Promoting religious freedom, providing humanitarian assistance and fighting human trafficking are three major issues the Vatican and the U.S. administration agree on and on which they will continue to coordinate efforts, panelists said at a joint symposium.Read More
In conjunction with the U.S. State Department's Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, the Religious Freedom Institute presented a side event July 15 to discuss current international religious freedom policy.Read More
The U.S. scores in five of the eight categories examined were worse than they were in 2007, the first year Pew started researching the subject.Read More
The State Department’s annual report on international religious freedom shows continued attacks and abuse by governments and societies against religious minorities.Read More
Pope Francis ordered the publication of a document affirming the absolute secrecy of everything said in confession and calling on priests to defend it at all costs, even at the cost of their lives.Read More
In a 7-2 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of preserving a historic cross-shaped memorial in Bladensburg, Maryland saying the cross did not endorse religion.Read More
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez said he was "deeply disappointed" by the California Senate's passage of a bill that would force priests to disclose information about child sexual abuse that they hear in the sacrament of confession.Read More
A bill making its way through the California Legislature would make the state the first since 1999 to require priests to choose between violating the law or violating the seal of the confessional.Read More
Catholic leaders in Burkina Faso appealed for unity and solidarity after two attacks on Catholics in two days left nine laypeople and a priest dead.Read More
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit ruled April 22 that the city of Philadelphia can bar Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from placing children in foster care with any family because the Catholic agency upholds traditional marriage.Read More
In an April 4 letter, the leaders urged Trump and the other U.S. leaders to recognize that "individuals of all faiths and none have equal dignity, worth and rights to religious freedom."Read More
The U.S. Supreme Court seemed to lean toward preserving a historic cross-shaped memorial in Maryland Feb. 27 without making overall clarifications about the constitutionality of religious symbols on public property.Read More