Law and Religion Headlines
Friday, 2 May 2025
The fragile promise of pluralism, religious freedom in Southeast Asia
(Yuyun Wahyuningrum, The Jakarta Post)
Korean Church Media Association raises alarm over China’s new religious activity regulations
(Christian Daily)
Australia: Albanese rules out renewing religious discrimination law push without 'broad support'
(Naveen Razik, SBS News)
The fragile promise of pluralism, religious freedom in Southeast Asia
(Yuyun Wahyuningrum, The Jakarta Post)
Exclusive: Christian leaders blast Trump's "anti-Christian bias" unit
(Russell Contreras and Emily Peck, Axios)
Democrats reintroduce landmark LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill
(Brook Migdon, The Hill)
Trump, brushing aside separation of church and state, establishes religious liberty commission
(Irie Sentner, Politico)
Trump signs order creating commission on religious liberty
(Avery Lotz and Sareen Habeshian, Axios)
Religious affiliation does not exempt from service during martial law — Supreme Court decision
(Anastasiia Mohylevets, Бабель)
From Spain to Sweden: European countries diverge on religious symbols in public office
(Marina Stoimenova, Euronews)
New Jersey town moves to seize property of Episcopal church that wants to open homeless shelter
(Mary Frances Schjonberg, Episcopal News Service)
Thursday, 1 May 2025
EVENT, 1 May 2025 (6:30PM ET): 4th Annual Freedom of Religion Roundtable (Kennesaw, GA, USA)
(A panel discussion in support of religious liberty and human dignity)
Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Oral argument - audio: OK Charter School Board v. Drummond
(The Supreme Court)
Roberts might hold key Supreme Court vote over first publicly funded religious charter school
(Mark Sherman, Associated Press)
Supreme Court case could reshape landscape for charter and religious schools
(Mark Walsh, Education Week)
Supreme Court divided over approving first religious charter school
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)
Supreme Court hears plea to protect faith-based charter schools
(Becket)
Guns, gangs, and violence: The role of faith communities
(JoAnne Wadsworth, G20 Interfaith Forum Blog)
Religious colleges and seminaries must stand with Harvard
(Merrill Matthews, The Hill)
Harvard promises changes after reports on antisemitism and Islamophobia
(Anemona Hartocollis and Vimal Patel, The New York Times)
Oregon, California and Florida churches sue feds to block ICE agents from places of worship
(Maxine Bernstein, OregonLive)
The quiet pursuit of truth: Jan Figel’s mission for religious freedom
(The European Times)
“Pursuing Peace Together” - WCC publishes Annual Review 2024
(World Council of Churches)
EU Bishops’ General Secretaries gather in Brussels to promote COMECE’s dialogue mission
(The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE))
Kenya: United for change: Youths of Utawala embrace ecumenical dialogue on governance and human trafficking
(Paschal Norbert, Catholic Information Service for Africa)
Russia: Religious issues and persecution: Bimonthly Digest April 15-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
China: Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest April 16-30
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Iran: Religious persecution and issues – Monthly Digest April 2025
(Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Religious freedom featured at Kurdistan’s first National Prayer Breakfast
(Religious Freedom Institute)
Most U.S. Catholics say they want the church to be ‘more inclusive’
(Patricia Tevington and Gregory A. Smith, Pew Research Center)
Patriarch Daniil: The purpose of the subject "Virtues and Religion" is spiritual education, not indoctrination
(Rezon Media)
Trump is working to restrict trans rights. That’s not what Americans want.
(Jasmine Mithani, The 19th News)
Video: Religious Freedom Is More Than Worship, Says Elder Soares
(Ryan Jensen and Christine Rappleye, Church Newsroom)
Syria: At least 10 dead in Syria after sectarian clashes in Druze suburb of Damascus
(Omar Sanadiki, Associated Press)
Churches across England to mark 80th Anniversary of VE Day with commemorations, bell ringing, and prayers for peace
(The Church of England)
Places of worship to be protected from intimidating protests
(GOV.UK)
Ecclesiastical court judgments – April
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Antisemitism and free speech in Europe and America
(Guy Chet, Providence)
South Africa: The CRL’s push to regulate religion in South Africa
(YouTube Video, Freedom of Religion South Africa (FOR SA))
Tuesday, 29 April 2025
EVENT, 29 April 2025: Judaism and Pluralism in the Context of Global Diversity (Washington, DC, USA)
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Monday, 28 April 2025
Suspect in French mosque murder arrested in Italy, denies anti-Islam motive
(France 24)
ReligActu.fr: A pioneering media venture in France's religious landscape
(The European Times)
Pope Francis leaves a legacy of standing up for freedom of religion or belief. His successor must build on it.
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Canadian bishops urge Catholics to vote guided by conscience, hope, concern for life
(The B.C. Catholic)
Status, Conduct, Belief, and Message (wedding vendor cases)
(Mark Movsesian, SSRN)
Tennessee enacts conscience protections for health care providers
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
550 US rabbis sign letter condemning Trump's antisemitism policy
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
Our debt to Pope Francis
(James Walters, London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog)
The U.S. Supreme Court and the Religiously Devout: Separation, Privatization, and Toleration
(John William Tate, Oxford Journal of Law and Religion)
A communist-Islamist axis puts India and America in its crosshairs
(Mike Watson, Hudson Institute)
Religions for Peace and UNAOC launch international appeal for peace in Gernika
(Religions for Peace)
Three imprisoned for conscientious objection during February and March 2025 in Ukraine
(Jehovah's Witnesses)
How religious public schools went from a long shot to the Supreme Court
(Laura Meckler and Justin Jouvenal, The Washington Post)
Rev. William Barber arrested in Capitol Rotunda after praying against Republican-led budget
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Supreme Court to consider bid for first religious charter school
(Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog)
Law and religion roundup – 27th April
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Churches urged to commemorate refugees who died at Europe’s borders
(Conference of European Churches)
Faith under siege: The struggle for Islam’s soul in the Jewish state
(Debashis Chakrabarti, Eurasia Review)
White evangelicals continue to stand out in their support for Trump
(Chip Rotolo, Pew Research Center)
Nicaragua: Protestant and Roman Catholic churches targeted in Easter celebrations
(CSW: Everyone Free to Believe)
Kenya: Kindiki defends government’s partnership with churches
(Rosemary Onchari, Capital News)
Faith groups canvassed on new organ donation law
(Rebecca Brahde, BBC)
Syria: UN Security Council debates precarious path forward for a new Syria
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Article of interest - 28 April 2025
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Friday, 25 April 2025
Huffman, colleagues oppose Trump’s crusade against free speech and religious freedom
(Jared Huffman, U.S. House of Representatives)
Blog Series: Pope Francis and his legacy in theology, canon law, interreligious dialogue, and religious leadership
(various, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
EVENT, 25 April 2025: Buying out the Market: How States Co-opt Religion During Democratic Backsliding (Kingston, RI, USA)
(University of Rhode Island)
Ukraine: How should government deal with conscientious objectors in wartime?
(Dmytro Vovk, Forum 18 News Service)
State Department to retain religious freedom office under overhaul plan
(Zelda Caldwell, National Catholic Register)
A deleted condolence after pope’s death revealed tension between Israel and the Vatican
(Melanie Lidman, Associated Press)
Even in death, Pope Francis’s push for dialogue, multilateralism continue
(Elise Ann Allen, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Religious leaders of the world contributed to initiatives for the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russian captivity
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))
The Church of Scotland (Lord High Commissioner) Act 2025: accident or design?
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Global interfaith leaders honored with Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize
(The European Times)
Police abolitionisms: Political goals and religious ideals
(Charles Guth III, Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law & Religion)
Congressional bill would protect tax-exempt status of charities
(Kim Roberts, Religion Unplugged)
Portugal's mourning for pope turns into political battle
(AFP, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Vietnamese monk forced to cut short his walk through Sri Lanka, heads to India
(Radio Free Asia)
Belarus: The Catholic Church in the crosshairs with the blacklisting of Fr. Vyacheslav Barok as an extremist
(Olga Karatch, Human Rights Without Frontiers International)
Syria in transition: What does the future look like for Christians in an Islamist Syria?
(Juicy Ecumenism, Institute on Religion and Democracy)
Mexico: A year since over 170 Protestants were forced from their homes, authorities in Mexico’s Hidalgo State must take action to protect religious minorities
(FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Apache Stronghold makes emergency appeal to save Oak Flat
(Becket)
‘Few countries on Earth less free on FoRB than Iran’ – UK envoy
(Article 18)
Houston-area mayoral candidate defends his Muslim faith against skeptics and protestors
(Eric Killelea, Chron)
Church of Satanology wants flag flown at Hartford City Hall after Christian flag was OK'd
(Amanda Pitts, NBC Connecticut)
Catholic Relief Services ordered to pay ex-employee $60,000 in LGBT discrimination suit
(Tyler Arnold, Catholic News Agency)
Muslim advocacy group sues New York county jail for forcefully removing inmates’ hijab
(Morgan Polen, Jurist News)
South Africa: Regulating religion: A renewed debate
(Siphesihle Buthelezi, IOL)
Lawmakers slam Trump's task force for Christian bias, warn of threat to religious freedom
(Adam Robinson, KRCR)
‘A revival is happening’: Church hails resurgence among young in UK
(Aamna Mohdin, The Guardian)
South Africa: How religion shapes a free and democratic South Africa
(Nico Koopman, Weekend Argus)
Court overturns French decision to cut funding to biggest Muslim school
(Juliette Jabkhiro, Reuters)
USCIRF condemns attack in Kashmir
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
Malaysia: Madani gov't ensures balance between development, religion - Ahmad Zahid
(BernamaBiz)
Amsterdam mayor apologizes for the city’s role in the Holocaust
(Molly Quell, Associated Press)
Dutch Imams lead protest against Israel's war on Gaza in Rotterdam
(ABNA News)
Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer
(John D. Wilsey, Eerdmans Publishing Co)
Indiana enacts parental rights law
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Law school groups help launch website to shine light on religious discrimination across the United States
(Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic, Notre Dame Law School)
Oklahoma is asking the Supreme Court to ignore history
(Adam Laats, Atlantic)
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