The U.S. State Department often misses its deadline to release a list of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom — or doesn’t release a list at all.
Religious Freedom
Posted inFaith, News
Chinese officials pay poor to swap religious images for portraits of Xi Jinping
Father John, in northern China, said he felt Xi had become “another Mao” Zedong.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Supreme Court to hear case on free speech, abortion and crisis pregnancy centers
It will be the first abortion-related case heard by the court with Neil Gorsuch on the bench.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
What is the future of religious minorities victimized by ISIS?
“The international community must respond to the outrages systematically committed by Daesh with a rock-solid resolve to prevent similar future abominations from recurring.”
Posted inFaith, News
Family looks for answers after Christian boy beaten to death in Pakistan
The student charged in his death now awaits trial, but police are not calling the attack a hate crime.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
‘Peace Cross’ deemed unconstitutional, court rules.
Chief justice: the ruling “confuses maintenance of a highway median and monument in a state park with excessive religious entanglement.”
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Groups settle in lawsuit against HHS contraceptive mandate
Cardinal Wuerl: the legal agreement provides a “level of assurance as we move into the future.”
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Trump administration expands exemptions on contraceptive mandate
Religious groups that had opposed the mandate were pleased with the administration’s action.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Congressman urges action to aid Christians in Iraq
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith said that IS militants began committing genocide against Yezidis and Christians in Iraq in 2014, and “three years later, they are still not receiving the assistance they need from the United States and so their survival in their ancient homelands is in jeopardy.”
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Christians should return to Iraq as full citizens after being driven out by ISIS, cardinal says
About 100,000 Christians — among them more than 60,000 Syriac Catholics — were expelled from the Ninevah Plain by the Islamic State group in the summer of 2014 as the militants campaigned to expand their reach into Iraq.