeople to do,” Santarosa said.

Original Source:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265971/san-diego-catholic-diocese-offers-prayerful-accompaniment-at-immigration-hearings