Biden cites faith, proclaiming U.S. must ‘preserve, protect’ religious freedom January 15, 2023By 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, 2023By 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, 2022By 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, 2022By 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, 2022By 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.”
China deploys hundreds of auditors to monitor religious activities online July 6, 2022By Catholic News Service Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Religious Freedom, World News The Chinese Communist Party is seeking to expand its apparatus to monitor and curb religious activities in cyberspace through training and deploying hundreds of “auditors” across the country, triggering concerns from rights groups.
Supreme Court sides with coach in public school prayer case June 27, 2022By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, Supreme Court, World News In a 6-3 vote June 27, the Supreme Court ruled that a former high school football coach had the right to pray on the football field after games because his prayers were private speech and did not represent the public school’s endorsement of religion.
Supreme Court says Christian group can fly flag at City Hall May 9, 2022By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, Supreme Court, World News After the Supreme Court ruled that Boston violated the free speech rights of a Christian group to fly its flag at City Hall, another group, The Satanic Temple, has requested permission to fly a flag outside the city building.
Court seems to side with football coach over postgame prayers April 26, 2022By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Religious Freedom, Supreme Court, World News The majority of Supreme Court justices seemed to side with a former high school football coach April 25 who said his postgame prayers on the field — that cost him his job — amounted to private speech and not the public school’s endorsement of religion.
Gavel set symbolic of liberty created from historic wood March 20, 2022By Mary K. Tilghman Special to the Catholic Review Filed Under: Archbishop's Ministry, Feature, Local News, News, Religious Freedom In an interfaith service filled with pomp and patriotic fervor, a gavel set was dedicated to the gallant soldiers of the Maryland 400, also known as George Washington’s Old Line.
Region hosting Olympic skiing has history of Catholic persecution January 19, 2022By Catholic News Service Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Olympics, Religious Freedom, World News Chongli, a popular resort town and venue for the main skiing events during the upcoming Winter Olympics, holds a history of persecution and massacre of Catholics in the region during the imperial and communist regimes.
Institute launches national committee aiming to protect religious freedom January 19, 2022By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, World News Charging that religious practice is increasingly threatened by legal maneuvering and public actions that seek to limit the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious rights, speakers during an online launch of the National Committee for Religious Freedom Jan. 18 called on Americans to join the effort.
