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Pope Francis became the first Roman pontiff to visit Iraq when he embarked on his March 5–8 apostolic visit. There, he visited its diminishing Christian community and spoke with political and religious representatives from different faith groups and denominations, including prominent Muslims.

The book The Last Girl, by Nobel Peace Prize–winner Nadia Murad, which describes the suffering of the ethnic Yazidi people following the 2014 occupation of northern Iraq by the so-called Islamic State, “provided the background for the decision,” he said.

Traditionalists committed to leaving the United Methodist Church have chosen “Global Methodist Church” as the name for the denomination they plan to launch.

“The primary mission of the Global Methodist Church will be to make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and witness boldly,” said Keith Boyette, chair of the transitional leadership council that is helping to guide the new denomination.

But the official start and legal organization of the Global Methodist Church may be more than a year and a half away.

Waya Brown, barefoot and clad in a flicker-feather headdress and red-tailed hawk cape, waved a handful of feathers toward the ground.

Brown, who is Apache and Pomo, twirled in a circle as he blew a double cane whistle.

His father rattled a bamboo stick and sang in the Pomo language, while his aunt pounded on a deerskin drum. His sister and cousins danced in place as they all blessed the ground and those surrounding the circle.

The Presbyterian Histori­cal Society has embarked on a collaborative effort to create a digital archive of more than 1,600 pages of womanist theologian Katie Geneva Cannon’s personal records.

Working alongside the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leader­ship at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, and the Cannon family, PHS—which serves as the national archives for the Presby­terian Church (USA)—hopes to create a single, online location where people can find Cannon’s writings, interviews, and records.

The US Supreme Court is reviving a lawsuit brought by a Georgia college student who sued school officials after being prevented from distributing Christian literature on campus.

The high court sided 8–1 with the student, Chike Uzuegbunam, and against Georgia Gwinnett College. Uzuegbunam has since graduated, and the public school in Lawrenceville, Georgia, has changed its policies. Lower courts said the case was moot, but the Supreme Court disagreed.

Cornel West is rejoining the faculty of Union Theological Seminary, where he started his teaching career more than 40 years ago.

The move comes after West threatened to leave Harvard University, which he said denied his request to be considered for tenure, according to media reports.

West has been granted the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union, named in honor of the German theologian who attended the seminary in 1930, the seminary said in a statement on March 8.

Washington National Cathedral an­nounced on March 10 that it has chosen Jon Meacham as its first canon historian, a role that is part of a cathedral initiative that will turn part of a long-vacant building into its new College of Faith and Culture.

Meacham, an Epis­­copalian, is a former Newsweek editor in chief and a Pulitzer Prize–winning nonfiction writer, best known for his biographies of American presidents and other historical figures, such as civil rights icon John Lewis.

For nearly three decades, millions of evangelical Chris­tian women have read Beth Moore’s Bible studies and flocked to hear her speak at stadium-style events where Moore delves deep­ly into biblical passages.

Then along came Donald Trump.

Because of her opposition to Trump and her outspokenness in confronting sexism and nationalism in the evangelical world, Moore has been labeled as “liberal” and “woke.” She’s even been called a heretic for daring to preach a sermon during a Sunday morning church service.

Alabama is amending its lethal injection procedures to allow a condemned inmate to have his spiritual adviser in the execution chamber, state lawyers wrote in a February 25 court filing.

The move comes after the US Su­preme Court sided with Alabama inmate Willie B. Smith III, who had sought to have his pastor in the chamber. Alabama had previously argued that only prison staff should be allowed in the chamber for security reasons.

A grant program for rural United Methodist Churches in North Carolina aims to help congregations see their food pantry ministries within the larger picture of hunger in America.

The project, called Come to the Table, offers mini-grants of up to $1,000 to rural Methodist churches in North Carolina that are providing nutrition assistance to food-insecure families. It’s funded through the Duke Endowment.