Almost two-thirds of humanity—more than five billion people—live in countries where serious violations of religious freedom are taking place, according to the 2025 “Religious Freedom in the World Report.” The post Pope Leo says religious freedom is ‘not optional but essential’ as new report documents global persecution appeared first on America Magazine.| America Magazine
Therapy is a professional practice with standards of care. To reframe it as a matter of “free speech” is to miss the point entirely. The post Catholics and conversion therapy bans: The problem with free speech objections appeared first on America Magazine.| America Magazine
Catholics, Leo suggests, should neither attempt to dominate the political sphere nor separate themselves from it. The post Pope Leo praised ‘healthy secularism.’ What might that mean for U.S. Catholics? appeared first on America Magazine.| America Magazine
“On the cross, our savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do.’ That young man [Tyler Robinson], I forgive him… I forgive him because it was what Christ did… The answer to hate is not hate. The answer, we know, from the Gospel is love and always love. Love for our […]| The Chicago Thinker
Speaking today at the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, Lidia Rieder, Legal Officer for ADF International warned that the government of Türkiye is systematically targeting Christians under the guise of “national security,” expelling hundreds of foreign believers and leaving local congregations without spiritual leadership. The post Türkiye Labels Christians as ‘National Security Threats’ to Justify Mass Expulsions appeared first on ADF International.| ADF International
First hearing held in case to officially recognize Easter; presents new opportunity for Egypt to advance religious freedom protections, as petitioners seek to end requirement for millions of Christians to work or attend school on Easter Sunday. ADF International supports the petition to protect Egyptian Christians’ right to worship on Easter in an ancient cradle […] The post Following Prime Minister’s Rejection, Egyptian Christians Petition Government in Case to Recognize Easter Sunday ...| ADF International
The young Sufi Muslim’s ‘blasphemous’ WhatsApp message sparks an international outcry The post Yahaya Sharif-Aminu’s Supreme Court Outcome Will Shape Religious Freedom in Africa appeared first on ADF International.| ADF International
In a city where antisemitism now hides behind academic jargon and activist slogans, self-assertion is not parochial; it is necessary. The real danger is not that Jews might think too much of themselves, but that they might think too little. The post Solidarity Requires Self-Respect appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.| American Enterprise Institute – AEI
Christians are commanded, commissioned and called to combat all religious persecution, international human rights attorney Knox Thames told a gathering at Dallas Baptist University.| The Baptist Paper
By JoAnne Wadsworth, Communications Consultant, G20 Interfaith Forum – – – On October 20, 2025, the G20 Interfaith Forum's Anti-Racism Initiative, in partnership with the Group of 78 and the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation, held a webinar entitled "Ukraine and Russia: Religion and its Role in the Conflict." Speakers…| Viewpoints
| Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue
"The program is a model example of maintaining neutral and generally applicable nondiscrimination laws while nonetheless trying to accommodate the exercise of religious beliefs.”| New Ways Ministry
In the first month of direct state aid for Missouri’s K-12 scholarship program, 98% of funds went to Christian, Jewish, and Islamic institutions. The post Nearly All State Funding for Missouri School Vouchers Used for Religious Schools appeared first on Word&Way.| Word&Way
This is not a balanced report – it’s one-sided propaganda! I want to share something very important with you – my response to the Islamophobia report which was commissioned by the Albanese government and produced by the Special Envoy to ‘Combat Islamophobia’ over a three-year period. The author, Mr Malik Aftab, is a United Nations Alliance of Civilisations ‘Global Expert’ on Muslim Affairs. For many reasons, the report is a frustrating body of work that fundamentally fails t...| Malcolm Roberts
Words of the Pope to a delegation from the Aid to the Church in Need Foundation The post Religious freedom explained by Leo XIV appeared first on ZENIT - English.| ZENIT – English
After their pursuit of taxpayer school funding failed to get approval from the U.S. Supreme Court, the plans to open St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School have been canceled.| Word&Way
A former Muslim in eastern Uganda who put his faith in Christ in March was lured to his death on Aug. 19, sources said.| Morningstar News
Does attending church encourage greater acceptance of atheists? In a new open-access article in Political Behavior, we find statistical evidence supporting this conclusion—at least, at first glance. Now, if you think the idea that attending church encourages greater acceptance of atheists is bonkers, you’re not alone. We do, too. Let’s back up for a second. […]| Articles – Contexts
According to his detractors, Francis, in addition to “downplaying” the Church’s condemnation of abortion, failed sufficiently to condemn so-called sexual sins. The post Papal Sins Part II: The Four Papal “Sins” appeared first on Contending Modernities.| Contending Modernities
The U.S. Catholic community—numbering 53 million self-identified Catholic adults, or roughly one-fifth of the U.S. population—is complex and layered (as is the phrase “opposition to Pope Francis”).| Contending Modernities
A Christian girl rescued from a Muslim in Pakistan who abducted her said he forcibly converted her, sexually assaulted her as part of a sham Islamic marriage and forced her into prostitution.| Morningstar News
Religious freedom in Pakistan is facing unprecedented threats as Muslim extremist groups increase their hold on public officials, according to a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).| Morningstar News
Officials and Muslim clerics in a village in West Java Province, Indonesia have closed a prayer house, expelled an evangelist and indefinitely halted all Christian activities there, media outlets reported.| Morningstar News
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Daily International–Morning Star News) – Prisoners from minority backgrounds, particularly Christians, face systemic bias in Pakistani jails and are subjected to abuse by prison staff and Muslim inmates, a new study shows. They are labeled as “untouchables” and given menial tasks like cleaning toilets, according to the study released on Aug. 15, “Hope […]| Morningstar News
A Christian mother in Somalia has been locked in a room with her infant daughter since Aug. 6 after Muslim relatives relocated her following an earlier escape, sources said.| Morningstar News
A Muslim who put his faith in Christ after receiving a vision in a mosque in Uganda was hospitalized after relatives beat him, demolished his home and took in his wife and six children, sources said.| Morningstar News
Two years after Islamist attacks on Christians in the Jaranwala area in Punjab Province, Pakistan, hopes for justice are dimming amid the sabotaging of prosecution efforts, advocates said.| Morningstar News
Amnesty International this week called for the "quashing" of the convictions of 11 Christians in Libya sentenced to prison under charges that included “insulting Islam.”| Morningstar News
While the transcendent aspirations of conservatives like John Wilsey are good and true, they must take populist challenges more seriously.| Law & Liberty
Baptism saves. There, I said it. Congrats, Catholics, you're right on this one. I know I’m going to get some| The Chicago Thinker
“Climate Angels at Extinction Rebellion Declaration Day Melbourne” by John Englart (CC BY-SA 2.0) “I don’t want the same world, just eco.” These are the words of an activist interviewed in the 2021 documentary, Rebellion, directed by Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot. The film tells the story of Extinction Rebellion (XR), arguably one of…Read More| Canopy Forum
Efforts to curb abuse of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws suffered a major setback on Thursday (July 24) when judges suspended a prior court order to form a commission to investigate misuse of the harsh laws, sources said.| Morningstar News
Christian Natural Law and Religious FreedomAlex Deagon The following is an excerpt from Chapter 5 of Alex Deagon’s new book, Christian Natural Law and Religious Freedom: A Foundation Based on Love, the True, and the Good (Copyright 2025 by Imprint). Reproduced by permission of Taylor & Francis Group. Page numbers refer to publications linked in…Read More| Canopy Forum
In what attorneys in Pakistan termed a “huge ray of hope,” a federal high court on Tuesday (July 15) directed the government to form an inquiry commission within 30 days to investigate blatant abuse of blasphemy laws.| Morningstar News
The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 today that Wisconsin cannot discriminate against Catholic Charities Bureau of the Diocese of Superior because of its religiously motivated care for the poor, the elderly, and the disabled. In Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled last year that Catholic Charities’ ministry to the poor and […]| Anglican Ink © 2025
If you ever listened to, or had the honor of attending, a crusade led by the late Reverend Billy Graham,| The Chicago Thinker
Noughts and Crosses: Banning Christianity from the public square is one thing, but trying to ban it from the local village square takes it to a place where even angels fear to tread...| Australian Family Party
The G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) hosted a series of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) meetings in Cape Town, South Africa, from February 24 to 28, 2025. These meetings aimed to advance interfaith dialogue and policy recommendations for global peacebuilding, religious freedom, and social cohesion. The events were led by…| Viewpoints
By Marianna Richardson, Director of Communications for the G20 Interfaith Forum – – – At the International Religious Freedom Summit, Brett Scharffs, Professor of Law at J. Reuben Clark Law School and director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies and a member of the IF20 board, focused…| Viewpoints
In a significant legal victory against forced conversions/marriages in Pakistan, a civil court has annulled the marriage of a Christian woman who was given to a Muslim man as a child and coerced to convert to Islam and marry him, sources said.| Morningstar News
Wake: Why the Battle Over Diverse Public Schools Still Matters Karey Harwood This essay is an adapted excerpt from the third chapter of Karey Harwood’s recently published book, Wake: Why The Battle Over Diverse Public Schools Still Matters (Rutgers University Press, 2024). Reprinted here with permission from Rutgers University Press. When asked to talk about…Read More| Canopy Forum
Fulani herdsmen on Monday (March 10) killed at least six Christian villagers in central Nigeria after stabbing another to death the prior day because he objected to them grazing their cattle on his property, sources said.| Morningstar News
Hardline Muslims in eastern Uganda on Feb. 15 beat and stabbed an evangelist after he and his team led a Muslim widow to Christ during open-air gospel preaching, sources said.| Morningstar News
Church leaders and others in Pakistan lauded the producers and cast of a TV drama for risking their lives to broadcast an unprecedented, national media portrayal of the violent injustice resulting from blasphemy laws.| Morningstar News
By Marianna Richardson, Director of Communications for the G20 Interfaith Forum – – – Elder Ulisses Soares, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke at both the Global Faith Forum and the International Religious Freedom Summit 2025 during the first week in February. During both…| Viewpoints
By Marianna Richardson, Director of Communications for the G20 Interfaith Forum – – – Vice President Vance made an appearance and gave a significant speech at the IRF Summit. He pointed out that fostering a culture in which faith can thrive allows men and women to fully appreciate and respect…| Viewpoints
Explore how President Trump’s second term may impact tax laws, religious freedoms, and immigration policies for churches across the US.| Church Law & Tax
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Spain. Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). This article is part of our virtual symposium and essay series, “Masking Religious Freedom Violations.” Read more here. Despite common assumptions, our social and political lives do not simply end once we die; the idea of an afterlife, although mainly theological, can also…Read More| Canopy Forum
US President Jimmy Carter’s funeral is being held today in Washington, DC at the National Cathedral. Since he passed away shortly after Christmas, tributes have abounded about a man once deri…| The Duck of Minerva
Istanbul Skyline via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0). This article is part of our virtual symposium and essay series, “Masking Religious Freedom Violations.” Read more here. One of the most grievous periods of Christian history in the land of Turkey spanned much of the 20th century. One episode was the Istanbul pogrom of September 6-7, 1955,…Read More| Canopy Forum
Lake Geneva by Dmitry A. Mottl (CC BY-SA 4.0). This article is part of our virtual symposium and essay series, “Masking Religious Freedom Violations.” Read more here. The analytic systems employed to identify religious freedom violations often run into a barrier erected by two words – religious freedom. These two words are common jargon in…Read More| Canopy Forum
Photo of Cocora Valley, Colombia by Fernanda Fierro on Unsplash. This article is part of our virtual symposium and essay series, “Masking Religious Freedom Violations.” Read more here. Preliminary Contributions of Public Policy Colombia is one of the few countries worldwide with a public policy exclusively dedicated to ensuring the right to religious freedom. This…Read More| Canopy Forum
San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León by Mexico Fotos (CC BY SA 2.0). This article is part of our virtual symposium and essay series, “Masking Religious Freedom Violations.” Read more here. On October 20, 2024, two people on a motorcycle shot at priest Marcelo Perez Perez’s vehicle as he left the parish of Guadalupe, located…Read More| Canopy Forum
Image of Palacio del Centro Asturiano, Havana, Cuba by Carol M. Highsmith (CC0) The following essay is reprinted and adapted on Canopy Forum in collaboration with the journal Derecho en Sociedad, a biannual electronic publication that is free and open access. Their issue 18(2) features full length articles in Spanish and English. Read Flores’ long-form essay on the Cuban…Read More| Canopy Forum
St. Isidore of Seville (1655) depicted by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (CC0). Introduction As I discussed previously, a controversy arose on June 5, 2023, when Oklahoma’s Statewide Virtual Charter School Board authorized the creation of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. Named after the patron saint of the internet, and intended to operate under the leadership of…Read More| Canopy Forum
Image of Ten Commandments outside of Stephens County Courthouse from WikiMedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). It’s already back to school time, and while students in Louisiana and Oklahoma may notice that the Ten Commandments and Bible are now in their classrooms and curricula, religion has always been part of the structure of public schools in the…Read More| Canopy Forum
Witte’s Contribution on Human Rights and Religious FreedomNicholas Wolterstorff The following is an adapted excerpt from the chapter “Witte’s Contribution on Human Rights and Religious Freedom” from the book, Faith in Law, Law in Faith: Reflecting and Building on the Work of John Witte, Jr. (2024). Reprinted under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (CC-BY-NC). This…Read More| Canopy Forum
Religion and Science: A Clash Between Faith and Reason Religion and Science: A Clash Between Faith and Reason Opinion, Victoria Britton The United States has long championed freedom of religion for all people. This advocacy, central to the American experience today, has historical roots dating back to the country’s foundation. It began in Virginia during the American Revolution. In 1777, Thomas Jefferson, then a state General Assembly member, penned the landmark "Virginia Statute for Establ...| Religion News Blog
If passed, the Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Bill 2024 presents serious risks to churches, Christian schools, businesses owned and run by Christians, and individuals who openly profess their Christian faith.| Australian Christian Lobby
