The British army veteran prosecuted for silently praying in front of an abortion clinic was, to his own surprise, caught in the global spotlight when his case was cited by U.S. Vice President JD Vance in a Feb. 14 speech at a landmark security conference in Munich.
Religious Freedom
Thousands in Myanmar village gather at funeral to mourn slain priest
Thousands of people gathered Feb. 16 in the small village of Pyin Oo Lwin in Myanmar to pay their final respects to Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a priest who was found stabbed to death in a targeted attack.
As rebels in Congo take Bukavu, church leaders decry violence, disrespect for international law
After the M23 Rwanda-backed rebels Feb. 16 occupied Bukavu, a second major city in mineral-rich eastern Congo, Catholic bishops and experts are warning this offensive in the provinces of North and South Kivu signals a clear intent to establish a permanent foreign country presence in the region.
Shevchuk: Christ, in need and danger, ‘is waiting for you’ in Ukraine
Major Archbishop Shevchuk shared his thoughts on justice, peace, hope and evangelization amid the war, which has been declared a genocide in two joint reports from the New Lines Institute and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.
Bishops’ migration chair invites Vance to dialogue over church’s work with migrants
The U.S. bishops’ migration chair called recent comments by Vice President JD Vance about the church’s work with migrants “a tremendous mischaracterization” while speaking at an event in the nation’s capital Feb. 12. But he also invited Vance to sit down and talk with him to set the record straight.
‘Martyr of the Amazon’: Recalling Sister Dorothy Stang’s ministry 20 years after her murder
In the lead up to the 20th anniversary of the death of Sister Stang, who is considered by many as a “Martyr of the Amazon,” a relic containing blood-soaked soil from the site of her murder was enshrined at the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on Tiber Island in Rome on Jan. 10.
Report: Russia weaponizes Orthodoxy to persecute, kill Christians in Ukraine
A new report calls for the Russian Federation to be designated a state sponsor of terrorism, finding that Russia is weaponizing Orthodox Christianity as part of a genocidal attack on Ukraine — persecuting Catholics, other Christians and other faith communities in the besieged nation.
Maryland Center for History and Culture receives $2.5 million grant to explore religious tolerance in state
The Baltimore-based Maryland Center for History and Culture received a $2.5 million grant in January to explore the state’s role in religious diversity with the goal of producing an exhibit on the topic by the fall of 2026.
Faith groups sue over Trump administration policy to permit ICE arrests at churches
More than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups filed a lawsuit Feb. 11 in federal court to challenge a Trump administration policy that rescinded long-standing restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals.
Trump at National Prayer Breakfast announces new order to investigate ‘anti-Christian’ bias
President Donald Trump said in remarks to the National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 6 that he would create a task force, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, to investigate “anti-Christian” bias in the federal government.
Vance defends cuts to foreign aid ‘spreading atheism’ at religious freedom summit
Vice President JD Vance defended cuts to U.S. foreign aid in remarks to the International Religious Freedom Summit Feb. 5, arguing the funds were “spreading atheism” abroad.
Congolese bishops say Goma situation remains grave; full scale of human toll still emerging
As an uneasy calm returned to the Congolese city of Goma, following a unilateral ceasefire declared by the rebels, people began burying the dead, and agencies rushed aid to thousands of displaced civilians, now camping in churches and schools.