Yearender 2019: Best images of religion from around the world

Pope Francis and Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb kiss each other after signing a document on fighting extremism, during an inter-religious meeting at the Founder's Memorial in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 4, 2019.

Hindu devotees sit together on the floor of a temple to observe Rakher Upabash, in Narayangonj near Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 5, 2019.

A child dressed as Hindu Lord Krishna poses during the festival of Janmashtami, marking the birth of Hindu Lord Krishna, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 23, 2019.

Smoke rises around the altar in front of the cross inside the Notre Dame Cathedral as a fire continues to burn in Paris, France, April 16, 2019.

Palestinians break their fast by eating iftar meals during the holy month of Ramadan, near the rubble of a building recently destroyed by Israeli air strikes, in Gaza City, May 18, 2019.

Participants dressed in traditional attire pose for pictures during rehearsals for Garba, a folk dance, in preparations for the upcoming Navratri, a festival during which devotees worship the Hindu goddess Durga, in Ahmedabad, India, September 25, 2019.

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish boy dances around a bonfire as he celebrates the Jewish holiday of Lag Ba'Omer in the city of Ashdod, Israel May 22, 2019.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man inspects a palm frond used in rituals during the upcoming Jewish holiday of Sukkot in Ashdod, Israel October 10, 2019.

Haitians bathe during the celebration of the annual pilgrimage to the waterfall in Saut D'Eau, Haiti, July 16, 2019.

Buddhist monks pray at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple during a ceremony to commemorate Makha Bucha Day outside Bangkok, Thailand February 19, 2018.

Vehicles are stuck as Muslims perform Friday prayer on the road during the Biswa Ijtema in Dhaka, Bangladesh February 15, 2019.

A devotee smokes as he waits to perform during the annual Hindu festival of Gajan on the outskirts of Agartala, India, April 13, 2019.

New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern leaves after the Friday prayers at Hagley Park outside Al-Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand March 22, 2019.

Afghan girls cover their faces as they ride on swings during the first day of the Muslim holiday of the Eid Al Adha, in Kabul, Afghanistan August 11, 2019.

A girl reacts next to Pope Francis as he leads the weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, August 21, 2019.

A Tibetan monk walks along an alley in Labrang Monastery ahead of "Sunbathing Buddha Festival", in Xiahe county, Gansu Province, China February 15, 2019.

Members of 'Light of the World' congregation pray for their leader Joaquin Garcia, who was arrested in California and charged with crimes, in Guadalajara, Mexico August 14, 2019.

A devotee attends the religious tattoo festival at Wat Bang Phra Monastery, where devotees believe that their tattoos have mystical powers, in Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand, March 16, 2019.

A sacrificial cow is lowered from a rooftop by crane, ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Karachi, Pakistan, August 4, 2019.

Worshippers gather around candles stuck to jars with honey during a religious mass to mark the day of Saint Haralampi, the Orthodox patron saint of beekeepers, in the church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria February 10, 2019.

Police officers hold a revolver as they offer prayers to their weapons as part of a ritual at their headquarters on the occasion of Dussehra, or Vijaya Dashami, festival in Ahmedabad, India, October 8, 2019.

A follower blows smoke from a cigar on a statue of La Santa Muerte (The Saint of Death), a cult figure often depicted as a skeletal grim reaper, as part of a cleansing ritual in Tepito neighbourhood, in Mexico City, Mexico January 1, 2019.

A woman rides a horse through flames during the annual "Luminarias" celebration on the eve of Saint Anthony's day, Spain's patron saint of animals, in the village of San Bartolome de Pinares, northwest of Madrid, Spain, January 16, 2019.

Nidhi Bhattacharjee, 5, dressed as a Kumari, yawns as she is worshipped by Hindu priests as part of a ritual during the Durga Puja festival celebrations in Agartala, India, October 6, 2019.

Visitors release paper lanterns during a ceremony on Vesak Day at the Borobudur temple in Magelang, Central Java province, Indonesia, May 19, 2019.

Hindu women worship the sun god in the polluted waters of the river Yamuna during the Hindu religious festival of Chhath Puja in New Delhi, India, November 3, 2019.

A woman reacts as senior members of the Apostles Of Muchinjikwa Christian church baptize members during a mass Baptism (Jorodhani) on the beachfront on Southend-on-Sea, Britain, August 25, 2018. Members of the church travel to Southend-on-Sea from all over the country, some from as far as Scotland, to join members from London, Leeds and Leicester for an annual ceremony.

Boys who are experiencing the lives of Buddhist monks by staying in a temple for two weeks as novice monks, enjoy a ride at Everland amusement park in Yongin, South Korea, May 2, 2019.

Disabled children cover each other in coloured powder during Holi celebrations in Mumbai, India March 19, 2019.

Masaichi Kawasaki, 69, a descendant of 'Hidden Christians', crosses himself as he chants 'orasho' in front of an altar adorned with a statue of the Virgin Mary during a ceremony to mark the eve of the birth of the Virgin Mary at his home on Ikitsuki Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, November 5, 2019. Japan's "Kakure Kirishitan," or "Hidden Christians," preserved their faith in secret during centuries of persecution. "I worry that what my ancestors worked hard to preserve will disappear, but that is the trend of the times," said Kawasaki. "I have a son but I don't expect him to carry on," he added. "To think this will disappear is sad, without a doubt."

Worshippers react as they take part in the Christian Orthodox Holy Fire ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City April 27, 2019.

A family prays near the ruins of a headless Buddha statue, which has resurfaced in a dried-up dam due to drought, in Lopburi, Thailand August 1, 2019.

Miguel Hurtado, 36, who says he was sexually abused at the age of 16 by a Benedictine monk from Montserrat Abbey in Catalonia, poses for a portrait in Madrid, Spain, January 25, 2019. "For me, the worst part were not the abuses, but the Church covering it up," Hurtado said. He said his abuser, 50 years his senior, touched his genitals under the pretext of telling him masturbation was wrong, and tried to tongue-kiss him, which left him "petrified, without knowing what to do".

A view of the damage at St. Sebastian Catholic Church, after bomb blasts ripped through churches and luxury hotels on Easter, in Negombo, Sri Lanka April 22, 2019.

President Donald Trump stands on stage as Pastor David Platt prays for him at the McLean Bible Church, in Vienna, Virginia, U.S., June 2, 2019.

Men swim to retrieve a cross from the water during Epiphany Day celebrations in Visegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, January 19, 2019.

Miniature replica buildings stand at Holy Land USA, a now-closed theme park inspired by Bible passages and locales, in Waterbury, Connecticut, October 4, 2019.

A Muslim man looks at the broken window inside the Al-Masjidul Hudha mosque after a mob attack in Kottampitiya, Sri Lanka May 14, 2019.

Muslims perform Umrah around the holy Kaaba at the Great Mosque during the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 26, 2019.

Orthodox Christians carry an icon of the Virgin Mary during a parade marking Easter near Bachkovo monastery, Bulgaria, April 29, 2019.

A Naga Sadhu or a Hindu holy man arrives to take part in a religious procession ahead of the "Kumbh Mela", or the Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, previously known as Allahabad, India, January 4, 2019.

A man takes a dip in icy water during celebrations for the Orthodox Epiphany in the settlement of Shimsk in Novgorod region, Russia, January 18, 2019.

Penitents of La Paz (The Peace) brotherhood make their way to a church before taking part in a procession during Holy Week in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain April 14, 2019.

A woman prays next to Notre Dame Cathedral after it suffered heavy damage from a fire, in Paris, France April 15, 2019.

Pope Francis greets wellwishers during a Holy Mass at Nagasaki Baseball Stadium, in Nagasaki, Japan, November 24, 2019.