RELIGION HEADLINES MON 9-22-25

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(SRN NEWS)-

(  )  Pope Leo is trying to thread the needle on homosexuality.  In his first interview since becoming pope, Leo said that LGBT people are welcome in the Catholic Church, but that it is highly unlikely that the church’s core doctrine about sexuality would change anytime soon.  Earlier this month, the Vatican hosted a Holy Year pilgrimage that included several LGBT Catholic organizations.  Last week, traditionalist Catholic groups announced a petition asking Leo to reaffirm the perennial teaching of the church on sexuality “in the face of the brazen offensive of those who demand the moral legitimization of homosexual relationships and unions.”

(  )  Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed a law intended to curtail abortion pills, but at least one provider plans to keep shipping them into the state.  Angel Foster, who runs Massachusetts-based The MAP, which prescribes the drugs to women in every state, says her organization will keep doing business in Texas.  The Map has shipped abortifacients to about 10,000 Texas women in the past two years.  The new law takes effect in three months. It lets anyone file lawsuits against those involved in providing the pills in the state.  Plaintiffs who win the suits collect as much as 100,000 dollars in damages.

(  )  Jews around the world begin marking the High Holy Days today (Monday).  Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown and runs through Wednesday.  Jewish people will visit their local synagogues for community, for prayer, and to hear the arresting sound of the shofar.  Beyond marking the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah also commemorates the world’s birthday, the creation of humans, and the sovereignty and majesty of God.  And it kicks off the annual 10-day period of reflection that culminates in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, whose last moments are also marked by the shofar’s call.

(  )  Florida is setting the tone for a number of conservative states when it comes to social issues.  In 2022, Florida became the first state to prohibit classroom instruction on sexuality or so-called “gender identity topics” from kindergarten through third grade.  By 2024, a growing list of at least 20 states, including Alabama and Indiana, had followed Florida’s lead.  Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has also set his sights squarely on eliminating Critical Race Theory from the public schools.  Since 2021, approximately 30 states, including Texas, Idaho, Tennessee and Montana, have also banned CRT.