In Jerusalem, a team has restored the shrine that is believed to hold the tomb of Jesus Christ. The team cleaned and reinforced the shrine, called the Edicule, located in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians believe that the Edicule houses the cave where Jesus was buried and then was resurrected. Listen to learn more about the Edicule and the effort to restore it.
Story Length: 2:57
Socrative users can import these questions using the following code: SOC-1234
October 26, 2015
2:24
Religious diversity is under threat in the Middle East according to a new report by the U.S. State Department. The threat is coming mainly from ISIS. The report recounts the ways ISIS, or the Islamic State, is threatening and attacking Christians and other minority groups. The State Department says these groups are being targeted, sold into slavery or killed. Some want the US. to call these attacks genocide. The U.S. has a special team working on this, acknowledging there is no magic button to fix these issues. Listen to hear about these increased attacks on religious diversity and what it means for the future of the Middle East.
Read MoreSeptember 21, 2015
5:25
Pope Francis, the worldwide leader of the Catholic Church, is visiting New York, Philadelphia, and Washington DC this week. He is expected to speak about immigration reform. Many Catholic churches in the U.S. were originally established by European immigrants and are now relying on newer immigrants to America to keep them open. As the number of American born Catholics has dropped, the number of immigrants have increased. More than a quarter of the Catholics in America today were born outside of the U.S. and Hispanics and Asians are keeping Catholic churches vibrant. Listen to hear how the Catholic parishes are being replenished.
Read MoreFebruary 4, 2015
3:55
The militant group ISIS has displaced Christians from Northwestern Iraq in their quest to create an Islamic state. This displacement has threatened the community and its ancient heritage. A group of monks in Iraq have saved a library of ancient Christian manuscripts from destruction. Listen to learn more about this community and their rescue mission.
Read MoreNovember 20, 2014
3:53
In 1967, a brief war between Israeli and Palestinian forces led Israel to capture the Old City of Jerusalem, which included the holy of sites in both Jewish and Muslim religions. The Temple Mount has become a point of tension among Israeli and Palestinian communities. From who can visit and pray there to who controls the space, this is igniting conflict as right wing Jewish politicians fight for more control and access to the site.
Read More