EVENT, 1-3 September 2026: 8th ICLARS Biennial Conference: State Neutrality and Cooperation with Religion: Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief without Discrimination (Palermo, Italy) (International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies)

EVENT, 30 August 2026: Festival of Faiths (Indianapolis, IN, USA)(Religious Freedom Alliance Council)

At U.N. event, international coalition calls for global moratorium on surrogacy (Bryan Lawrence Gonsalves, EWTN News)

Africa

Growing ‘goon’ violence against churches in Kenya worries clergy (Fredrick Nzwili, Religion News Service)

Kenya's Catholic Bishops urge respect for human life and national renewal (Rose Achiego Ande, Vatican News)

Nigeria: Urgent call for effective protection and inclusion to secure freedom of religion or belief, says UN expert (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)

Asia

Vietnam strengthens awareness of emerging belief and religious movements (Vietnam Net Global)

Religion in China: Tibetan Buddhism continues to flourish in Xizang (CGTN)

China pushes ahead with the Sinicization of Buddhism through its five-year plan (Bitter Winter)

Pakistani court acquits blind Catholic man in blasphemy case (Kamran Chaudhry, EWTN News)

Taliban morality police detain Afghan aid workers over beards (AFP)

Japan top court upholds order to dissolve Unification Church (Japan Times)

Cambodia’s Buddhist leaders honor Catholic bishop for decades of cooperation (Mark Saludes, Catholic World Report)

Middle East

Escalation of violations against Ashura manifestations in Bahrain: Continued restrictions on freedom of religion and belief (Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain)

Syria: Mob violence against groups linked to Assad era (Human Rights Watch)

As reports of anti-Christian incidents in Israel increase, advocates press police to act (Michele Chabin, Religion News Service)

State regulation and religious freedom: Poland June 2026 (International Center for Law and Religion Studies)

KAICIID marks Portugal’s National Day of Religious Freedom and Interreligious Dialogue (KAICIID Dialogue Centre)

UCCRO delegation meets with experts and European religious leaders in Brussels (Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

France, towards a new concordat? Miviludes signs an agreement with the UBF (French) (religactu)

CEC welcomes Ukrainian church leaders, reaffirms solidarity amid ongoing war (Conference of European Churches)

Fondation pour la Liberté de Religion et de Croyance supports Saint John Feast celebration at historic Italian abbey (Fondation pour la Liberté de Religion et de Croyance)

Faith leaders stand together against hate and intolerance (Trans-European Division of Seventh-day Adventists)

Counselling centres report surge in anti-Muslim hatred across Germany (Deutsche Presse-Agentur)

Student symposium: Religious freedom? (University of Cambridge)

U.K. PM Starmer leaves behind mixed record on antisemitism (Kelly Hartog, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Religious parents sue California school district for defying Supreme Court on parental rights (Becket)

Prayer never disappeared from public schools — but new laws could change its role (Cassidy Grom, Religion Unplugged)

'Soaked into the wood': A visit to the birthplace of religious liberty (Jason DeRose, NPR)

7th Circuit upholds alcohol ban as condition of supervised release for Messianic Jew (Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)

Is MLB's Pride controversy a First Amendment issue? What to know (BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today)

The US founders’ other revolutionary choice: Separating religion and government (Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation)

California advances two bills recognizing Jewish ethnicity, protecting community (The Jerusalem Post)

Landor v. Louisiana

Opinion: Landor v. Louisiana Dept of Corrections and Public Safety (Supreme Court of the United States)

ACLU statement responding to the Supreme Court ruling in case on religious freedom for incarcerated people (ACLU)

Court rules former Louisiana inmate cannot sue prison officials in religious dispute over long hair (Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)

What Christians should know about the Supreme Court’s ‘Landor’ ruling (Daniel Bennett, Christianity Today)