France unveils draft law to fight Islamist radicalism
Paris, FranceAP The French Government unveiled a draft law Wednesday aimed at better arming France against Islamist radicalism, a project promoted by President Emmanuel Macron to root out what he calls “separatists” undermining the nation. France has suffered numerous Islamist terrorist attacks, including the gruesome beheading of a teacher in October who had showed his […]
Postcards: US church pageants go virtual amid a COVID-19 Christmas
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service, reports on how, with kids and the internet involved, virtual pageants, are just as delightfully unpredictable as more traditional performances at churches…
US State Department adds Nigeria to list of most serious religious freedom violators
RNS The US State Department has added Nigeria to its list of countries deemed to have the most egregious violations of religious freedom. Sam Brownback, the department’s ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, told reporters in a Tuesday telephone briefing that the African country was designated as a “country of particular concern” because of an increasing number of […]
Rio Tinto should pay restitution for sacred Aboriginal caves blast – inquiry
Melbourne, AustraliaReuters Mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd should pay restitution to Indigenous Australians affected by its destruction of two ancient rock shelters to expand an iron ore mine, an inquiry panel said on Wednesday. The panel released an interim report in which it also recommended Rio Tinto should fully reconstruct the rock shelters in Western […]
Poor countries seen missing out as rich nations hoard COVID-19 vaccines
Thomson Reuters Foundation Nine out of 10 people in dozens of poor nations could miss out on getting vaccinated against COVID-19 next year because rich countries have hoarded far more doses than they need, campaigners said on Wednesday. Rich nations, home to 14 per cent of the global population, had bought 53 per cent of […]
Australian Catholic Archbishop says proposed Victorian law targeting gay conversion practices “a dramatic over-reach”
The Catholic Archbishop of the Australian city of Melbourne has said a controversial proposed new law aimed at protecting vulnerable people from gay conversion practices looks like a “dramatic over-reach” by the State Government into people’s personal lives. Archbishop Peter Comensoli said in a statement on Wednesday that while a bill which protected people from […]
Cardinal Pell says church needs rules on status of ex popes
Rome, ItalyReuters Cardinal George Pell, a leading Roman Catholic conservative, said the Vatican needs clear rules to govern the status of future popes who resign rather than rule for life and that such a move would help church unity. Pell is one of the highest-ranking church figures to speak publicly on the need for rules […]
StrangeSights: A fishy Christmas tree; William Shakespeare’s injection; and, more monoliths…
DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
Airbnb non-profit to focus on finding housing for disaster, pandemic workers
Washington DC, USThomson Reuters Foundation Home-sharing giant Airbnb will enlist its global network of millions of participants to help house aid workers and health care staff working to fight COVID-19, it said on Monday, aiming to fill a gap in shelter options amid the pandemic. Its planned program will find housing for workers who before […]
Polish priest apologises for defence of disgraced priest
Warsaw, PolandAP A popular Polish priest apologised Tuesday for a sermon in which he defended a bishop accused of covering up for paedophile priests. His sermon, delivered to a congregation including the justice minister and other top politicians, was later condemned by government officials. Father Tadeusz Rydzyk insisted that he had not intended to hurt […]