It could be a criminal offence to protest abortion within a 150 metre exclusion zone around abortion clinics if an Australian private members’ bill is passed. The New South Wales member’s bill is seeking to make it a criminal offense to: “bother, beset, harass, intimidate, interfere with, impede, obstruct or threaten, by any means, a Read more
Despite sharp criticism for comparing refugee camps to concentration camps, Pope Francis is standing by his point of view. He has made the statement twice during the past fortnight: once on Saturday on during his in-flight press conference when he left Egypt. He was first reported saying on 22 April when he was meeting with Read more
The United States Vice President Mike Pence and a group of Donald Trump’s cabinet meet each week to pray and study the Bible. President Donald Trump is welcome to join them, they say. The gatherings are part of a programme devised by a Christian ministry in the Capitol. Pence has been described as an “Evangelical Read more
Abortion laws may have to change if artificial wombs like the ones being used to sustain premature lambs were made for premature babies. This is the view of Dr. David Prentice, vice president and research director of the Charlotte Lozier Institute. The artificial wombs enable the lambs to survive from a younger age than ever Read more
Pope Francis called on global religious leaders to condemn violence masquerading as sanctity at a peace conference in Egypt on Friday. He asked them to condemn violent extremism and “unmask violence that masquerades as purported sanctity.” Read more
Pakistani Christians have suffered much persecution from the Islamic State. However the Archbishop of Lahore, Sebastian Shaw, says Pakistani Christians are realizing that God gave them a special calling to be his witnesses and work for the human rights and dignity of all in their country. Read more
People who think birth control is harmless may need to think again. A new Swedish study has found women taking oral contraceptives could suffer a range of health issues. Read more
For the fifth year in a row, Time magazine has listed Pope Francis among the world’s most influential people. Time says those on their “top 100” list are selected on the basis of the change they make in the world. They say it is not relevant whether Time agrees with the change or not. Francis Read more
Pope Francis is in a movie about global warming with a stella cast including world leaders including Bill Clinton,Barak Obama and Ban Ki-moon. The film “Before the Flood” was produced by National Geographic. It was released this week. Leonardo Di Caprio, who narrates the movie, says Francis’ leadership on climate change is “inspirational and essential”. Read more
Inter-religious dialogue, aid for migrants and refugees and the protection of minority Christian communities are included in a formal agreement between the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Community of Sant’Egidio. The Community, which is a Catholic charity, has been helping the poor in many countries since the 1970s. The accord with the French ministry Read more