A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers gathered Sept. 18 to call for the immediate release from prison of prominent Hong Kong Catholic, philanthropist and media mogul Jimmy Lai, who is facing a trial on what they called bogus charges.
Religious Freedom
Head of Sacred Heart order appeals to Polish authorities to respect dignity of arrested priest
As the superior general of the Sacred Heart order appealed to Polish authorities to ensure an arrested Polish priest’s “dignity” is “respected,” defenders have accused the country’s government of using Father Michal Olszewski as a political prisoner and urged the Catholic Church to speak up on his behalf.
Indigenous coalition asks Supreme Court to stop mine threatening sacred site
A coalition of Western Apache people, along with other Native American and non-Indigenous supporters, under the banner of the non-profit Apache Stronghold, asked the U.S. Supreme Court Sept. 11 to protect their sacred site at Oak Flat, Arizona, from destruction by a copper mining giant after a federal appeals court rejected their request.
German bishops call for responsible governing after ‘extreme right’ party wins local elections
The results of local elections in eastern Germany’s regions of Thuringia and Saxony prompted German bishops to call for “responsible” formation of a government, even under “difficult” circumstances as the far-right party Alternative for Germany, or AfD, won over 30 percent of the vote.
Polish church defends religious teaching against new government curbs
Poland’s Catholic bishops have urged schools to continue offering religious teaching after government attempts to restrict it were blocked by the Constitutional Tribunal following church appeals.
Catholic doctors condemn kidnapping of Nigerian Catholic medical students
Catholic health care professionals have condemned the Aug. 15 kidnapping of 20 Catholic medical students in Nigeria.
Pope prays Mary will protect persecuted Christians in Nicaragua
As the Catholic Church and Christians at large experience intense persecution in Nicaragua, Pope Francis expressed encouragement and support to the people living under the country’s authoritarian regime.
Pope expresses concern about religious freedom in Ukraine
“Please, let no Christian church be abolished directly or indirectly: the churches are not to be touched,” Pope Francis said about a Ukrainian law banning the Russian Orthodox Church, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Aug. 24, Ukrainian independence day.
British pro-lifer given payout after her arrest for praying silently calls the law ‘Orwellian’
A Catholic pro-life volunteer, twice arrested for praying silently outside an abortion clinic, has received from the U.K. police force who arrested her.
Nicaragua extinguishes legal status for religious orders, evangelical congregations
The Nicaraguan government has extinguished the legal status of more than 25 Catholic organizations, including religious orders such as the Franciscans, Carmelites and Augustinians, another diocesan Caritas chapter, and lay Catholic groups, as part of an attack on civil society with the closure of 1,500 nongovernmental organizations.
Christian convert imprisoned in Egypt declares hunger strike; advocates urge his release
A Christian convert in Egypt who has been imprisoned for more than two years for publicly speaking about his conversion has declared a hunger strike, prompting religious freedom advocates to increase their calls for his release.
Federal judge rules Maine can exclude Catholic schools from state’s school tuition grant program
Catholic schools are still excluded from Maine’s tuition grant program, a federal judge ruled Aug. 8, but he added that he expected the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit to eventually provide “a more authoritative ruling.”