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By Holly Meyer and David Crary |
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By Holly Meyer and David Crary |
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Greetings, World of Faith readers.
This week, the AP brings you an update on the remarkable changes in two Arizona-Utah border towns after a polygamous religious sect lost its power. The first female archbishop of Canterbury was confirmed. And in Cuba, priests and priestesses are turning to Afro-Cuban deities for help easing tensions with the U.S. |
In this Sept. 26, 2015, file photo, community members from Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., attend a memorial service in Hildale for the victims of a flash flood. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) |
Towns once run by Warren Jeffs' polygamous sect emerge from court supervision transformed |
Two neighboring towns on the Arizona-Utah border that once served as a haven for a polygamous religious sect have entered a new era. Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, were once controlled by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Read more.
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The changes to the towns came after the sect’s leader and prophet, Warren Jeffs, was imprisoned for sexually assaulting girls he considered brides, most followers moved away and religious influences were excised from the local governments and shared police force.
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Restrictions imposed by religious leaders were lifted, and the towns were released from court supervision last summer, nearly two years earlier than expected.
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The prairie dresses, walled compounds and distrust of outsiders that were once hallmarks of the two towns are mostly gone. These days, Colorado City and Hildale look much like any other town in this remote, picturesque area near Zion National Park, with weekend soccer games, a few bars, even a winery.
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Sarah Mullally confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury, first woman to lead the Church of England |
There is a new archbishop of Canterbury. Sarah Mullally walked into St. Paul’s Cathedral this week as the bishop of London. When she walked out, she was the spiritual leader of millions of Anglicans around the world and the first woman to fill the role. The worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the U.S., has no formal head. The archbishop traditionally has been seen as its spiritual leader, though not all members believe women should serve as bishops. Read more.
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The Church of England ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015. The church traces its roots to the 16th century when the English church broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the reign of King Henry VIII.
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Mullally’s appointment may deepen rifts within the Anglican Communion, whose 100 million members in 165 countries are deeply divided over issues such as the role of women in ministry and the treatment of LGBTQ people.
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On March 25 at Canterbury Cathedral, Mullally will be formally installed as bishop of the diocese of Canterbury in a ceremony marking the beginning of her new role. After that, her public-facing ministry begins.
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Cuba's Santeros offer gifts and ask deities for peace as tensions rise with US |
Priests and priestesses of the Afro-Cuban religion known as Santería have offered gifts to deities and asked for peace as tensions rise between the United States and Cuba and the island braces for more economic difficulties. Read more. |
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Several leading figures in the Santeria community prayed for the “spiritual healing” of the Cuban people and an end to the violence and conflicts that, according to their predictions in late December, would characterize this year.
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They chanted in an ancient language brought to the island by enslaved Africans and passed down orally. African and Spanish traditions syncretized, giving rise to Cuba’s strong Afro-Cuban identity.
- Cuba is currently experiencing a radical tightening of U.S. sanctions, strangling its economy to pressure for a change in its political system, and U.S. President Donald Trump has directly threatened the island.
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