Religious Freedom

From intolerance to genocide: religious liberty violations driven by ‘tense’ global conditions, says report

June 23, 2023
By Kate Scanlon
OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, War in Ukraine, World News

“Tense” global conditions — including the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and increases in the cost of living — lead to religious freedom violations in countries around the world, according to a new report by Aid to the Church in Need, a pontifical foundation of the Catholic Church.

Religious Freedom Week 2023 calls on faithful to pray for protection of religious liberty

June 11, 2023
By Kate Scanlon
OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, World News

The U.S. Catholic bishops are inviting the faithful to pray for challenges to religious liberty both within the United States and abroad during the upcoming Religious Freedom Week.

Catholic hospital says federal government told it to extinguish sanctuary candle or risk funding

May 5, 2023
By Kate Scanlon
OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Health Care, News, Religious Freedom, World News

A Catholic hospital in Tulsa, Okla., said the federal government has presented it with a choice to either extinguish a candle in its chapel’s sanctuary or risk its ability to treat patients covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, jeopardizing its ability to operate at all.

U.S. religious freedom panel finds conditions ‘worsening’ around the globe

May 5, 2023
By Kate Scanlon
OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, World News

Conditions for religious freedom are “worsening” around the globe, a U.S. government body monitoring international religious freedom said in a recent report.

High school juniors, seniors invited to enter USCCB religious liberty essay

March 11, 2023
By OSV News
OSV News Filed Under: Bishops, Feature, News, Religious Freedom, Schools, World News

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, along with the USCCB Secretariat of Catholic Education and the Our Sunday Visitor Institute, is hosting a religious liberty essay contest for high school juniors and seniors.

Supreme Court to consider whether employers who make Christians work Sunday violate religious liberty

March 6, 2023
By Kate Scanlon
OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, Supreme Court, World News

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to consider a case April 18 that could have broad implications for employees seeking religious accommodations from their employers.

‘Bear witness to the truth’ on Religious Freedom Day, cardinal says

January 16, 2023
By Kate Scanlon
OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, World News

The U.S. Catholic bishops marked Religious Freedom Day Jan. 16 by encouraging Catholics engaged in public life to examine their consciences and heed the late Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis in prioritizing truth and reason.

Biden cites faith, proclaiming U.S. must ‘preserve, protect’ religious freedom

January 15, 2023
By Kate Scanlon
OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, World News

Like his five most recent predecessors, President Joe Biden has issued a proclamation declaring Jan. 16 Religious Freedom Day and calling for the protection of religious freedom in the U.S. and around the globe.

U.S. religious liberty expert ‘disappointed’ in Vatican-China deal

January 13, 2023
By Justin McLellan
Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, Vatican, World News

The United States’ chief advocate for religious freedom expressed his “disappointment” in the Vatican over its provisional agreement with China on the appointment of bishops in the country.

Federal judge rules Baltimore-based CRS must pay health benefits for spouse of gay employee

August 19, 2022
By Catholic News Service
Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, Local News, News, Religious Freedom

A U.S. District Court judge in Maryland has ruled that Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development agency, must offer health care coverage to the spouses of gay employees as long as the employees’ jobs are nonreligious in nature.

Principal calls vandalism at Catholic school in Washington ‘a hate crime’

August 15, 2022
By Richard Szczepanowski
Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, Schools, World News

St. Anthony Catholic School in Northeast Washington has been vandalized twice in less than a week in what the principal of the school is calling “a hate crime.”

Archbishop Lori among bishops saying HHS proposal violates religious freedom and ‘is bad medicine’

July 28, 2022
By Julie Asher
Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, World News

The chairmen of four U.S. bishops committees said July 27 that proposed regulations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on abortion, transgender services and other procedures threaten the Catholic Church’s ability “to carry out our healing ministries” and others’ ability “to practice medicine.”