WorldWide Religious News

"Elderly, kids urged to skip hajj over swine flu"

By Donna Abu-Nasr (AP, June 30, 2009)

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with chronic diseases should stay away from the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to prevent catching swine flu, health experts recommended Tuesday.

"Family forgives son's al-Qaida linked killers"

By Ahmed Mohamed (AP, June 29, 2009)

Nouakchott, Mauritania - The family of an American man who was slain by extremists linked to al-Qaida while doing humanitarian work in Mauritania said Monday it has forgiven his killers.

"37 U.S. Senators Urge Vietnam to Free Imprisoned Priest"

(Reuters, July 1, 2009)

Washington, USA - A group of United States senators urged Vietnam’s president on Wednesday to free a Roman Catholic priest as human rights groups said that his imprisonment justified putting Vietnam on a religious freedom blacklist.

"Zambia: We Killed 300 People, Ex-Satanist Teens Testify"

("Times of Zambia", July 2, 2009)

Ndola, Zambia - TWO teenagers on Tuesday told the Chifubu Local Court in Ndola that they killed over 300 people after they were allegedly initiated into satanism by Kamba Ward PF councillor, Oscar Himanga, eight years ago.

"Monks Call for Temple Redesignation"

By Han Sang-hee ("The Korea Times", July 2, 2009)

Seoul, South Korea - The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the biggest sect in Korea, held a rally Thursday to demand that temple grounds stop being designated as natural parks.

"Police proceed with `defiant' sect dossiers despite protest"

By Yemris Fointuna ("The Jakarta Post", July 2, 2009)

Kupang, Malaysia - Police here have handed over to the municipal prosecutors' office the dossiers of the alleged sect leaders despite a strong protest from the local church synod, saying it did not have the right to do so.

"For Indian Church homosexuality is not a crime but cannot become a 'social norm'"

By Nirmala Carvalho ("AsiaNews", July 2, 2009)

Mumbai, India – The Indian “Church agrees that it is a right and appropriate to remove the stigma of ‘criminality’ associated with homosexuality. At the same time, it cannot agree that it is a socially normal form of behaviour,” said Fr Babu Joseph, spokesman for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), in an interview with AsiaNews. He was responding to a decision by the Delhi's High Court which declared a statute in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code unconstitutional, thus paving the way for the decriminalisation of homosexuality between consenting adults. For their part Hindu and Muslim religious leaders reacted negatively to the court’s decision, saying it is a betrayal of Indian culture.

"Hundreds of Muslims attack about a hundred Christian homes in Punjab"

by Qaiser Felix ("AsiaNews", July 2, 2009)

Kasur, India – A mob of some 600 people attacked about a hundred Christian homes in Bahmani, a village in Kasur district in Punjab. The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) of the Catholic Church in Pakistan reported the incident, saying that the violence caused major damages to a number of homes. The attackers also stole valuables (gold jewellery and cash).

"ARMENIA: Will critical review halt restrictive Religion Law?"

By Felix Corley ("Forum 18 News Service", July 2, 2009)

Yerevan, Armenia - The Council of Europe and OSCE have given a highly critical review of proposed amendments which have already been approved by Parliament in their first reading. The amended Religion Law would ban the sharing of faith, require 500 adult citizen members before a religious community could gain legal status, ban non-Trinitarian Christian communities from gaining legal status, give broad reasons for banning religious communities, and recognise the "exclusive mission" of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The new Criminal Code Article 162 would punish the sharing of beliefs. "The authorities have to take the points of this review into account, though I don't know if they will," Russian Orthodox priest Fr David Abrahamyan told Forum 18 News Service. "If they adhered to European standards they wouldn't have adopted these amendments in the first reading." The government's senior religious affairs official, Vardan Astsatryan, told Forum 18 he had "no knowledge" of the results of the review. But the Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18 Astsatryan had told them in mid-June that the proposed amendments have been suspended but not abandoned.

"Two shot at Ethiopia church site"

(BBC, July 1, 2009)

Dessie, Ethiopia - Ethiopian police have shot and killed two people who were helping to build a Christian church at a site which is also claimed by Muslims, officials say.

"Dentist 'had Islamic dress code'"

(BBC, July 1, 2009)

Prestwich, UK - A dentist told Muslim patients he would only treat them if they wore Islamic dress, a disciplinary panel has ruled.

"Doctors reject faith right call"

(BBC, July 1, 2009)

Liverpool, UK - Doctors have voted down a proposal calling for them to be given a right to pray for patients without facing disciplinary action.

"Faith-Based Coalition Wins In Energy Bill"

By Jacqueline L. Salmon ("Washington Post", June 30, 2009)

Washington, USA - After a spirited (pun intended) lobbying effort, a group of faith-based organizations has persuaded House movers and shakers to include religious organizations in the energy bill that passed on Friday.