Following weeks of protests, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris has spoken out in defence of this freedom of expression.

Principal dismissal sparks tensions

The dismissal of Christian Espeso, principal of Immaculate Conception High School in Pau, southern France, has stirred national controversy. On 11 September, the local education authority removed Espeso from office, citing "breaching secularism" after he introduced confessions during school hours and required students to attend a conference led by a bishop.

"Many of us are stunned" stated the Diocese of Bayonne's Directorate of Catholic Education on 13 September, calling the decision "totally disproportionate in light of the facts".

Immaculate Conception High School, under Espeso's leadership, ranked first in its region and fourth nationally.

Archbishop defends religious expression

Archbishop Ulrich addressed the controversy on Radio Notre Dame, emphasising the importance of religious expression within Catholic institutions.

"We must be able to proclaim the Gospel in Catholic schools" he stated. "There are people who want to silence us."

The archbishop's comments come as the debate intensifies over the role of Catholic schools in a secular society. Currently, Catholic schools educate about 17% of French pupils and represent 95% of all private schools in the country.

Balancing secularism and religious identity

French Catholic schools operate under a 1959 agreement that requires them to follow the same curriculum as public institutions while maintaining their Catholic identity. The state pays the salaries of their teachers who are inspected by the Ministry of Education. In return, the schools agree to welcome students of all backgrounds and make catechism classes optional.

However, the balance between state oversight and religious autonomy appears to be shifting. In January, a group of public education representatives called for an end to state funding for Catholic schools, claiming that the current system undermines France's commitment to secularism.

Changing religious landscape

Philippe Gaudin, director of the Public Institute for the Study of Religions and Secularism, attributed the growing tensions to a shifting religious landscape in France.

"There is a huge decline in Christian religious practice" Gaudin told OSV News. "At the same time, there is a growing presence of Muslims who are loudly asserting their identity and their demands. This is something new. So the state is trying to put in place a public policy to manage all this."

The dismissal of Espeso has become a flashpoint in this wider debate over how religious institutions operate within France's secular framework.

Source

• CNA

The state's Republican governor, Jeff Landry (pictured), signed the obligation into law last week.

A poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in a "large, easily readable font" must be displayed in all public classrooms, from kindergartens to state-funded universities.

"If you want to respect the rule of law, you've got to start from the original lawgiver, Moses, who got the commandments from God" Landry said.

The Ten Commandments are firmly rooted in legal history MP Dodie Horton says. In her view, the law will introduce a moral code into the classroom.

Civil rights violated

Opponents of the bill see the new law as a push against the constitutional separation of church and state. They say they will challenge the law in court.

They argue the law violates Supreme Court precedents and leads to religious coercion of students.

They are especially concerned that the new law will prevent students from getting an equal education.

In a joint statement, the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation said it will keep children who have different beliefs from feeling safe at school.

"Even among those who may believe in some version of the Ten Commandments, the particular text that they adhere to can differ by religious denomination or tradition. The government should not be taking sides in this theological debate" the groups said.

Source

• katholisch.de
• RNS
• AP

I believe that God's presence is expressed in every heart and in every reality, beyond the signs and words (religious or otherwise) that express this presence.

"The wind blows where it pleases; you can hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit," (John 3, 8).

Here in France, our experience and sociology tell us that Catholics - those men and women who affirm their faith in God and live out the ordinary signs of that faith, including community prayer - are now in the minority.

And yet, we do our utmost to hold onto the former signs of God's presence, including those churches and buildings that are often no more than traces of it.

Sometimes we also believe that visible, even violent, public affirmations of God are what would please and serve the Divine. What a waste of energy, even misdirection.

Who would think that the words and attitudes of Jesus Christ would encourage displays of power?

The head of state must not be confessional

The fact that Catholics are in a minority not only concerns their percentage of the population as a whole, but also expresses itself in institutions.

The French Revolution put an end to the "very Christian king".

The Third Republic, with the law of December 9, 1905, formally decreed the Separation of the State and the Churches.

Admittedly, the public and political link between the State and the Catholic religion in France lasted for many centuries, from Clovis to Louis XVI.

But this model can in no way be based on any requirement of scriptural or Church teaching, and it is up to each people to choose its own political regime.

Nowhere does Christian tradition demand that heads of state or public institutions be confessional, or that they implement religious laws.

The only thing the Church expects is religious freedom, the freedom to believe in whomever and whatever one chooses, as long as this belief does not infringe on public liberties.

The idea that the only good ruler is a believer, and a Catholic one at that, is not an idea that Christian thought suggests.

When the Bible speaks of praying for our governmental leaders, it is not with a view to converting them, but so that "we may be able to live peaceful and quiet lives with all devotion and propriety" (1 Timothy 2, 2).

Suspicion

However, my remarks cannot ignore the long history of the alliance between the army and the clergy.

Suspicion has long been rife in people's minds: suspicion of a political power seeking to control religions, suspicion of a religious power seeking to impose its views on the nation and its leaders.

Fortunately, I don't have my hands on people's hearts, or on the suspicions they may harbour, but the law of our country is clear, and could allay many unfounded fears. Marseille is worth a Mass!

And as Catholics, let's have the humility to accept our institutional minority, for example by choosing just a few places - one or two churches for every sprawling parish cluster - so that the presence, attention and commitment of human life can mobilise us.

This is where we will discern signs of God: human life must be the place of our closeness.

The churches - our churches that we have inherited and to which many people are attached - are the vestiges of the faith of others, of the faith of the generations that preceded us.

Churches speak of yesterday. But with each generation, the Church must be born anew.

• Pascal Wintzer is the Catholic archbishop of Poitiers (France), a post he took up in 2012.
• First published in La-Croix International. Republished with permission.

After hitting the umpteenth brick wall, my wife had reached the end of her rope.

As a Canadian citizen in America, married to an American, obtaining a green card for work should have been a walk in the park for her. But it wasn't.

After three years of red tape, misinformation, misfiled forms, mistakes and miscues on the part of the federal government, she fired off an indignant letter to President Jimmy Carter.

"Don't you want me?" the letter cried.

"I'm a teacher, I'm a good person, I help people. Does your country have anything against teachers, good people and helpers?"

We mailed the letter that night to "President Jimmy Carter in care of The White House, Washington, DC."

Less than a week later a package arrived on our doorstep—her approved application.

"Wow," exclaimed the official reviewing the application forms, each of them covered with federal stars and rubber-stamped Urgent.

"Someone at the top is really interested in you!"

Jimmy Carter is now about to embark on his own journey, entering hospice for end-of-life care.

He leaves behind a legacy of kindness, tolerance and peace and will likely be remembered first as a person of faith who lived that faith, secondly as a crusader for human rights and religious freedom, and incidentally as someone who happened to be president of the United States.

His quick response to my wife's letter was symptomatic of the kind of person he was: inclusive.

Though raised in the deep South to committed segregationist parents, it was not in Carter's makeup to exclude anyone.

As a child, he made friends with his family's black neighbour children in his poor community.

Later, on becoming Georgia's governor, succeeding arch-bigot Lester Maddox (the New York Times described Maddox as believing "that blacks were intellectually inferior to whites, that integration was a Communist plot, that segregation was somewhere justified in scripture and that a federal mandate to integrate [all-white] schools was ‘ungodly, un-Christian and un-American.'")

Carter stunned the inauguration crowd when he declared, "I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over…No poor, rural, weak, or black person should ever have to bear the additional burden of being deprived of the opportunity of an education, a job or simple justice."

As president, he strove for peace, meeting all challenges, as he said, "without launching a missile or dropping a bomb.

My commitment to peace was an aspect of my Christian faith.

Also, basic human rights are compatible with Jesus Christ's teachings, and I made human rights a foundation of foreign policy."

He also made human rights a foundation of his life and work, founding the nonprofit, non-governmental Carter Center in 1982, an organization committed to advancing human rights and easing human suffering.

It has helped to improve life for people in more than 80 countries by resolving conflicts and advancing democracy and human rights.

For his work on equality and inclusion, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."

Jimmy Carter tried as best as he could to be the best Christian he could be, setting examples of love and peace while finding commonalities and joining hands with other faiths. Continue reading

In his historic first visit to Mongolia, the pope spoke to about 2,000 people at Ulaanbaatar's Steppe Arena and emphasised God's presence in difficult times.

Francis drew parallels with life in Mongolia, where about 30% of the land is desert.

"It is precisely in those deserts that we hear the good news that we are not alone in our journey; those times of dryness cannot render our lives barren forever; our cry of thirst does not go unheard," he said at Mass on the final day of his four-day visit.

In an evocative homily, Pope Francis captured the attention of both locals and the international community.

The pontiff used Mongolia's rugged landscapes and nomadic traditions as a metaphor to discuss the universal human journey towards happiness, love and spiritual fulfilment.

Drawing a parallel between Mongolia's arid steppes and the sometimes barren spiritual journey people face, Pope Francis proclaimed "In a spiritual sense, all of us are 'God's nomads,' pilgrims in search of happiness, wayfarers thirsting for love."

Speaking from the heart, Francis acknowledged the challenging aspects of spiritual life, stating that it can often feel as desolate as a hot desert.

He reassured the faithful that God provides the "clear, refreshing water" needed to sustain them in these moments of existential drought.

"Our hearts long to discover the secret of true joy, a joy that even in the midst of existential aridity can accompany and sustain us," the Pope said, adding a layer of hope to his poignant message.

While Mongolian Catholics number about 1,500, those attending Mass swelled by visits from neighbouring countries.

In particular, there are reports of Chinese Catholics facing travel restrictions to attend the papal visit and the possibility of investigation on their return.

In the course of his homily, Pope Francis encouraged people in the importance of embracing the Christian faith as the answer to our thirst for meaning and love, cautioning against worldly pursuits.

In a message of gratitude, he commended Mongolian Catholics as proof that great things can come from being small in number.

Religious leaders unite for peace

Earlier, Pope Francis joined representatives from 11 different faiths in Mongolia to promote peace, tolerance and harmony in the shadow of China's tightening grip on religious freedoms.

Gathered in a yurt-shaped theatre in Ulaanbaatar, the diverse group included Buddhists, Mongolian Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, evangelicals, Adventists, Latter-Day Saints, Shamans, Bahai, Shintoists and Orthodox Christians.

This event highlighted Mongolia's religious diversity and acceptance, a stark contrast to its history of religious persecution under communism. Since democracy emerged in Mongolia in the early 1990s, faith leaders have been welcomed back, ushering in a new era of religious tolerance.

The visit of the 10th reincarnation of Jevzundamba Khutugtu, an important figure in Buddhism, symbolises this hope for a more harmonious future.

The Pope's visit to Mongolia, a country nestled between China and Russia, sends a message of hope and unity in the face of religious oppression.

During the course of his visit, Francis urged religions to come together for the common good, emphasising the importance of harmony and cooperation. He highlighted the social significance of religious traditions in fostering unity and peace when sectarianism and violence are set aside.

While acknowledging the challenges humanity faces, the Pope stressed the potential for hope for the world through interreligious dialogue and cooperation.

Sources

CruxNow

Religion News Service

CathNews New Zealand

"We're very grateful for all the prayers and support we've received," says Country Mill Farms owner Steve Tennes (pictured with his family).

Faith has always been part of the family business.

"Our Catholic faith is something we try to incorporate in everything we do. … It goes far beyond Sunday morning."

"This is a victory for all Americans to live out our beliefs."

What happened

The friction began over a Facebook post seven years ago.

Tennes wrote that he and his business adhere to the Catholic teaching related to same-sex marriage.

As Tennes offered part of his property as a wedding venue but excluded same-sex weddings, officials claimed he violated the city's nondiscrimination policies.

They refused to let him sell produce at the market.

Religious freedom

Refusing Tennes access to the market was wrong, the U.S. District Court found. The city's refusal violated Tennes constitutional rights under the First Amendment's free exercise clause.

The city cannot exclude Country Mill from the market based on Tennes' adherence to his Catholic beliefs.

The right to religious freedom does not apply only to religious organisations, the Court noted.

"The city's decision to exclude Country Mill Farms ... constituted a burden on [Tennes'] religious beliefs."

The city was forcing Tennes to choose between his religious beliefs "and a government benefit for which [Country Mill Farms was] otherwise qualified."

Kate Anderson, the senior counsel representing Tennes, says the government should not deny someone's right to participate in a business opportunity based on his or her religious beliefs.

"The court ruling was a strong voice for religious freedom," she says.

Anderson says there is a trend of more and more government officials passing policies and enforcing laws in a way that targets people of faith.

The policies and laws are related particularly to religious beliefs about gender and sexuality, she says.

She notes that courts have struck down many of these policies, adding "Those laws are wrong, and they're being challenged across the country."

"Every American should be free to live according to their religious beliefs."

Meanwhile a spokesperson for the City of East Lansing says the city is reviewing the court's opinion and "will be discussing potential options."

Tennes says he hopes to build a better relationship with current city officials.

Source

• CNA

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has released its latest edition of the Religious Freedom Report, shedding light on the increasing persecution faced by individuals and communities worldwide.

The report, published every two years since 1999 by the international Catholic foundation ACN, remains the sole non-governmental source covering religious freedom across all faiths.

Compared to the previous report, the situation has worsened in 47 countries, while only nine have shown signs of improvement.

Religious minorities bear the brunt of this oppression, sometimes facing a genuine risk of extinction.

Terrorism, cultural suppression, economic discrimination and legal constraints create a suffocating environment in their homelands.

However, some majority religious groups also endure persecution, as evidenced in Nigeria and Nicaragua.

Offenders operate with impunity

The instigators behind these violations range from armed terror organisations to authoritarian governments. Disturbingly, these offenders often operate with impunity, rarely facing justice or international condemnation for their actions.

Africa accounts for half of the countries with the most severe religious freedoms. According to the report, this is due to the spread of jihadist groups across the continent and the expansion of "opportunist caliphates".

Asia, too, presents a worrying situation, with China's continued attempt to exert totalitarian control over all aspects of society including religion.

India exhibits state-sponsored ethno-religious nationalism, which manifests in harsh anti-conversion laws among other forms of repression.

While the focus often falls on Africa and Asia, many western nations display concerning trends. The rise of cancel culture and increasing social and political pressure to conform to ideological norms raises alarm bells.

Regina Lynch, the newly appointed executive president of ACN International, emphasises that the report's primary goal is to inspire action and support for those enduring religious persecution.

Lynch highlights the power of prayer, sharing information, advocating for victims, engaging with politicians and staying informed about realities in different parts of the world as crucial steps toward effecting change.

"The ACN Religious Freedom in the World Report seeks only to provide information and analysis about the abuse of this fundamental human right worldwide. It is a tool. The tool is only as good as those who take it up, share it with others and work to effect change," Lynch asserts.

Sources

ACN International

La Croix International

CathNews New Zealand

It's been an ongoing question with pros and cons. Should the Act be expanded - or not?

The legislation already specifically protects people from being subject to hate speech because of their colour, race, ethnic or national origins.

Now the Government has decided the Act is to be amended. It will specifically include religious groups, the Minister of Justice, Kiri Allan, says.

Cardinal John Dew is one religious leader likely to be firmly in favour of the amendment.

In fact, during his homily at the interdenominational church service at Waitangi in 2020, he said he would like us all to recommit to protecting the beliefs of followers of all religions and non-religious people.

"It is time to recommit ourselves to protecting the faiths of all who live here - of Maori custom and spirituality, of the different Christian denominations, of Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Bahai'i and many other faiths; and also the freedom of religion and conscience of those who profess no faith," he said.

He pointed out that in New Zealand our heritage was religious tolerance, religious inclusion and religious acceptance.

This heritage was sealed when the Treaty of Waitangi - Te Tiriti o Waitangi - was signed in 1840.

At that time, Bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier New Zealand's first Catholic Bishop of New Zealand, asked for religious freedom to be respected.

In response, Crown representative Captain William Hobson formally affirmed: "Ko nga whakapono katoa i Ingarani, o nga Weteriana, o Roma, me te ritenga Maori, e tikanga ngatahitia e ia - the several faiths of England, of the Wesleyans, of Rome and also Maori custom shall alike be protected."

Why the religious freedom amendment was passed

The current amendment to the Human Rights legislation stems from a recommendation suggested by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the 2019 Christchurch terror attack.

It followed extensive consultation, with more than 19,000 submissions on six proposals.

While just one change tohas the Act been agreed, the Government says it intends asking for further work to be done alongside a wider range of groups.

These groups could include women, disabled people and the rainbow community.

The debate goes on

The divisive policy debate around expanding the Human Rights Act may continue.

Not everyone agrees extending the Act to include protection from hate speech is a good idea, for example.

Not surprisingly, the Free Speech Union isn't in favour of it.

The Union is commending the Minister for listening to the overwhelming public response calling for free speech to be upheld.

‘Hate speech laws don't work. For over 18 months, we have led the charge calling on the Government to back down from the idea that hate can be outlawed," says spokesperson Jonathan Ayling

"Over 80 percent of the submissions against the ‘hate speech law' proposals specifically endorsed our submission ... with over 50,000 signatures.

‘Two Justice Ministers have now failed in pushing their ideological agenda of expanded ‘hate speech' laws through and have now passed this poisoned chalice to the Law Commission ...

"The Ministry of Justice has just spent over two years working on this very issue. It's time better solutions were given a chance, solutions that elevate dialogue, reason,and counter-speech.

"If hate speech laws don't work for other ‘vulnerable communities', we need to rethink the entire venture. The question, ‘if this group, why not that group' is legitimate."

Source

• NewsHub
• Scoop
• Scoop
• Scoop

Give young people a reason to trust authority, Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong suggests in a special message published last Friday.

Among the advantages he lists is a greater sense of unity in a pluralistic Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's past 25 years as a Special Administrative Region "have been very challenging," he says.

At the same time he acknowledges "the goodness, generosity and resilience we have witnessed among the people of Hong Kong."

Chow also offered prayers for young people. He asked God to bless those struggling "with empathic understanding and meaningful support from the others".

He also prayed youth would be empowered by support allowing them "to have dreams again". He hoped they would be able to "make positive differences for their future and that of Hong Kong".

He closed pledging his faith in God and asking for God to bestow "abundant blessings on China and the Chinese People".

Since June 2020, hundreds of Hong Kong activists have been arrested in the crackdown. They include prominent Catholic figures like Cardinal Joseph Zen who is 90 years old..

In March Monsignor Javier Herrera-Corona, the Vatican's unofficial representative in Hong Kong, referenced a national security crackdown by Beijing on Hong Kong in the wake of anti-government protests in 2019.

He told the city's 50-odd Catholic missions the freedoms they had enjoyed for decades were over and warned missionary colleagues to protect their missions' property, files and funds.

"Change is coming, and you'd better be prepared," Corona warned the missionaries. One says in short Corona warned: "Hong Kong is not the great Catholic beachhead it was."

The Rev. Jonathan Aitken, a former UK Cabinet minister, says religious freedom in Hong Kong is "next on the hit list by the destructive forces" of Chinese President Xi Jinping's regime.

He says Xi and his regime are particularly hostile to faith groups.

China's crackdown on Christians on the mainland is leaving them facing the worst persecution since Mao's Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, Aitken claims.

He says persecution of Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and Hui Muslims has intensified. He also says China's persecution of Uyghurs is increasingly being recognised by international critics as genocide.

Source

• U.S. News
• Crux Now
• Crux Now

"We will no longer register any new Churches. We will keep the figure of registered Churches unchanged from now on', members of various Protestant Churches quoted Davlatzoda as telling them.

"But he did not give any reasons," they added.

Several Churches which asked the SCRA for registration were individually told the same, one Protestant told Forum 18.

During the meeting with Protestant leaders, Davlatzoda also "openly warned that children cannot participate in Church activity, and no religious camps are allowed for them".

The 2011 Parental Responsibility Law bans the participation of anyone below the age of 18 in religious events apart from funerals. Religious communities have been fined for violating this ban. Continue reading

One advocate is Jody Rabhan, chief policy officer for the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW).

She and other members of her organisation are "absolutely devastated, shocked and angry," she says.

"This is not the end. There are things that we can do."

Many Muslim, Christian and liberal-leaning religious groups have long advocated for abortion rights. They're preparing new efforts to preserve the current shape of abortion policy as much as possible.

Catholics for Choice head Jamie Manson says her group is pressuring lawmakers to pass the Women's Health Protection Act. Passed by the House and awaiting action in a less-receptive Senate, the bill would codify the provisions of Roe v Wade into federal law.

Manson's group is also pushing President Joe Biden — a fellow Catholic abortion-rights supporter — to declare a public health emergency in the wake of Friday's ruling.

In addition they will continue "emboldening Catholics who already are pro-choice to say ‘Not in the name of my faith,'" and to rally around the idea that the decision is a "violation of a Catholic principle of religious freedom."

Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith also urged Biden to declare a public health emergency in a New York Times editorial. This would unlock "critical resources and authority that States and the Federal Government can use to meet the surge in demand for reproductive health services".

NCJW has similar plans. They and their allies will push the Senate to pass the Women's Health Protection Act and work to ensure Federal and Supreme Court judges "have very strong reproductive health rights and justice backgrounds".

Rabhan said NCJW will fight abortion restrictions at the State level, helping those with more liberal abortion laws serve as "sanctuary states" and fundraising to help women pay for abortions.

"Judaism permits and sometimes requires abortion if the life and the health of the mother is at risk," Rabhan says.

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice is also calling on supporters to donate to abortion aid funds and contact their lawmakers.

Last month a synagogue sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the state's 15-week abortion ban.

They argued it directly conflicts with a Jewish belief that abortion "is required if necessary to protect the health, mental or physical well-being of the woman.

"Jewish law is very clear: Human life begins at birth, and up until the time of birth, a woman has autonomy to make the decision for herself," Rabbi Barry Silver says.

"This law criminalises Judaism and a bunch of other religions," he said.

He noted that DeSantis signed the bill into law at an evangelical Christian church, where speakers discussed prayer and religious themes.

"They just did it right in a church and said, ‘Oh, God's going to protect us,' and ‘God is watching over us,'" he said. "It's grotesquely un-American and unconstitutional."

"You will see lots of lawsuits like this."

Source

• Religion News Service

Pastafarians, who are members of The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster's believers wear colanders on their heads in homage to their deity. Read more

But instead, it clearly appears that more often than not, Catholics - much like the general public - make important decisions on who to vote for, and where to come down on crucial issues, based primarily on the political party they affiliate with and from their cultural, economic and political leanings as being either conservative or liberal.

Putting faith on the back burner is not Christocentric, and is not Catholic.

And so when it comes to the life and death issues facing billions of suffering brothers and sisters - born and unborn, in one's nation, as well as in all other countries - Catholics for the most part, don't look, sound or act much different than the larger secular population. And that's not good.

But in the Gospel, Jesus puts forth to his followers this challenging directive: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house."

In a world that is so often darkened by what Pope Francis calls the "culture of indifference," we, the modern-day followers of Jesus, like his ancient followers, are called to radiate the Master's light of love upon the various sufferings of countless brothers and sisters.

But we are taking this mandate too lightly - in a fractured and partial way.

In general, I have long found that very often Catholics with conservative leanings, more or less oppose abortion, infanticide, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, promiscuous public school sex education and government attacks on religious liberty and traditional marriage.

And in general, I have long found that very often Catholics with liberal leanings, more or less support nonviolent peace initiatives, demilitarization, drastically cutting military budgets and redirecting those funds to end global hunger and poverty, protecting the environment while working to end human-induced climate change, abolishing capital punishment, welcoming migrants and refugees, opposing racism, and fighting to stop human trafficking.

Each of these efforts is morally commendable - to a point.

But the problem is that when it comes to conservative Catholic social action initiatives and liberal Catholic social action initiatives, it most often boils down to "never the twain shall meet."

And this is disastrous - disastrous for our Catholic faith and for all who will continue to suffer because we prefer biased, ideological, narrow-minded tunnel vision to open-minded, heartfelt Catholic dialogue that places the Gospel and Catholic social teaching as our foundation.

Catholic conservatives and Catholic liberals desperately need to pray and take concrete steps in forging a unity designed to work together to develop holistic nonviolent strategies aimed at protecting the life and dignity of every single human being from conception to natural death - with a preferential option for the poorest and most vulnerable, including our common earth-home.

Instead of ranking the life issues, we need to link them, always bearing in mind that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Thus, all the life-links need to be strong!

Imagine what a moral, political, economic, cultural and religious beacon of light the Catholic Church would be if conservative Catholics and liberal Catholics would come together, in a determined way to learn from each other, to pray together and to work together with Christocentric passion building Pope Francis' "culture of encounter" where all life is respected, protected and nurtured!

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated Catholic social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings. Tony can be reached at tmag6@comcast.net.

Plaintiff Sharonell Fulton says she is overjoyed with the decision.

"My faith is what drives me to care for foster children here in Philadelphia and I thank God the Supreme Court believes that's a good thing", she said.

Catholic Social Services is a Philadelphia city-funded foster and adoption agency.

Given the funding the city provides, Philadelphia City argued that the agency had no right to refuse to certify same-sex couples as foster parents because of its Catholic beliefs on marriage.

The Catholic policy constituted discrimination and violated the City's nondiscrimination ordinance, the City said in 2018, when the issue arose.

It went on to say it would no longer work with the Catholic Social Services. As the City oversees all foster care placements, the agency's work drastically diminished as the case proceeded in the courts.

Catholic Social Services and two foster parents — one named Sharonell Fulton (pictured) — sued the city, claiming the free exercise clause in the First Amendment gives the agency the right to opt out of the nondiscrimination requirement.

The Fulton v. Philadelphia lawsuit argued that the City's policy violated their free exercise of religion when it stopped contracting with them in 2018.

The Court's unanimous ruling in favour of Catholic Social Services' free exercise clause overturned a lower court and a federal circuit court ruling in the City's favour.

The new decision is being seen as a victory for religious freedom in the United States.

The court did not, however, establish a general right for religious organizations to violate nondiscrimination laws.

It ruled more narrowly.

It said since a section in the city's nondiscrimination policy allowed exceptions to the nondiscrimination policy at the city commissioner's discretion (though none has ever been granted), it must also do so for Catholic Social Services' sincerely held religious beliefs.

Philadelphia's Archbishop Nelson Pérez says the ruling is a victory for at-risk children.

The Catholic Church in Philadelphia has steadfastly served the city for 200 years. It is looking forward to partnering with the City and continuing to provide "the temporal and spiritual needs of all — now and for the long term," Pérez says.

In his view, the Court's ruling protects "our enshrined right to religious freedom and celebrates the rich diversity of religious beliefs in the United States.

"Religious ministries cannot be forced to abandon their beliefs as the price for ministering to those in need. We can all live and work peacefully, side-by-side, to create a better and brighter future for all of our children."

Gay rights groups are interpreting the ruling as another defeat for LGBTQ equality. A study by the Williams Institute at UCLA shows same-sex couples raising children were approximately seven times more likely than heterosexual couples raising children to have an adopted or foster child.

"This ruling will certainly impact foster care and adoption services immediately and perpetuate some pretty horrific myths in the culture — doubting our ability to provide effective parenting," says a lesbian foster parent.

But a leading scholar of religious liberty says as the ruling pointed out, there are more than 20 foster care agencies in Philadelphia, many catering for LGBTQ couples.

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Catholic News Service
• Religion News Service
• Image: Philadelphia Inquirer

In a presentation to Christian organisation Family Voice Australia on Tuesday evening, Howard also called for "people in authority" to more actively oppose "woke culture" that is trying to "alter society" in Australia.

Howard, speaking on the topic of freedom of speech, said one issue that had arisen out of the same-sex marriage postal survey - for which he publicly advocated a no vote - that needed to be addressed was the rights for faith-based schools to teach the principles of their faith.

Read More

The document focuses on fraternity and social friendship as the ways to build a better, more just and peaceful world - with the contribution of all: people and institutions.

The official summary follows, with a link to download the full document at the end.

What are the great ideals but also the tangible ways to advance for those who wish to build a more just and fraternal world in their ordinary relationships, in social life, politics and institutions?

This is mainly the question that Fratelli tutti is intended to answer: the Pope describes it as a "Social Encyclical" which borrows the title of the "Admonitions" of Saint Francis of Assisi, who used these words to "address his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavour of the Gospel" (1).

The Poverello "did not wage a war of words aimed at imposing doctrines; he simply spread the love of God", the Pope writes, and "he became a father to all and inspired the vision of a fraternal society" (2-4).

The Encyclical aims to promote a universal aspiration toward fraternity and social friendship. Beginning with our common membership in the human family, from the acknowledgement that we are brothers and sisters because we are the children of one Creator, all in the same boat, and hence we need to be aware that in a globalized and interconnected world, only together can we be saved.

Human Fraternity

Fraternity is to be encouraged not only in words, but in deeds.

Deeds made tangible in a "better kind of politics", which is not subordinated to financial interests, but to serving the common good, able to place the dignity of every human being at the centre and assure work to everyone, so that each one can develop his or her own abilities.

A politics which, removed from populism, is able to find solutions to what attacks fundamental human rights and which aims to definitively eliminate hunger and trafficking.

At the same time, Pope Francis underscores that a more just world is achieved by promoting peace, which is not merely the absence of war; it demands "craftsmanship", a job that involves everyone.

Linked to truth, peace and reconciliation must be "proactive"; they must work toward justice through dialogue, in the name of mutual development.

This begets the Pontiff's condemnation of war, the "negation of all rights" and is no longer conceivable even in a hypothetically "justified" form, because nuclear, chemical and biological weapons already have enormous repercussions on innocent civilians.

There is also a strong rejection of the death penalty, defined as "inadmissible", and a central reflection on forgiveness, connected to the concepts of remembrance and justice: to forgive does not mean to forget, the Pontiff writes, nor to give up defending one's rights to safeguard one's dignity, which is a gift from God.

In the background of the Encyclical is the Covid-19 pandemic which, Francis reveals, "unexpectedly erupted" as he "was writing this letter". But the global health emergency has helped demonstrate that "no one can face life in isolation" and that the time has truly come to "dream, then, as a single human family" in which we are "brothers and sisters all" (7-8).

Global problems, global actions

Opening with a brief introduction and divided into eight chapters, the Encyclical gathers - as the Pope himself explains - many of his statements on fraternity and social friendship, arranged, however, "in a broader context of reflection" and complemented by "a number of letters, documents" sent to Francis by "many individuals and groups throughout the world" (5).

In the first chapter, "Dark clouds over a closed world", the document reflects on the many distortions of the contemporary era: the manipulation and deformation of concepts such as democracy, freedom, justice; the loss of the meaning of the social community and history; selfishness and indifference toward the common good; the prevalence of a market logic based on profit and the culture of waste; unemployment, racism, poverty; the disparity of rights and its aberrations such as slavery, trafficking, women subjugated and then forced to abort, organ trafficking (10-24).

It deals with global problems that call for global actions, emphasizes the Pope, also sounding the alarm against a "culture of walls" that favours the proliferation of organized crime, fuelled by fear and loneliness (27-28).

Moreover, today we observe a deterioration of ethics (29), contributed to, in a certain way, by the mass media which shatter respect for others and eliminate all discretion, creating isolated and self-referential virtual circles, in which freedom is an illusion and dialogue is not constructive (42-50).

Love builds bridges: the Good Samaritan

To many shadows, however, the Encyclical responds with a luminous example, a herald of hope: the Good Samaritan.

The second chapter, "A stranger on the road", is dedicated to this figure.

In it, the Pope emphasizes that, in an unhealthy society that turns its back on suffering and that is "illiterate" in caring for the frail and vulnerable (64-65), we are all called - just like the Good Samaritan - to become neighbours to others (81), overcoming prejudices, personal interests, historic and cultural barriers.

We all, in fact, are co-responsible in creating a society that is able to include, integrate and lift up those who have fallen or are suffering (77).

Love builds bridges and "we were made for love" (88), the Pope adds, particularly exhorting Christians to recognize Christ in the face of every excluded person (85).

The principle of the capacity to love according to "a universal dimension" (83) is also resumed in the third chapter, "Envisaging and engendering an open world".

In this chapter Francis exhorts us to go "'outside' the self" in order to find "a fuller existence in another" (88), opening ourselves up to the other according to the dynamism of charity which makes us tend toward "universal fulfilment" (95).

In the background - the Encyclical recalls - the spiritual stature of a person's life is measured by love, which always "takes first place" and leads us to seek better for the life of the other, far from all selfishness (92-93).

Rights have no borders

A fraternal society, therefore, will be one that promotes educating in dialogue in order to defeat the "virus" of "radical individualism" (105) and to allow everyone to give the best of themselves.

Beginning with protection of the family and respect for its "primary and vital mission of education" (114).

There are two 'tools' in particular to achieve this type of society: benevolence, or truly wanting good for the other (112), and solidarity which cares for fragility and is expressed in service to people and not to ideologies, fighting against poverty and inequality (115).

The right to live with dignity cannot be denied to anyone, the Pope again affirms, and since rights have no borders, no one can remain excluded, regardless of where they are born (121).

In this perspective the Pontiff also calls us to consider "an ethics of international relations" (126), because every country also belongs to foreigners and the goods of the territory cannot be denied to those who are in need and come from another place.

Thus, the natural right to private property will be secondary to the principal of the universal destination of created goods (120).

The Encyclical also places specific emphasis on the issue of foreign debt: subject to the principle that it must be paid, it is hoped nonetheless that this does not compromise the growth and subsistence of the poorest countries (126).

Migrants: global governance for long-term planning

Meanwhile, part of the second and the entire fourth chapter are dedicated to the theme of migration, the latter, entitled "A heart open to the whole world".

With their lives "at stake" (37), fleeing from war, persecution, natural catastrophes, unscrupulous trafficking, ripped from their communities of origin, migrants are to be welcomed, protected, supported and integrated.

Unnecessary migration needs to be avoided, the Pontiff affirms, by creating concrete opportunities to live with dignity in the countries of origin. But at the same time, we need to respect the right to seek a better life elsewhere.

In receiving countries, the right balance will be between the protection of citizens' rights and the guarantee of welcome and assistance for migrants (38-40).

Specifically, the Pope points to several "indispensable steps, especially in response to those who are fleeing grave humanitarian crises": to increase and simplify the granting of visas; to open humanitarian corridors; to assure lodging, security and essential services; to offer opportunities for employment and training; to favour family reunification; to protect minors; to guarantee religious freedom and promote social inclusion.

The Pope also calls for establishing in society the concept of "full citizenship", and to reject the discriminatory use of the term "minorities" (129-131).

What is needed above all - the document reads - is global governance, an international collaboration for migration which implements long-term planning, going beyond single emergencies (132), on behalf of the supportive development of all peoples based on the principle of gratuitousness.

In this way, countries will be able to think as "human family" (139-141).

Others who are different from us are a gift and an enrichment for all, Francis writes, because differences represent an opportunity for growth (133-135).

A healthy culture is a welcoming culture that is able to open up to others, without renouncing itself, offering them something authentic. As in a polyhedron - an image dear to the Pontiff - the whole is more than its single parts, but the value of each one of them is respected (145-146).

Politics: valuable form of charity

The theme of the fifth chapter is "A better kind of politics", which represents one of the most valuable forms of charity because it is placed at the service of the common good (180) and recognizes the importance of people, understood as an open category, available for discussion and dialogue (160).

In a certain sense, this is the populism indicated by Francis, which counters that "populism" which ignores the legitimacy of the notion of "people", by attracting consensuses in order to exploit them for its own service and fomenting selfishness in order to increase its own popularity (159).

But a better politics is also one that protects work, an "essential dimension of social life", and seeks to ensure everyone the opportunity to develop their own abilities (162).

The best help to a poor person, the Pontiff explains, is not just money, which is a provisional remedy, but rather allowing him or her to have a dignified life through work.

The true anti-poverty strategy does not simply aim to contain or render indigents inoffensive, but to promote them in the perspective of solidarity and subsidiarity (187).

The task of politics, moreover, is to find a solution to all that attacks fundamental human rights, such as social exclusion; the marketing of organs, tissues, weapons and drugs; sexual exploitation; slave labour; terrorism and organized crime.

The Pope makes an emphatic appeal to definitively eliminate human trafficking, a "source of shame for humanity", and hunger, which is "criminal" because food is "an inalienable right" (188-189).

The marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem. It requires a reform of the UN

The politics we need, Francis also underscores, is one that says 'no' to corruption, to inefficiency, to the malign use of power, to the lack of respect for laws (177).

It is a politics centred on human dignity and not subjected to finance because "the marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem": the "havoc" wreaked by financial speculation has demonstrated this (168).

Hence, popular movements have taken on particular relevance: as true "social poets" with that "torrent of moral energy", they must be engaged in social, political and economic participation, subject, however, to greater coordination.

In this way - the Pope states - it will be possible to go beyond a Policy "with" and "of" the poor (169).

Another hope present in the Encyclical regards the reform of the UN: in the face of the predominance of the economic dimension which nullifies the power of the individual state, in fact, the task of the United Nations will be to give substance to the concept of a "family of nations" working for the common good, the eradication of indigence and the protection of human rights.

Tireless recourse "to negotiation, mediation and arbitration" - the Papal Document states - the UN must promote the force of law rather than the law of force, by favouring multilateral accords that better protect even the weakest states (173-175).

The miracle of kindness

From the sixth chapter, "Dialogue and friendship in society", further emerges the concept of life as the "art of encounter" with everyone, even with the world's peripheries and with original peoples, because "each of us can learn something from others.

No one is useless and no one is expendable" (215).

True dialogue, indeed, is what allows one to respect the point of view of others, their legitimate interests and, above all, the truth of human dignity.

Relativism is not a solution - we read in the Encyclical - because without universal principals and moral norms that prohibit intrinsic evil, laws become merely arbitrary impositions (206).

From this perspective, a particular role falls to the media which, without exploiting human weaknesses or drawing out the worst in us, must be directed toward generous encounter and to closeness with the least, promoting proximity and the sense of human family (205).

Then, of particular note, is the Pope's reference to the miracle of "kindness", an attitude to be recovered because it is a star "shining in the midst of darkness" and "frees us from the cruelty … the anxiety … the frantic flurry of activity" that prevail in the contemporary era.

A kind person, writes Francis, creates a healthy coexistence and opens paths in places where exasperation burns bridges (222-224).

The art of peace and the importance of forgiveness

The value and promotion of peace is reflected on in the seventh chapter, "Paths of renewed encounter", in which the Pope underlines that peace is connected to truth, justice and mercy.

Far from the desire for vengeance, it is "proactive" and aims at forming a society based on service to others and on the pursuit of reconciliation and mutual development (227-229).

In a society, everyone must feel "at home", the Pope writes.

Thus, peace is an "art" that involves and regards everyone and in which each one must do his or her part. Peace-building is "an open-ended endeavour, a never-ending task", the Pope continues, and thus it is important to place the human person, his or her dignity and the common good at the centre of all activity (230-232).

Forgiveness is linked to peace: we must love everyone, without exception - the Encyclical reads - but loving an oppressor means helping him to change and not allowing him to continue oppressing his neighbour.

On the contrary: one who suffers an injustice must vigorously defend his rights in order to safeguard his dignity, a gift of God (241-242).

Forgiveness does not mean impunity, but rather, justice and remembrance, because to forgive does not mean to forget, but to renounce the destructive power of evil and the desire for revenge.

Never forget "horrors" like the Shoah, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, persecutions and ethnic massacres - exhorts the Pope.

They must be remembered always, anew, so as not be become anaesthetized and to keep the flame of collective conscience alive. It is just as important to remember the good, and those who have chosen forgiveness and fraternity (246-252).

Never again war, a failure of humanity

Part of the seventh chapter, then, focuses on war: it is not "a ghost from the past" - Francis emphasizes - "but a constant threat", and it represents "the negation of all rights", "a failure of politics and of humanity", and "a stinging defeat before the forces of evil" which lies in their "abyss".

Moreover, due to nuclear chemical and biological weapons that strike many innocent civilians, today we can no longer think, as in the past, of the possibility of a "just war", but we must vehemently reaffirm: "Never again war!"

And considering that we are experiencing a "world war fought piecemeal", because all conflicts are interconnected, the total elimination of nuclear arms is "a moral and humanitarian imperative".

With the money invested in weapons, the Pope suggests instead the establishment of a global fund for the elimination of hunger (255-262).

The death penalty inadmissible, to be abolished

Francis expresses just as clear a position with regard to the death penalty: it is inadmissible and must be abolished worldwide, because "not even a murderer loses his personal dignity" - the Pope writes - "and God himself pledges to guarantee this".

From here, two exhortations: do not view punishment as vindictive, but rather as part of a process of healing and of social reintegration, and to improve prison conditions, with respect for the human dignity of the inmates, also considering that "a life sentence is a secret death penalty" (263-269).

There is emphasis on the necessity to respect "the sacredness of life" (283) where today "some parts of our human family, it appears, can be readily sacrificed", such as the unborn, the poor, the disabled and the elderly (18).

Guarantee religious freedom

In the eighth and final chapter, the Pontiff focuses on "Religions at the service of fraternity in our world" and again emphasizes that violence has no basis in religious convictions, but rather in their deformities.

Thus, "deplorable" acts, such as acts of terrorism, are not due to religion but to erroneous interpretations of religious texts, as well as "policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression".

Terrorism must not be supported with either money or weapons, much less with media coverage, because it is an international crime against security and world peace, and as such must be condemned (282-283).

At the same time the Pope underscores that a journey of peace among religions is possible and that it is, therefore, necessary to guarantee religious freedom, a fundamental human right for all believers (279).

The Encyclical reflects, in particular, on the role of the Church: she does not "restrict her mission to the private sphere", it states.

She does not remain at the margins of society and, while not engaging in politics, however, she does not renounce the political dimension of life itself.

Attention to the common good and concern for integral human development, in fact, concern humanity, and all that is human concerns the Church, according to evangelical principals (276-278).

Lastly, reminding religious leaders of their role as "authentic mediators" who expend themselves in order to build peace, Francis quotes the "Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together", which he signed on 4 February 2019 in Abu Dhabi, along with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyib: from that milestone of interreligious dialogue, the Pontiff returns to the appeal that, in the name of human fraternity, dialogue be adopted as the way, common cooperation as conduct, and mutual knowledge as method and standard (285).

Blessed Charles de Foucauld, "the universal brother"

The Encyclical concludes by remembering Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu, Mahatma Gandhi and above all Blessed Charles de Foucauld, a model for everyone of what it means to identify with the least in order to become "the universal brother" (286-287).

The last lines of the Document are given to two prayers: one "to the Creator" and the other an "Ecumenical Christian Prayer", so that the heart of mankind may harbour "a spirit of fraternity".

Fratelli Tutti - Encyclical of the Holy Father, Francis, on the fraternity and social friendship

The encyclical calls for a new kind of politics and emphasises social friendship as a way to build a more just and peaceful world.

It encourages the contribution of all people and institutions and seeks to build a global movement of fraternity.

In many cases the encyclical is a condensation of the issues Francis has tacked during his pontificate.

The document covers a range of topics, for example, from digital culture, migrants, economics, war and nuclear weapons, the death penalty, religious freedom, peace, forgiveness, the markeplace, Christian charity, love, trafficking, racism, unemployment, excessive profits, culture walls and the role of christians in politics.

Among many of the topics Francis traverses, he observes that currently humanity seems to be the midst of a worrying regression and is intensely polarized.

He says people are talking and debating without listening, and global society seems to have devolved into a "permanent state of disagreement and confrontation."

In some countries, leaders are using a "strategy of ridicule" and relentless criticism, spreading despair as a way to "dominate and gain control," Francis observes.

Although beginning to write the encyclical before the outbreak of COVID-19, Francis argues the world's response to the crisis shows the depth of humanity's mistrust and fractures.

In this light, Francis says that Christians have a key role in political life and despite all the difficulties should not bow out of political engagement.

Christians, he said, must act at a local level to build relationships of trust and assistance and support politicians and political platforms that promote the common good.

"Whereas individuals can help others in need when they join together in initiating social processes of fraternity and justice for all, they enter the ‘field of charity at its most vast, namely political charity,'" he said.

Getting practical, Pope Francis explained that "if someone helps an elderly person cross a river, that is a fine act of charity. The politician, on the other hand, builds a bridge, and that too is an act of charity" but on a larger scale.

Focussing on one of society's most visible items of mistrust, Francis dwells on the fractious issue of immigration, saying that unnecessary migration needs to be avoided by creating concrete opportunities to live with dignity in the countries of origin. But at the same time, humanity needs to respect the right to seek a better life elsewhere.

Focussing on receiving countries, Francis says there needs to be a right balance between the protection of citizens' rights and the guarantee of welcome and assistance for migrants.

Saving harsh words for politicians who have "fomented and exploited" fear over immigration, Francis observes a healthy culture is a welcoming culture, one that does not have to renounce itself.

The pope observes that despite all our hyper-connectivity, we are witnesses to a global fragmentation making it difficult to resolve problems that affect us all.

The encyclical also offers some developments to Catholic social teaching, including on war where he writes that due to nuclear chemical and biological weapons that strike many innocent civilians, today we can no longer think, as in the past, of the possibility of a "just war", but we must vehemently reaffirm: "Never again war!"

The pope also expands another area of Catholic social teaching; the death penalty.

Francis says that not even a murderer loses their personal dignity and the death penalty must be abolished worldwide.

Sources

• Washington Post
• Catholic News Service
• Image: Our Father's House Soup Kitchen

In its report on the Children and Community Services Amendment Bill 2019, the Council's legislation committee says:

"Ministers of religion be excused from criminal responsibility [of mandatory reporting] only when the grounds of their belief is based solely on information disclosed during religious confession."

The amendment bill currently says priests must break the confessional seal to report known or suspected child sex abuse.

The committee says whether preserving the confessional seal is appropriate needs further consultation.

It suggests the Council "consult with ministers of religion on non-statutory provisions that would facilitate the effective use of information received during religious confession."

The bill aims to implement some of the recommendations the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse made in 2017.

Of the over 600 public submissions about the bill, 90 percent were opposed to breaking the confessional seal. Many were from Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Numerous priests noted the law would be unenforceable, as confessions are usually anonymous.

Archbishop Timothy of Costelloe and Fr. Abram Abdelmalek, an Oriental Orthodox priest, told the committee "they support the introduction of mandatory reporting for ministers of religion, with the exception of the confession."

"The proposed law would render priests who remain faithful to the obligations that they assumed at the time of their ordination… liable to prosecution and conviction as criminals for being faithful to their commitments.

"To make the free practice of an essential part of the Catholic faith illegal seems to me to be something that modern secular societies have always understood to be beyond the limits of their authority."

If a priest heard a confession of child sex abuse they would be responsible to do their best to convince the perpetrator to stop it, Costelloe says.

This may involve persuading the perpetrator to give themselves in to the authorities - and accompanying them to help them do so.

"It is very clear that the priest has a fundamental responsibility to do everything he can without breaking the seal of the confession..."

Asked if Catholic priests would comply with a law requiring the violation of the sacramental seal, Costelloe told the committee:

"Every priest knows what his obligations are, and he knows what the penalties are of not being faithful to those obligations, and he also knows the basis of those obligations, and the basis of the obligations are divine law."

He won't be asking priests to break divine law.

The "well-intentioned" law could make matters worse for victims, Costelloe said.

This is because there is "no chance" a perpetrator could be convinced to do something about it. Nor will victims disclose abuse in the confessional as it wouldn't be confidential.

Several Australian states and territories have adopted laws forcing priests to violate the confessional seal. New South Wales has upheld the seal.

The Vatican has reiterated the seal is inviolable and absolution cannot be conditioned on future actions in the external forum.

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Virtue Online

Compliance includes replacing all religious symbols in their homes with pictures of Chairman Mao and President Xi Jinping.

Christians in several provinces have had visits from government officials and had their religious images replaced.

The policy also applies to members of state-run churches. A member of the Three-Self Church, which is the Chinese Communist Party's official Protestant denomination, says images of Jesus and a religious calendar were taken down from his house and replaced with images of Chairman Mao.

As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, increasing numbers of people are relying on government payments to stay financially afloat. At the same time, the government has overseen a renewed crackdown on places of worship.

A preacher from an illegal-but-tolerated house church says the government is "trying to eliminate our belief and wants to become God instead of Jesus."

In one province which has seen multiple reports of Christian persecution in the last year, a Christian reported that his disability payment was revoked because of his attendance at church.

His wife says he was told they would be "treated as anti-Party elements" if they did not stop going to church.

An elderly member of the Three-Self Church says she lost her government aid after she said "Thank God" upon receiving a subsidy payment.

"They expected me to praise the kindness of the Communist Party instead," she reported.

In April, another elderly woman said her minimum living allowance was canceled when officials discovered a cross on her house's door. The woman, who is a diabetic and needs frequent injections, lost all government aid due to her religious beliefs.

A Christian man told media that in China Mao and Xi Jinping were the "greatest Gods."

"If you want to worship somebody, they are the ones," an official told him.

Since 2015, the Communist government has pushed forward with a program of "sinicization" of religion.

Regular reports of churches being demolished, priests and bishops being harassed and arrested, and strict censorship being imposed on religious teaching continue to emerge from the country.

In some cases Chinese Christians were made to remove displays of the ten commandments from their churches and replace them with sayings of President Xi.

At present between 900,000 and 1.8 million mostly-Muslim Uyghurs are estimated to be in more than 1,300 detention camps set up by Chinese authorities, ostensibly for "re-education" purposes.

Survivors have reported indoctrination, beatings, forced labor, forced abortions and sterilizations and torture in the camps.

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Wall Street Journal

Reports of forced sterilisation and wider persecution of the Muslim group were "reminiscent of something not seen for a long time", he told the BBC.

The UK would work with its allies to take appropriate action, he insisted.

China's UK ambassador said talk of concentration camps was "fake". Read more