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Pilgrims arrive in Mecca for downsized hajj

Last month, Muslim pilgrims arrived in Mecca for a drastically scaled-down hajj, as Saudi authorities balanced the kingdom’s oversight of one of Islam’s key pillars with the safety of visitors in the face of a global pandemic.

The hajj, which ran from July 29 to August 2, is normally one of the world’s largest global gatherings, drawing about 2.5 million people for five intense days of worship.

New survey: people are reading the Bible less during the pandemic

People may be reading the news and “doomscrolling” through social media during the coronavirus pandemic.

But what they don’t appear to be reading is the Bible.

That’s according to the tenth annual State of the Bible survey, released July 22 by the American Bible Society.