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Hello World of Faith readers,  

This week, we explore the legacy of Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who survived the 2018 synagogue attack in Pittsburgh. We also look at how the Vatican is defending its secrecy in a sensitive sex-abuse case, and why "reverent irreverence" works for artists who blur irony, sincerity and religion.

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life congregation holds a bouquet of flowers while at his retirement dinner celebration at the Rodef Shalom congregation in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

RABBI RETIRES

Eight years after deadliest antisemitic attack in US history, Tree of Life rabbi bids farewell

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers is retiring from Tree of Life congregation in Pittsburgh, where he led the community through the aftermath of the 2018 antisemitic attack that killed 11 worshippers. Myers, who struggled to pray after the tragedy, found solace in the Book of Psalms. He plans to return to New Jersey to be near family and focus on personal healing. Read more.

Key points:

• During his tenure, Myers helped the congregation navigate the trial of the gunman, the pandemic, and planning for a new building. Members praise his leadership and dedication. The new building, including a memorial, is expected to open in 2028.
  
  
• Myers grew up in New Jersey and sang as a boy soprano in his synagogue choir. By his mid-teens, he was leading that choir and developing his distinctive high tenor voice — one that, in 2018, was heard worldwide as he sang the traditional prayers of mourning.
  
  
• Sabbath services had just begun that Saturday morning in 2018. After hearing gunfire in the lobby, Myers urged worshippers to flee if they were able — and those who were frail to lie down or hide. He hid in an upstairs bathroom as he heard gunshots ring out.

• Join AP journalists Peter Smith and Jessie Wardarski, who covered the shooting and the community's recovery, for a Live Q&A on AP News. The discussion starts at 10:30 a.m. ET on July 24 (today).

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Faith lifted Pittsburgh Jews in long wait for massacre trial
• Pittsburgh synagogue gunman will be sentenced to death for the nation’s deadliest antisemitic attack
• Ceremony marks start of rebuilding for Pittsburgh synagogue targeted in antisemitic mass shooting

VATICAN TRIAL

Vatican defends secrecy in sensitive abuse case involving ex-Jesuit artist Marko Rupnik

The Vatican has confirmed that a church trial against a famous ex-Jesuit priest accused of spiritual and sexual abuse of women is ongoing and defended the secrecy of the proceeding as necessary. An Italian blog had reported that an acquittal verdict was reached in the case against the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik, a Slovenian artist whose mosaic designs decorate Vatican chapels and churches around the world. The Vatican press office said the report was “totally unfounded.” Read more.

Why this matters:

• The Rupnik scandal exploded publicly in 2022, when Italian blogs first reported claims by women and nuns of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse by Rupnik dating back to the 1990s that had been consistently dismissed by the Catholic hierarchy.
  
  
• Amid the #MeToo reckoning about adult sexual abuse in the church, the Rupnik case has become one of the most sensitive matters for the Holy See. There have been suggestions that Rupnik was protected for decades by his Jesuit superiors and the Vatican hierarchy, up to and including the Jesuit Pope Francis.
  
  
• The Jesuits expelled Rupnik from their order in 2023 and Francis, under pressure because of suggestions he had protected the priest, waived the statute of limitations on the older claims so that the Vatican could open a proper canonical trial.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Woman who says she was abused spiritually and sexually by a once-famous Jesuit demands transparency

• Vatican law criminalizes abuse of adults by priests, laity 

• Supporter defends expelled Jesuit priest against ‘lynching’, says abuse claims unproven

RELIGIOUS HUMOR

Pop culture’s 'reverent irreverence': How artists blur irony, sincerity and religion

Indie artist Alex Cameron has sparked curiosity with a song about Jesus, blending humor and sincerity. During a concert in Los Angeles, he sang lyrics that mixed absurdity with earnestness, reflecting a trend sometimes dubbed “reverent irreverence.” This approach is becoming more common as people explore belief and meaning outside traditional religion. Read more.

Key points:

• This phenomenon of irony collapsing into sincerity is being interpreted by some as a way for younger generations to grapple with ritual, meaning and authenticity, even as participation in organized religion in the United States has dropped dramatically in recent decades.
  
  
• When religion is invoked by comedians or artists whose work is assumed to be funny, it can have a distinct appeal to people who see themselves as impervious to the cultural and political associations with traditional faiths.
  
  
• Although Cameron didn’t grow up going to church, he has tried to make a habit of it as an adult. “Magic is real and God is real,” he says.