Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Weekly Highlight #198: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions: Resilience and reopening
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Monday, 21 March 2022
Churches can move ahead on damage claims against county for its COVID orders
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
UK: Law and religion round-up – 20th March
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
UK: COVID-19: Church of England guidance update
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Friday, 18 March 2022
Virus pushes 4.7 million Southeast Asians into extreme poverty
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Conscience, virtue, and moral concerns about COVID vaccines
(Columba Thomas, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Wednesday, 16 March 2022
Catholic Bishops fail in defending conscience
(Bernadette Ward, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Kenya: Churches to resume full capacity as interfaith council lifts restrictions
(Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Weekly Highlight #197: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions: Faith and COVID-19: Resource repository
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Friday, 11 March 2022
Army grants first religious waiver for soldier seeking coronavirus vaccine exemption
(Corey Dickstein, Stars and Stripes)
Pentagon asks Supreme Court to lift injunction barring vaccine mandate for military personnel, plus developments in other vaccine mandate cases
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Religion, politics, and public health: A toxic combination
(Barbara Pfeffer Billauer, The American Council on Science and Health)
Indonesia: Ministry to issue circular on worship in places of worship
(Antara News)
Some churches take virtual worship all the way, ditching buildings entirely
(Diana Kruzman, Religion Unplugged)
Sister Dierdre “Dede” Byrne sues Washington, DC, over health worker COVID-19 vaccine mandate
(Thomas More Society)
Wednesday, 9 March 2022
Can churches be protectors of public health?
(Andrew Gardner, The Conversation)
Weekly Highlight #196: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions: Alliances, Novavax, freedom of religion or belief and burials
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
UK: COVID-19: Guidance from the Church in Wales
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
EEOC issues updated guidance regarding religious objections to COVID-19 vaccine requirements
(Aimee Bierman and Tracy Thomas Boland, JD Supra)
Canada: "And yet..." Regarding Canada Bill C-229, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (banning symbols of hate)
(James Christie, Viewpoints: A blog of the G20 Interfaith Forum)
Monday, 7 March 2022
‘Arbitrary, unscientific, and irrational’: D.C. families seek exception to mask mandate in Catholic schools
(Jack Butler, National Review)
UK: COVID-19: transitioning from emergency measures in Wales
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
UK: Law and religion round-up – 6th March
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Friday, 4 March 2022
Court rips DoD in military case
(Liberty Counsel)
Wednesday, 2 March 2022
Indiana Senate backs narrower bill on vaccine limitations
(Tom Davies, Associated Press)
Canada: Ontario judge dismisses churches' challenge against COVID-19 rules
(Noushin Ziafati, CBC News)
Canada: Southwestern Ont. churches lose court challenge over COVID-19 restrictions
(CTV News)
Lent 3.0: Third Lent in pandemic offers chance for spiritual reset, healing
(Carol Zimmermann, Catholic News Service)
Weekly Highlight #195: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions: Focus on COVID-19 shifts with geopolitical developments
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Nepal: Devotees crowd Nepal temple as COVID-19 cases decline
(Associated Press)
Air Force reservist with religious objection to covid vaccine wins injunction
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
5th Circuit upholds injunction against vaccine mandate for Navy Seals with religious objections
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Church openings approach pre-pandemic levels, but attendance levels stall, survey says
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
UK: COVID-19 legislation and guidance update, March
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
UK: COVID-19 and Lent: into a third year
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Monday, 28 February 2022
Researchers estimate 5.2 million children orphaned during pandemic
(Dennis Sadowski, Catholic News Service)
Ash Wednesday returns to Philippine churches
(Joseph Peter Calleja, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Catholic school parents ask D.C. mayor to drop mask mandate for religious schools
(Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times)
Saudi Arabia allows vaccinated children under age 7 to enter Two Holy Mosques
(Tala Michel Issa, Al Arabiya)
Conscientious objection to vaccinations against covid?
(Grégor Puppinck, The European Centre for Law and Justice)
Friday, 25 February 2022
New lawsuit challenges CT repeal of religious exemption for school vaccines
(Julia Bergman, CT Insider)
Faith communities see urgent challenges and opportunities as children lose parents and caregivers to COVID-19
(Gerard J. McGlone and Katherine Marshall, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Could Novavax win over some religious vaccine skeptics?
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
For clergy, COVID-19 has brought both burnout and breakthrough
(Elizabeth E. Evans, Religion News Service)
Weekly Highlight #194: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions: Misinformation in Africa; declining church attendance
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
UK: Lifting COVID-19 restrictions in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland: update
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Air Force officers sue over religious exemption denials
(John Seewer, Associated Press)
Perspective: The sustaining power of faith in times of crisis
(Gérald Caussé, Deseret News)
Monday, 21 February 2022
Bill to consider churches essential in emergencies advances
(Associated Press)
5th Circuit: United Airlines employees irreparably injured by religious coercion over COVID vaccine
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Court grants preliminary relief to service members in Navy SEAL 1 case
(Liberty Counsel)
Supreme Court denies injunction as school system postpones vaccine mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Canada: They’re targeted by Canada’s far-right. So why did they join the ‘freedom convoy’?
(Pallavi Pundir, VICE)
Canadian trucker protests echo U.S. Christian nationalism? Press says 'yes'
(Bobby Ross Jr., GetReligion)
UK: Law and religion round-up – 20th February
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Friday, 18 February 2022
Canada: COVID restriction protests affecting Church in Canada
(John Lavenburg, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
US military has approved religious exemptions to vaccine mandate for 15 service members out of 16,000 requests
(Oren Liebermann and Ellie Kaufman, CNN)
Wednesday, 16 February 2022
Weekly Highlight #193: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions: Tackling polarization through dialogue and collaboration
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Air Force officer gets injunction against required COVID vaccine
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Officer wins first-in-the-nation injunction against Air Force enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandate
(Thomas More Society)
Monday, 14 February 2022
Supreme Court rejects NYC teachers’ religious exemption appeal over vax mandate
(Jesse O'Neill, The New York Post)
Many faith leaders wary of religious exemptions for vaccine
(David Crary and Peter Smith, Associated Press)
Vaccine mandates: Many US faith leaders wary of religious exemptions for vaccine
(David Crary and Peter Smith, Sight)
Are vaccine exemptions actually religious?
(Russell P. Johnson, Sightings - The University of Chicago Divinity School)
Unvaccinated medical workers turn to religious exemptions
(Heather Hollingsworth, Associated Press)
UK: Law and religion round-up – 13th February
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
GOP bill aims to halt government restrictions on houses of worship during a public health crisis
(Liam Adams, The Tennessean)
India, COVID-19, and religious secularism
(Daanyal Ebrahim, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Friday, 11 February 2022
62% of white Evangelicals have had at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine: poll
(Ryan Foley, The Christian Post)
Bill would let unvaccinated WVa workers get unemployment
(Leah Willingham, Associated Press)
Orthodox Jewish families & Catholic businessman sue New York mayor over unconstitutional vaccine passports
(Tom Ciesielka, Thomas More Society)
UK: COVID-19 legislation and guidance update, February
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Wednesday, 9 February 2022
Weekly Highlight #192: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions: Fighting for the vulnerable, adapting rituals, and caring for the dead
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Canada: Quebec bishops lament government’s COVID vaccine passport for mass attendance
(Jonah McKeown, National Catholic Register)
February 2022 newsletter
(The Association of Religion Data Archives)
Monday, 7 February 2022
Francis Collins on COVID-19 politics: ‘The culture war is literally killing people’
(Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service)
UK: Article 9 and the COVID-19 lockdown in England: Hussain again
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Friday, 4 February 2022
Movsesian on courts’ responses to COVID restrictions
(Mark Movsesian, Law and Religion Forum, St. John's Law School Center for Law & Religion)
Court grants service members emergency relief in Navy SEAL 1 v. Biden
(Liberty Counsel)
Wednesday, 2 February 2022
Weekly Highlight #191: COVID-19: Exploring faith dimensions: Never-ending COVID-19 pandemic as Groundhog Day ad infinitum
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Italy military chaplain hits back at vaccine-mandate critic
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
Arizona lawmakers look to curb government’s emergency powers
(Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press)
UK: COVID-19: Church in Wales guidance updates
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
China: On Lunar New Year, Chinese pray outside shut temples
(Sam McNeil, Religion News Service)
China: On Lunar New Year, Chinese offer prayers at temples
(Sam McNeil, Associated Press)
Monday, 31 January 2022
Canada: Charter challenge by 2 Ontario churches opposed to public health restrictions gets underway Monday
(Kate Dubinski, CBC News)
Court refuses to enjoin medical campus' vaccination mandate
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Pope Francis calls access to accurate information on coronavirus vaccines ‘a human right’
(Maria Luisa Paul and Adela Suliman, The Washington Post)
Peter’s Pence donations fell by around 15% in 2021, says Vatican
(Catholic News Agency)
Vatican projects budget deficit for 2022 as pandemic continues
(Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service)
Religious disbelief: Paladino coasts to religious accommodation after refusing to show vax proof
(New York Daily News)
Friday, 28 January 2022
World remembers Holocaust as antisemitism rises in pandemic
(Vanessa Gera and Samuel Petrequin, Associated Press)
Mississippi bill sets religious exemption on COVID vaccine
(Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press)
The religious leaders caught in the vaccine wars
(Mansee Khurana, The Atlantic)
Would you change your religion for a religious exemption to the covid-19 vaccine?
(Dwight M. Kealy, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Religions for Peace and United Religions Initiative sign a memorandum of understanding
(Religions for Peace)
Wednesday, 26 January 2022
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, UN rights chief says COVID-19 conspiracies blaming Jews abound
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Navy SEALs seek to make vax challenge a class action
(Katie Buehler, Law 360)
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