Law and Religion Headlines
Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Justice Department urged to aggressively prosecute pornography vendors
(Kurt Jensen, Catholic News Service)
Nigerian religious leaders demand lifting of COVID-19 lockdown
(Cristina Krippahl, Deutsche Welle)
Defend the sacred: How Native Americans protect their religious freedom
(Michael D. McNally, Religion & Politics: Fit for Polite Company)
Conspiracy theories, COVID-19 and Christian faith
(Karen Booth, Juicy Ecumenism – The Institute on Religion & Democracy's Blog)
Can German Jews pray for their country?
(Paige Harouse, Tablet Magazine)
Russia uses its new form of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
(OVD.Info, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Russia: 39 trials with 87 defendants
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
Conseil d’État orders easing of French ban on public worship
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Chief Rabbi welcomes new provision for Jewish organ donors in England
(Jenni Frazer, Jewish News)
Government staying out of religious instruction is not granting an ‘exception’ to churches
(Tyler Broker, Above the Law)
New Australian report may help church find its way out of abuse crisis
(Massimo Faggioli, National Catholic Reporter)
New York churches open COVID-19 testing sites in push to reach minority communities
(Carol Kuruvilla, Huff Post)
Religious bias issues poised for fresh look from justices (paywall)
(Law 360)
Toward a good faith version of the Ministerial Exception (paywall)
(Law 360)
Labor Department issues new religious freedom guidelines
(Catholic News Agency)
Angry Buddhist mob swarms Meiktila Monastery after man ‘insults’ religion on Facebook (video)
(Coconuts)
WEBINAR, 19 May 2020 (12 noon EDT): How Ethics and Religion Shape Policy Responses to Refugees
(David Hollenbach, S.J., T. Alexander Aleinikoff, Elizabeth Ferris, Clemens Sedmak, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University and University of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs Washington Office)
The rise of the 'Madkhalists': Inside Libya's struggle for religious supremacy
(Alison Pargeter, Middle East Eye)
Quebec ponders making masks mandatory after banning the veil
(Tracey Lindeman, The Guardian)
Thinking about Little Richard: Mark Kellner with a Seventh-day Adventist look at rock pioneer
(Terry Mattingly)
Two churches reclose after faith leaders and congregants get coronavirus
(Lateshia Beachum, The Washington Post)
Instead of gossiping about the Kim dynasty, the world should focus on North Korea’s human rights atrocities
(Benedict Rogers, FoRB in Full: A blog by CSW)
Monday, 18 May 2020
Religion Photos of the Week - 16 May 2020
(Kit Doyle, Religion News Service)
Articles of interest - 18 May 2020
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
New Publication: Spiritual Care in Public Institutions in Europe
(Jiří Rajmund Tretera and Záboj Horák, eds., Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag)
Law, Religion and Covid-19 Emergency – Ebook, Diresom Papers 1
(Edited by Pierluigi Consorti, DiReSoM: Diritto e Religione nelle Società Multiculturali/ Law and Religion in Multicultural Societies)
Ambassador Brownback warns about the COVID-19 related burdens faced by religious minorities
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Briefing with Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback on COVID-19 impact on religious minorities
(United States Department of State)
Evangelical leaders urge Congress to protect churches from coronavirus lawsuits
(Samuel Smith, The Christian Post)
Indian dioceses pray with pope, as well as Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims (videos)
(Nirmala Carvalho, Asia News)
Pope joins interfaith prayer for end to pandemic
(Cindy Wooden, The Tablet UK)
The Black Church and LGBTQ people: Lessons learned from #dems2020
(Lerone Jonathan Wilder and Myriam Renaud, Sightings: The Martin Marty Center, University of Chicago Divinity School)
Coronavirus puts 4 million girls at risk of child marriage
(Emma Batha, Thomson Reuters Foundation News)
Portugal’s ruling party wants to limit Jewish law of return policy
(Cnaan Liphshiz, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Do we need an International Commission of Inquiry for COVID-19? Part II
(Michael A Becker, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
Do we need an International Commission of Inquiry for COVID-19? Part I
(Michael A Becker, EJIL: Talk! Blog of the European Journal of International Law)
The hidden victims off Covid19: Human trafficking and modern day slavery
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Yet another girl in Pakistan abducted, forcibly converted and forcibly ‘married’ to her abductor
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
The International Criminal Court is moving forward with investigations into the situation in Afghanistan
(Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes)
Access to healthcare and social distance during COVID pandemic cannot stop at the prison gate
(Maïté De Rue, Strasbourg Observers)
Me and We: Individual rights, common good and coronavirus
(Ted Anthony, Associated Press, Real Clear Politics)
Iran sentences French academic Fariba Adelkhah to five years in prison
(AFP, France 24)
Church Law Society Newsletter Prague – Brno – Olomouc – Stříbro, No. 4/2020
(P. Jiří Rajmund Tretera OP, Záboj Horák, et al., English Version)
Daily Highlight #62: COVID-19 and Religious Freedom in Latin America
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
Court is critical of church's litigation tactics in challenge to covid-19 order
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Louisiana limits on church services upheld
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Court strikes down North Carolina limits on worship services
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Federal judge blocks NC governor’s restrictions on religious services
(Virginia Bridges, The News & Observer)
British government task force to develop rules for reopening of houses of worship
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
New taskforce developing plan to reopen places of worship in the UK
(Stephen Greenhalgh and Robert Jenrick, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government)
Pastor in Nepal re-arrested on new series of charges to keep him in jail, sources say
(Morning Star News)
LGBTQI+ advocates in Taiwan call for full recognition of same-sex marriage involving foreigners
(SBS News)
Albanian psychologists ban so-called conversion therapy
(Associated Press)
‘Primary schools not required to teach LGBT issues’, UK's Ofsted reminded
(The Christian Institute)
Italy opens churches as virus rules dictate how to eat, pray
(Nicole Winfield, Associated Press)
Jewish extremist convicted in arson that killed Arab toddler
(Aron Heller, Associated Press)
‘GOD TV’ spat exposes tensions between Israel, evangelicals
(Joseph Krauss, Associated Press)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
(Krista Larson, Associated Press)
Tibetans demand China disclose fate of boy taken away in ’95
(Associated Press)
AP PHOTOS: Shrine in Japan offers solace to those at home
(Associated Press)
Sacred spaces: A visit to Wisconsin’s Man Mound
(Jacob Riyeff, Commonweal)
Brazilian Church ‘on the vanguard’ of fight against COVID-19 in São Paulo
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Catholic groups convey hopes, concerns about U.S.-British trade talks
(Nick Mayrand, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Montenegro: Coronavirus ban feeds clash between state and Serbian Orthodox Church
(Zoran Arbutina, Deutsche Welle)
Judge nixes Oregon governor’s coronavirus-related restrictions on religious gatherings
(Mairead McArdle, National Review)
Book review: Religious liberty, natural law, and liberalism
(Steven Grosby, Law & Liberty)
Eight Jehovah's Witnesses are subjects of criminal case in Siberian city
(Sibir.Realii, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Putin recommends Russian Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr at home
(Interfax-Religion)
LGBT activists in Georgia hold annual rally online due to pandemic
(Interfax-Religion)
Russia: On trial despite age, sickness
(Victoria Arnold, Forum 18 News Service)
Global religious groups say COVID-19 presents 'prophetic moment' for governments on healthcare
(Peter Kenny, Ecumenical News)
Law and religion round-up – 17th May
(Frank Cranmer, Law & Religion UK)
Pope St. John Paul II and religious freedom: An interview with George Weigel
(Religious Freedom Institute)
An Army chaplain's reflections on Armed Forces Day
(Graham B. Glover, Religious Freedom Institute)
Atheism to orthodoxy: Russia’s convoluted relationship with God
(Julietta Bisharyan, The California Aggie)
A coalition that will escalate Jewish disunity
(Uri Rege, The Jerusalem Post)
Sri Lankan officials stoke Covid-19 communal hate: 11 years after civil war’s end, no reconciliation efforts
(Meenakshi Ganguly, Human Rights Watch)
Repatriated Muslims say diet at Joburg quarantine site is anti-religion
(Tebogo Monama, IOL News)
French government ordered to lift ban on religious meetings
(Agence France-Presse)
The Prophecies of Q: American conspiracy theories are entering a dangerous new phase
(Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic)
Playing the ostrich; or, How not to think about QAnon
(Richard A. Rosengarten, Sightings: The Martin Marty Center, University of Chicago Divinity School)
Sunday, 17 May 2020
On the first Sunday congregations could reopen, a church called Hopeful Baptist lived up to its name
(Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post)
Saturday, 16 May 2020
Daily Highlight #60: Advocating for People Forced to Move: The Vatican’s Voice
(COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions, Berkley Center, Joint Learning Initiative, WFDD)
COVID-19 and common humanity
(Brian Bird, Convivium: Canada's Premier Hub for Faith in Common Life)
Futility in the face of pandemic
(Daniel Gilman, Convivium: Canada's Premier Hub for Faith in Common Life)
Shadow and light in the post-COVID Church
(Peter Stockland and Peter Menzies, Convivium: Canada's Premier Hub for Faith in Common Life)
Women’s work boosts middle-class incomes but creates a family time squeeze that needs to be eased
(Isabel V. Sawhill and Katherine Guyot, The Brookings Gender Equality Series)
After recent violence, is Afghanistan’s peace process dead?
(Vanda Felbab-Brown, Brookings)
Serb church priests freed from detention in Montenegro
(Associated Press)
Charges dropped against Florida pastor over stay-home order
(Associated Press)
Churches sue over North Carolina COVID-19 order
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Lawsuit filed to block Gov. Cooper’s order on churches
(Ken Lemon, WSOC TV)
North Korea 'church' doesn't look like any other but it exists: watchdog
(Caleb Parke, Fox News)
Bulgaria: new law poses threat to parental rights
(ADF International)
UK taskforce on reopening places of worship
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Ukraine’s Catholic prelates condemn surrogacy as a ‘moral evil’
(Ines San Martin, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
New emergency aid bill aims to cut most benefits to Catholic schools
(Dennis Sadowski, Catholic News Service)
Patriarchate agrees to remove Stalin from church building
(RIA Novosti, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
Hungary contributes money to restore churches destroyed by illegal immigrants on Greek island
(Paul Antonopoulos, Greek City Times)
Iran’s clerics have bungled their coronavirus response, stoking doubts about their rule
(Erin Cunningham, The Washington Post)
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