A Prayer for the Tired

A new Pentagon office for soldiers' faith, and a bishop's farewell

The most far-reaching item came from the United States military. Religion News Service reported that a memo had announced the establishment of an Office of Religious Affairs, which it said would "oversee research, technology, and analytical tools to support and assess spiritual fitness, spiritual readiness, and spiritual resilience" of soldiers. Charisma News reported the same move, attributing the announcement to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and saying he described the office as giving military chaplains an advocate at the highest level. The two accounts agree on the fact of the office; they frame its purpose in the terms each outlet used.

Religion News Service also reported that Bishop Mariann Budde announced she will resign, while remaining in post during what the outlet called a lengthy replacement process. In an interview with Religion News Service, Budde said she intended to "do all that I can to both lead well in this period and to ensure that there's as much wind in the sails of the future leader and the diocese going forward as is humanly possible."

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