Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 16 May 2025
India: Fact-finding teams expose violence against Christians in Indian state of Odisha
(Vishal Arora, Religion Unplugged)
Decades after massacres, Zimbabwe’s churches confront their role in forgiveness and justice
(Calvin Manika, Religion Unplugged)
Malaysian court stops Muslim man’s return to Christian faith
(Joseph Masilamany, Union of Catholic Asian News)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest May 01 – 15
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Russia: A Jehovah’s Witness was sentenced to five and a half years in prison
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Church of England Bishops join senior faith leaders in urging Prime Minister to rethink migration rhetoric
(The Church of England)
RFI leads training session on religious freedom law and policy for U.S. Army War College
(Religious Freedom Institute)
The international community must not allow the Nigerian government to fail Leah Sharibu any longer
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Video: How common are spiritual beliefs in the U.S.?
(Pew Research Center)
Brazil: Bembé do Mercado, the largest street candomblé in the world, celebrates respect for religious freedom (Portuguese)
(Agencia Gov)
New Times: Portugal is not a secular country, but a non-confessional State (Portuguese)
(Sérgio Carvalho, Noticias de Fatima)
Colombia: District invites journalists to join the Media Circle for Religious Freedom (Spanish)
(Secretaría Distrital de Gobierno de Bogotá)
President Donald Trump names advisory board members to the Religious Liberty Commission
(The White House)
Archons spearhead religious freedom proclamation in New Hampshire State Senate
(Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Rokita, Beckwith release Indiana’s ‘Churches’ Bill of Rights’
(Fox 59)
Thursday, 15 May 2025
WRITING COMPETITION, deadline 15 May 2025: Church, State & Society
(Program on Church, State & Society, University of Notre Dame Law School)
CALL FOR PROPOSALS, abstracts due 15 May 2025: Intermediate Actors and Religious Accommodations
(International Journal for Religious Freedom)
Wednesday, 14 May 2025
WEBINAR, 14 May 2025: Notes from the Field: Studying the Nexus of Religion, Gender, and Populism from a Global Perspective
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
USCIRF calls on Trump Administration to secure FoRB commitments from Qatar
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Employees' suit against school board for denying religious exemption from covid vaccine moves ahead
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Letter from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe on Episcopal Migration Ministries
(The Episcopal Church)
In India, controversial law threatens Muslim property
(Tarushi Aswani, Foreign Policy)
India-Pakistan conflict risks deepening religious tensions
(Mahima Kapoor, Deutsche Welle)
Yeshiva University reverses itself and bans L.G.B.T.Q. club
(Liam Stack, The New York Times)
The United States is more religious than Europe, but by how much?
(Ryan Burge, Graphs about Religion)
Head of UGCC: We hope that developing dialogue with Pope Leo XIV will help deter Russian aggression
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Patriarch of Moscow issues a “friendly” address to the new Pope
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
Bethel Church in Zhangjiajie: Pastor Zhao Huaiguo under continuous harassment
(Mo Yuan, Bitter Winter)
Kenya, international Catholic legislators deepen ties
(KBC Digital)
Exiled pastor refused entry to Cuba to be with cancer-stricken daughter
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Cuban Christians denounce the lack of legal status of over 80% of churches
(Evangelical Focus)
Bishop Barron, the Religious Liberty Commission, and the transpolitical mission of the Church
(Thomas Harmon, Public Discourse: The Journal of the Witherspoon Institute)
Are Thai Cambodian military tensions at the Ta Moan Thom Temple rocking ASEAN solidarity?
(Murray Hunter, Eurasia Review)
France mosque killing should be investigated as terrorism, says lawyer (video)
(Al Jazeera)
Church leaders slam violence, rigging in Philippine midterm polls
(Union of Catholic Asian News)
Portuguese nation greets Leo XIV new pope elect
(Portuguese American Journal)
European Parliament urges Turkey to recognize legal status of Orthodox Patriarchate
(Stockholm Center for Freedom)
Churches in Haiti “overwhelmed by the growing suffering of our people”
(World Council of Churches)
Malaysia: Gov't takes 'whole of government' approach to 3R issues - Aaron
(Bernama)
China–Holy See relations, UN Resolution 2758, and China’s role in Kashmir
(Miles Yu, Hudson Institute)
Nigeria: Northern CAN leaders meet security chiefs, raise alarm over security gaps, religious discrimination
(Amos Mathew, National Accord)
Colorado Christian camp challenges policy that violates religious beliefs
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
UK government: Mandatory reporting law will apply to confessional
(Luke Coppen, The Pillar)
Churches facing big cash shortfalls as a result of VAT grants cut, MPs hear
(The Church of England)
Tuesday, 13 May 2025
EVENT, 13 May 2025: Bridging Continents: Transatlantic Dialogue on Family Policy (Brussels, Belgium)
(European Union & International Affairs Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
VIRTUAL EVENT, 13 May 2025: Forum on Religious Freedom in Lusophony (Portuguese)
(Aliança Lusófona para Liberdade Religiosa)
Monday, 12 May 2025
HHS acts to protect health care workers’ conscience rights
(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
High Commissioner Türk: Faith-based organizations can rebuild trust and promote healing between communities
(Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations)
EVENT, 12 May 2025: Religious Law and Power (Tel Aviv, Israel)
(New York University)
Quakers march against Trump’s crackdown on immigrants carrying on their long faith tradition
(Luis Andres Henao, Associated Press)
Violations of religious freedom in Tibet
(European Parliament)
South Africa: Why the hate speech law could silence your faith
(YouTube Video, Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA))
Religious minorities during the COVID-19 health crisis
(DiReSoM (Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies))
A museum opens at a former factory in the Czech Republic where Oskar Schindler saved 1,200 Jews
(Karel Janicek, Associated Press)
Articles of interest - 12 May 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Iran congratulates Pope Leo XIV, hopes for promotion of peace, justice
(Press TV)
Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine and Gaza in symbolically rich blessing on Mother’s Day
(Nicole Winfield and Giovanna Dell'Orto, Associated Press)
Holy See: Review Vatican-China agreement
(Human Rights Watch)
What exactly is Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission—and why have some experts raised concerns?
(Rebecca Schneid, Time)
France: Fake news from an anti-cult organization wrongly claiming the support of the EU
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Islamist youths storm church, threaten Priest in Avignon
(Hélène de Lauzun, The European Conservative)
Rally against islamophobia gathers hundreds in Brussels
(The Brussels Times)
Ukraine: A second case of conscientious objection reaches the Constitutional Court
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Ukraine: Conscientious objection in war times : HRWF writes to the Constitutional Court
(Willy Fautré, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
The Russo-Ukrainian War, religious freedom, and U.S. foreign policy under the Trump Administration
(Knox Thames)
Russia: Women sentenced for making gifts to the Ukrainian Church
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Media impact on FoRB and the Tai Ji Men case
(Peter Zoehrer, Bitter Winter)
Labour council withdraws injunction seeking to ban Christian street preachers
(Anugrah Kumar, The Christian Post)
£55 million super-school funded by taxpayers will be owned by church
(Nation Cymru)
Nebraska students might get religious release from school time as package advances
(Aaron Sanderford, Nebraska Examiner)
Legal Affairs Committee wants amendments church foreign influence law
(Eesti Rahvusringhääling)
Vote of faith: Politics and the rise of priest-politicians in Brazil
(Thien Bui, Religion Unplugged)
Brazil: Lawyer claims she was barred from entering a court in Belo Horizonte for wearing a turban (Portuguese)
(Vitor Fórneas, Bom Dia Advogado)
Brazil: Blood transfusion, religious freedom and the right to refuse treatment (Portuguese)
(Ana Paula Figueira, Conteudo Juridico)
Religious identity is not a lapel pin (Portuguese)
(José Brissos-Lino, Visao)
Friday, 9 May 2025
Cornyn announces DOJ investigation into EPIC City
(John Cornyn, U.S. Senate)
Leo XIV is the new Pope
(Vatican News)
VIRTUAL EVENT, 9 May 2025: The role of the EU in promoting the right to freedom of religion or belief of families
(NOVA Centre for the Study of Gender, Family, and the Law)
The real Gen Z religion story is about women
(Melissa Deckman, Religion News Service)
American Catholics’ views as Pope Leo XIV becomes the birst American-born Pope
(PRRI)
Parents and religious freedom: Mahmoud v. Taylor
(William C. Duncan, Sutherland Institute)
Washington: New law requires priests to break seal of confession to report child abuse
(Ruth Graham, The New York Times)
Berkley Forum: The future of religion in U.S. foreign policy and national security
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Even with Pope Leo XIV in place, US Catholics stand ‘at a crossroads’
(Maureen K. Day, The Conversation)
Geopolitics of the Conclave
(DiReSoM (Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies))
Southwest lawyers don't need 'religious liberty training,' US appeals court says
(Daniel Wiessner, Reuters)
Why Americans won’t stop debating the separation of church and state
(Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News)
Thailand: An elaborate centuries-old royal ritual in Thailand’s capital predicts a good year for farmers
(Tian MacLeod Ji, Associated Press)
EU Parliament pays tribute to Pope Francis' moral authority
(Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News)
Denmark: Trial for Quran burning kicks off in Bornholm
(Thomas Latschan, Deutsche Welle)
The Children (Withdrawal from Religious Education and Amendment of UNCRC Compatibility Duty) (Scotland) Bill
(Russell Sandberg, Law & Religion UK)
Charge against man who burnt Quran ‘incorrectly worded’, CPS admits
(National Secular Society)
Jews and Muslims are formidable when they work together
(Sayed Razawi and Phil Rosenberg, Jewish News)
Inside Muridke: Did India hit a ‘terror base’ or a mosque?
(Abid Hussain, Al Jazeera)
National march to take place in France against Islamophobia
(Safaa Kasraoui, Morocco World News)
Secretary-General appoints Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé of Spain United Nations Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia
(United Nations)
South Carolina abortion restriction may be void for vagueness, but doesn't violate Free Exercise Clause
(Eugene Volokh, The Volokh Conspiracy)
The fragile balance of press freedom and religious liberty: the harmful impact of stigmatizing language
(Peter Zoehrer, Forum for Religious Freedom Europe)
Oral argument in charter school case highlights unconstitutional motives behind OK Attorney General’s Establishment Clause claim
(Ismail Royer, Religious Freedom Institute)
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