A still-unidentified assailant entered the cathedral’s Blood of Christ chapel and threw an explosive device. Flames engulfed the chapel, severely charring a 382-year old image of the crucified Christ.
Religious Freedom
Posted inFaith, Faith and Reason
The government can’t intervene, so how should Catholics solve employment disputes?
The ministerial exception gives Catholics the freedom to self-govern—not an excuse for discrimination
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Why you shouldn’t dismiss Mike Pompeo’s report on human rights
Critics warned Secretary Pompeo’s religious freedom agenda would reverse 200 years of progress on human rights. But his commission has issued a consensus document.
Posted inFaith, News
French police suspect arson was cause of fire at Nantes cathedral
Although more than 100 firefighters contained the blaze within two hours and stopped it from spreading to the main body of the church, a 17th-century choir organ at the west end of the building was destroyed with much of the choir area and multiple stained-glass windows.
Posted inNews Analysis, Politics & Society
How we got here: The saga of the Little Sisters of the Poor and the birth control mandate
Justice Clarence Thomas’s majority opinion is a decisive win for religious rights advocates, but it may not be the last chapter in this story.
Posted inEditorials, Politics & Society
The ministerial exception is good law—but no excuse for indiscriminate firing by Catholics
The editors of America have weighed in on these cases in previous editorials, which offer some helpful perspective.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Are Nigeria’s Christians the target of a genocide?
Increasingly brutal attacks on Christian villages have been explained as the result of conflict over diminishing resources.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Ruling in Montana case called welcome victory for religious freedom
Religious liberty advocates believe that the latest Supreme Court decision will finally banish the hated 19th-century Blaine Amendments for good.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
Archbishop Wenski: Supreme Court decision on aid to religious schools is a blow against anti-Catholicism
The Supreme Court decision is a major win for school choice advocates and the church’s efforts to serve poor and marginalized communities, writes Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
State Department report says China among worst offenders of religious freedom
The Chinese government recognizes five official religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism and Catholicism. Members of each of these religious groups must register before they can participate in religious services.