Law and Religion Headlines

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Saturday, 30 May 2020

Church settles lawsuit with nonreligious family over ‘forced’ baptism
(Samuel Smith, The Christian Post)

Ahead of Pentecost, Supreme Court backs California coronavirus limits on churches
(Catholic News Agency)

UN and US trade criticism over abortion during coronavirus
(Catholic News Agency)

Everything you need to know about Pentecost
(Catholic News Agency)

English cardinal asks why car showrooms can open but not churches
(Catholic News Agency)

US Catholic bishops, Southern Baptists, grieve death of George Floyd, call for justice, condemn abuse of police power
(Bob Smietana, Religion News Service)

A monument to His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar will appear in Vinnytsia
(Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU))

Southern Baptist leaders issue joint statement on the death of George Floyd
(Baptist Press)

Friday, 29 May 2020

Announcing the Religious Freedom Annual Review: Religion and Religious Freedom in the COVID-19 Era: Finding Community and Hope
(The International Center for Law and Religion Studies)

AP Week in Pictures: Middle East
(Associated Press)

DAILY HIGHLIGHT #72 - Russia: COVID-19 Causes Rumbles in Orthodox-State Relations
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)

COMECE launches an online platform for live streaming masses
(COMECE: The Catholic Church in the European Union)

10 lessons on the beauty of interfaith harmony
(Samuel B. Hislop, Public Square Magazine)

WEBINAR, 29 May 2020 (9 am EDT): "Nation State Formation and the Muslim-Majority World" with Recep Senturk
(Recep Şentürk, Jeremy Barker, and Osman Softić, Religious Freedom Institute)

DAILY HIGHLIGHT #73: Episcopal and Catholic Leaders Express Solidarity with Native American Communities Affected by COVID-19
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)

The ECtHR issues an advisory opinion to the Constitutional Court of Armenia
(The European Court of Human RIghts, Posted on the website of the Strasbourg Consortium)

APPG Statement on COVID-19 and prisoners of conscience
(UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief)

APPG statement on EU’s Special Envoy on FoRB
(UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief)

Bishop of Truro: FoRB, persecution and COVID-19
(UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief)

EVENT: 29 May 2020 Webinar: Covid-19 and Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion
(Danish Office of the Special Representative for Freedom of Religion or Belief)

USCIRF Commissioner James Carr adopts Deacon Zhang Wen Shi of North Korea and Pastor A Dao of Vietnam through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)

A call to end nonstop targeting of Egypt's Copts
(Michael F. Haverluck, One News Now)

MPs bring bill to ban late abortions for cleft lip, cleft palate and clubfoot
(Amelia Hill, The Guardian)

Argentina's abortion campaign launches virtual events to revitalise movement
(Natalie Alcoba, The Guardian)

Abortion 'doulas' in Chile risk prison, saying women need their help
(Liam Miller, NBC News)

Experts raise Vietnam’s human rights violations against Christians in letter to US President
(Alliance Defending Freedom)

Parents settle lawsuit over disabled son’s forced baptism
(Associated Press)

New USAID adviser sparks furor over past anti-Islam comments
(Mariam Fam and Elana Schor, Associated Press)

Turkey reopens some mosques, prayers held in ex-cathedral
(Associated Press)

Asia Today: Indonesians return to mosques, at a distance
(Associated Press)

Communion unchanged in Greek Orthodox Church despite virus
(Elena Becatoros and Costas Kantouris, Associated Press)

Maghreb: Conservatives control the court systems, religion dominates over civil liberties
(The North Africa Journal)

IKEA manager charged for firing Pole over anti-gay remarks
(Vanessa Gera, Associated Press)

World churches group condemns violence, racism calling for justice in US after black police suspect killed
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)

A tightly linked triad: Women, faith, and peace
(Katherine Marshall, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs | World Faiths Development Dialogue)

Catholic Church suffering violence in Ethiopia, Eritrea
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

For top U.S. virus experts, faith and science work together
(Elana Schor, Associated Press)

Burundi opposition candidate goes to court to challenge vote
(Eloge Willy Kaneza, Associated Press)

Germany launches ‘meet a Jew’ scheme ‘to give Jewish people a face and a voice’
(Jewish News)

EHRC draft report ‘imminent’, JLM national secretary expects
(Jewish News)

COVID-19 and the Constitution: How the Bill of Rights is being tested by the coronavirus
(John Curran, Jake Gardener and Jeffery Ding, law.com)

Yahoo! podcast: Jon Ward offers lots of questions about evangelicals falling for QAnon
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)

Russian army's main church due to open on June 22
(Interfax-Religion)

Vietnam’s widely praised COVID-19 response harms religious minorities
(Kelsey Zorzi, Real Clear Religion)

Vatican official says anti-religious bias was evident during lockdown
(Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)

CDC quickly changed its guidance on limiting choirs at religious services
(Bill Chappell, National Public Radio)

Citing right to religious practices, Madras HC rejects plea against breaking coconuts on devotees' heads
(Siva Sekaran, The New Indian Express)

Desecration of three religious sites in Iran signal the Islamic Republic's continued oppression of minorities
(Global Voices)

Religious leaders speak out over Government's 'unlawful' closure of churches
(Gabriella Swerling, The Telegraph)

Uzbekistan keeps up heat on marginal Islamic groups
(Eurasianet)

Italian cardinal calls for better spiritual guidance for gays, lesbians
(Claire Giangravé, Religion News Service)

‘AKA Jane Roe’ and the humiliation of the pro-life movement
(Karen Swallow Prior, Religion News Service Opinion)

Schools that let boys compete in girls' sports violate title IX, Trump admin. rules
(Michael Foust, Christian Headlines)

Illinois backs down, says churches can meet again
(Michael Foust, Christian Headlines)

Christians respond to the tragic death of George Floyd
(Amanda Casanova, Christian Headlines)

Vice President Mike Pence, Lecrae, Tim Tebow and more honor Ravi Zacharias in online memorial service
(Scott Slayton, Christian Headlines)

‘Racism is not a thing of the past’ – US bishops respond to George Floyd killing
(Catholic News Agency)

After death of George Floyd, Minnesota Catholics pray for justice
(JD Flynn, Catholic News Agency)

Last Missouri abortion clinic will stay open, despite state’s safety concerns
(Catholic News Agency)

Thursday, 28 May 2020

Texas Supreme Court rules against Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth in property dispute
(Egan Millard, Episcopal News Service)

The Xinjiang class: How the CCP tries to 'convert' the Uyghurs—and fails
(Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights in China)

DAILY HIGHLIGHT #71: Basic Ecclesial Communities (CEBs) Respond to the COVID-19 Crisis
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)

AP Photos: Romanian port city marks Easter late due to virus
(Vadim Ghirda, Associated Press)

Religious Freedom in Focus, Volume 86 - May 2020
(The United States Department of Justice)

Covid-19: Vatican urges OSCE to promote religious freedom amid rising intolerance
(Devin Watkins, Vatican News)

As churches reopen, Supreme Court faces balancing act between physical and spiritual health
(Richard Wolf, USA Today)

UN experts urge US states to honor reproductive rights amid COVID-19 pandemic
(Alanah Lockwood, Jurist: Legal News & Research)

The COMECE Social Affairs Commission releases statement on proposed EU recovery plan
(COMECE: The Catholic Church in the European Union)

Let Europe recover through justice: Reaction of the COMECE Social Affairs Commission to the proposed recovery plan
(Position Paper, COMECE: The Catholic Church in the European Union)

Justice Departments sends letter to California governor calling for equal treatment of religious gatherings
(The United States Department of Justice)

Justice Department files suit against Jackson, New Jersey alleging zoning code used to keep out Orthodox Jewish schools and residents
(The United States Department of Justice)

North Lauderdale, Florida changes zoning code to equalize treatment of places of worship
(The United States Department of Justice)

Missouri man indicted for hate crime and arson charges
(The United States Department of Justice)

Rastafarian prisoner released from solitary confinement after Justice Department files brief supporting religious liberty claim
(The United States Department of Justice)

Hungary outlaws changing birth gender on documents
(BBC News)

Israeli PM: Palestinians in Jordan Valley won’t be citizens
(Associated Press)

Broad opposition to religious exemptions during stay-at-home orders
(PRRI)

Indigenous leader calls for help in Brazil’s biggest reserve
(Yesica Fisch and Mauricio Savarese, Associated Press)

LA allows shopping, worship sooner than expected in pandemic
(Brian Melley, Associated Press)

Germany: Halle synagogue shooter charged with double murder
(Deutsche Welle)

So-called honor killing of teen girl brings outcry in Iran
(Associated Press)

China passes national security law for Hong Kong despite backlash
(Olivia Miller, International Chrisitan Concern)

Armenian church defaced in Turkey
(Olivia Miller, International Christian Concern)

President Trump says ‘justice will be served’ for death of George Floyd as Romney urges action
(Leonardo Blair, The Christian Post)

Christian watchdog group finds China’s increased control over Hong Kong ‘concerning’
(Michael Gryboski, The Christian Post)

20 Christians killed, others injured or missing in Fulani attacks that displaced 20,000
(Samuel Smith, The Christian Post)

Ill. churches ask Supreme Court to stop state’s lockdown order limiting worship attendees
(Michael Gryboski, The Christian Post)

Canadian city Calgary bans 'conversion therapy'
(Brandon Showalter, The Christian Post)

Planned Parenthood staff admit to selling aborted baby body parts in sworn depositions
(Brandon Showalter, The Christian Post)

Religious engagement in development work: A continuing journey
(Katherine Marshall, Nomos elibrary)

'Complete victory': ACLU drops suit against pro-life 'sanctuary cities for the unborn'
(Michael Foust, Christian Headlines)

Free Abortions, Pre-K Sex Education Part of Boise Mayor's Transition Report
(Michael Foust, Christian Headlines)

What religion can offer in response to COVID-19
(Katherine Marshall, World Politics Review)

How faith actors can help fight Covid-19 crisis
(Aisha Binte Abdur Rob, The Daily Star (Bangladesh))

Religious freedom in jeopardy as China passes new Hong Kong ‘security laws’
(Jonah McKeown, Catholic News Agency)

Transgender athlete policy violates Title IX, Education department rules
(Catholic News Agency)

Church reopening debate revolves around religious freedom, public safety
(Dennis Sadowski, Catholic News Service)

Catholic gift shops near Vatican struggle to reopen after coronavirus lockdown
(Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency)

Vatican archives will reopen to scholars June 1
(Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency)

Maryland county lifts ban on Communion
(Christine Rousselle, Catholic News Agency)

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