Law and Religion Headlines
Wednesday, 20 January 2021
Weekly highlight #139: Vaccines, Burials, and Persecution
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Belgium religious faiths want more worshippers at services
(Associated Press)
Swiss gov’t urges rejection of ban on full-face coverings
(Associated Press)
Shift in balance at U.S. Supreme Court alters trajectory of COVID-related worship restriction cases
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
New COVID-19 legislation and guidance to 23 January
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Monday, 18 January 2021
South Korean court makes ruling on pastor whose parishioner was "Patient 31"
(Religion Today, Religion Today)
Sri Lanka: Covid-19 forced cremation of Muslims discriminatory
(Human Rights Watch)
How do you foster Catholic community in quarantine?
(Jonah McKeown, Catholic News Agency)
Friday, 15 January 2021
Martin Luther King Jr. faith events continue in time of COVID-19 and Capitol chaos
(Adellle M. Banks and Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service)
What these religious leaders would change about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout
(Mya Jaradat, Deseret News)
Treat religion equally during pandemic, United Kingdom's NSS urges human rights body
(National Secular Society, National Secular Society)
Wednesday, 13 January 2021
How religions in Italy can continue to function during the pandemic
(Pierluigi Consorti, Simone Baldetti, Fabio Balsamo, and other doctors, DiReSom)
Religious freedom and civil disobedience in the United States
(Barry W. Bussey, Canadian Centre for Christian Charities)
Q&A with Rev. Paul Abernathy, an Orthodox priest combatting vaccine skepticism
(Mladen Aleksic, Religion Unplugged)
Weekly highlight #138: Vaccination is center stage and researchers dig deeper into religion and COVID details
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Ash Wednesday 2021: Vatican offers guidance on ash distribution amid COVID-19 pandemic
(Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency)
Religious news from around the web January 11, 2021
(World Religion News)
Open Doors’ 2021 watch list highlights impact of COVID-19 on religious persecution worldwide
(Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service)
Chinese Christians, missionaries falsely blamed for COVID resurgence
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)
North Korea is worst country for Christian persecution again as authoritarian governments exploit Covid crisis
(Christian Today)
South Korean church leader acquitted over COVID case surge
(Aljazeera, Aljazeera)
South Africa's President commends churches for cooperating with COVID guidelines
(Cyril Ramaphosa, Daily Maverick Citizen)
Ontario bans indoor social gatherings in new emergency order
(Deina Warren, Canadian Centre for Christian Charities)
How Ontario's COVID-19 rules restrict religious freedom
(Kristopher Kinsinger, National Post)
Monday, 11 January 2021
Pastor urges Jamaican government to declare church an essential service
(Loop News, Loop News)
Sinovac biotech vaccines recognized by Indonesia as Halal
(Religion Today, Religion Today)
In South Africa, "religious grounds" are necessary to consider before implementing mandatory COVID vaccine
(Omphemetse S Sibanda, Daily Maverick)
Iglesia Ni Cristo church discusses how religion es helping people address tough economic times
(Caroline Hunter, EIN Presswire)
Praying for patients: Video goes viral of interfaith prayer outside hospital in Cape Town
(Tauhira Dean, News24)
Religious communities join campaign to raise awareness about COVID-19 vaccine
(The Jakarta Post)
Ireland should unlock the doors to our places of worship (Opinion)
(Barry Walsh, The Times)
Anti-abortion faith leaders support use of COVID-19 vaccines
(David Crary, Associated Press)
The secret Indian pandemic: The occupation of religious persons in Kashmir and its impact on mental health
(Syed Zahid Rizvi, Daily Maverick)
Pope Francis’ personal doctor has died of COVID-19
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)
New COVID-19 legislation and guidance to 16 January 2021
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
COVID-19: guidance for the safe use of places of worship
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Friday, 8 January 2021
Why religious couples thrive in a pandemic
(Liz HoChing & Spencer James, Real Clear Religion)
Suspending public worship – Northern Ireland
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Northern Ireland bishops suspend public Mass for ‘Common Good’
(Charles Collins, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Suspending public worship – England
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Indonesia aims for religious halal ruling before COVID vaccine rolls out
(Aljazeera, Reuters, Aljazeera)
Indonesia’s top Islamic body OKs China’s Sinovac vaccine
(Edna Tarigan, Associated Press)
Quebec government closes places of worship for a month
(Philippe Vaillancourt, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Massachusetts COVID requirements for church services upheld
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Wednesday, 6 January 2021
The U.S. Supreme Court and pandemic restrictions on religious worship
(Frederick Mark Gedicks, Talk About: Law and Religion - Blog of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies)
Indonesia Islamic council hopes for halal ruling before mass vaccination
(Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Stanley Widianto, Reuters)
C of E bishop warns of church closures due to Covid financial losses
(Harriet Sherwood, The Guardian)
Weekly highlight #137: The ethics of COVID: Vaccines, mortality, and morality
(Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Anti-Jewish COVID theories top list of worst antisemitism outbreaks
(Benjamin Weinthal, Jerusalem Post)
Letters sent to world leaders by Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community during covid-19 pandemic to be published for first time
(Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK)
Greek churches open on Epiphany feast despite tight lockdown
(Demetris Nellas, Associated Press)
Spain tries to keep Epiphany tradition despite pandemic
(Associated Press)
Some Orthodox Christians ignore COVID warnings on Epiphany
(Associated Press)
Right to religion not higher than right to life, temple rituals may be conducted without compromising COVID-19 protocol: Madras High Court
(Meera Emmanuel, Bar and Bench)
Canadian church latest to clash with authorities over COVID-19
(Charlie Butts, One News Now)
9th Circuit hears oral arguments in Harvest Rock Church appeal
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Tuesday, 5 January 2021
How U.S. pandemic restrictions became a constitutional battlefield
(John Fabian Witt and Kiki Manzur, Foreign Affairs)
South Africa tightens restrictions on religious funeral services during pandemic
(Kgothatso Madisa, Sowetan Live)
Monday, 4 January 2021
For Sri Lankan Muslims, the coronavirus isn’t the only thing they’re hoping to see the back of in 2021
(CSWPress, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
6th Circuit: County COVID order closing all high schools infringes parochial schools' rights
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Sixth Circuit declares closure of religious schools in Toledo violates Free Exercise Clause
(Josh Blackman, The Volokh Conspiracy)
Greek Church tells priests to ignore pandemic closure order
(Nicholas Paphitis, Associated Press)
Public health v. culture war: The Supreme Court takes aim at COVID restrictions.
(Matthew Sitman, Commonweal)
Coronavirus: German police raid church service with over 100 maskless worshippers
(Deutsche Welle)
Bishop of London: new COVID-19 restrictions
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
New COVID-19 legislation and guidance to 9 January 2021
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Note on the morality of using some anti-Covid-19 vaccines
(DiReSoM: Diritto e Religione nelle Società Multiculturali/ Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies)
Comunicazione circa il Decreto Legge del 18 dicembre 2020. Una precisazione della Conferenza Episcopale Italiana dopo il decreto legge
(DiReSoM: Diritto e Religione nelle Società Multiculturali/ Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies)
Saturday, 2 January 2021
Photos of the Year
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)
Friday, 1 January 2021
Religious news from around the web December 28, 2020
(World Religion News)
Shrines in Japan prepare to welcome visitors for New Year as virus rages
(Toma Mochizuki, Japan Today)
RNS reporters on the big stories they expect to cover in 2021
(Religion News Service)
What to expect on the religious scene in 2021: Experts cast their sights on the year ahead
(Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)
Is 2021 the Great Reset of the Church?
(Shane Idleman, Christian Headlines)
20 photographs of the week
(Jim Powell, The Guardian)
'We are going to survive': 5 ways the Church is innovating amid COVID-19
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)
Pope Benedict’s secretary reflects on awful 2020 with German Magazine
(Catholic News Agency)
Thursday, 31 December 2020
Pandemic hits religious communities in South Africa
(Christopher Joseph, Union of Catholic Asian News)
Wednesday, 30 December 2020
Top religion-beat story of 2020? There were several COVID-19 stories to choose from ...
(Terry Mattingly, OnReligion)
Court refuses to enjoin mask requirement for religious school students
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
2nd Circuit invalidates New York's fixed capacity limits for houses of worship
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
U.S. appeals court blocks NY governor's limits on religious gatherings
(Jonathan Stempel, Reuters)
Survey: UK teens are more likely than millennials to believe in God
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Our best religion stories from a terrible year
(Religion News Service)
The Christmas crisis
(Emma Green, The Atlantic)
COVID updates: NY congregation limits halted, MI’s school mask requirements remain in place, new COVID funding
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
New Mexico megachurches fined for packed Christmas services, governor slams as 'pro-virus'
(David K. Li and Ali Gostanian, NBC News)
Mike Pompeo calls for release of Chinese Christian journalist jailed for Wuhan reporting
(Leah MarieAnn Klett, The Christian Post)
Monday, 28 December 2020
The Christian Post’s top 10 news stories of 2020 (part 2)
(The Christian Post)
Microchurches and how the coronavirus is shaking up the traditional model (part 1)
(Brandon Showalter, The Christian Post)
Of course the pandemic was top 2020 religion-news story: But which COVID-19 story?
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
6th Circuit refuses injunction pending appeal of religious school closure order
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
1st Circuit: Church's appeal of TRO denial is dismissed
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Court again refuses to enjoin California's COVID limits on church services
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Court strikes down Gov. Cuomo’s order limiting capacity in houses of worship because it ‘discriminates against religion on its face’
(Jerry Lambe, Law and Crime)
Govt. should consult all communities, religious leaders - UNP
(Shiromi Abeysinghe, Daily News)
What global churches did when their governments said they couldn’t have large gatherings
(Leonardo Blair, The Christian Post)
Wednesday, 23 December 2020
Bethlehem inn rooms are empty for 2020 Christmas celebration
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Covid Christmas: Packed church wait-lists, live-streamed services and increased giving
(Jeff Stein and Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post)
A new pastor who couldn’t meet members of her church found a way to celebrate Christmas with them
(Marisa Iati, The Washington Post)
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