Like their ancient ancestors, contemporary Mandaeans revere John the Baptist and consider baptism the most important of their religious rituals. Hadi Mizban/AP James F. McGrath, Butler University In March 2021 Pope Francis became the first leader of the Roman Catholic Church to visit Iraq. The number of Christians in Iraq has fallen sharply in the past two decades amid mass …
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Hagia Sophia controversy goes beyond Muslim-Christian tensions to treatment of ‘paganism’
Muslims offer their prayers during the Eid al-Adha prayer, backdropped by Hagia Sophia, July 31, 2020. Some believe the building stands on an ancient pagan site. (AP Photo/Yasin Akgul) Ehaab D. Abdou, Wilfrid Laurier University and Theodore G. Zervas, North Park University The recent uproar from within Turkey and globally about changes to Hagia Sophia — a 1,500-year-old UNESCO World …
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