religious freedom
The Latest
UPDATE: Feds back off demand that Catholic hospital extinguish chapel candle
Federal government regulators backed off their demands that a Catholic hospital extinguish its chapel candle. Read more
HHS orders Catholic hospital to snuff out chapel candle or lose its accreditation
A Catholic hospital system in Oklahoma is contesting federal officials’ demand that it must extinguish an enclosed tabernacle candle in... Read more
Catholic bishops praise Senate’s blocking of ERA, cite abortion, religious freedom concerns
Catholic bishops praised senators who stood their ground Thursday to prevent efforts to enshrine the Equal Rights Amendment in the... Read more
Oklahoma bill expanding religious freedom to government contracts heads to governor’s desk
Legislation that would expand religious freedom protections passed both chambers of the Oklahoma Legislature and now heads to the governor’s... Read more
Abandoned at the border: Priest tells how he was expelled from Nicaragua during Holy Week
Father Donaciano Alarcón described how the authorities leveled unfounded accusations against him, took him to the border with Honduras, and... Read more
Journalist in Nicaragua arrested for reporting on Holy Week
Organizations defending freedom of the press in Nicaragua are demanding the release of Víctor Ticay, a Nicaraguan journalist who was... Read more
National Archives signs agreement to ensure free speech at museum after alleged pro-life discrimination
The agreement comes in response to a lawsuit filed after several people were asked by National Archives Museum staff to... Read more
Charges dropped, for now, against woman arrested for praying silently outside UK abortion clinic
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce says the charges still could be revived, leaving her in an ambitious legal situation. Read more
Smithsonian staff kick out Catholic students for wearing pro-life hats
Twelve students from Our Lady of the Rosary School in Greenville, South Carolina, visited the Air and Space Museum after... Read more
Alabama governor adds another layer of protection to religious freedom
“As governor, I will always protect the rights of Alabamians and ensure they are free to exercise their beliefs as... Read more
Maryland Catholic hospital discriminated by denying transgender surgery, federal judge rules
A federal judge has ruled against a Catholic-founded hospital in Maryland, contending that it discriminated in refusing to perform a... Read more
Priest decries lack of religious freedom in Cuba
Father Alberto Reyes, a priest of the Archdiocese of Camagüey, Cuba, charged in a Dec. 14 Facebook post that there... Read more
European Court of Human Rights condemns Bulgaria for discriminating against Christians
The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday condemned the government of Bulgaria for violating the right to religious freedom... Read more
Biden’s transgender mandate suffers second big loss in appellate court
The Biden administration may not force Catholic organizations and medical professionals to perform gender-transition surgeries or provide insurance coverage for... Read more
Americans overwhelmingly support right to practice religion, new survey says
Becket’s “2022 Religious Freedom Index,” released Dec. 7, showed a substantial increase in support for “religious pluralism.” Read more
Supreme Court hears free speech case of artist who objects to same-sex weddings
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Lorie Smith’s case — 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis — for nearly two... Read more
Contest seeks to fill Mexico with Nativity scenes in response to attempt to ban them
The contest proposes that Mexicans “place Nativity scenes on public property and send photographs to our social media.” Read more
Arkansas’ narrow defeat of religious freedom proposal has a backstory
As of Friday, 50.43% of voters rejected Issue 3, the Arkansas Religious Freedom Amendment. Read more
‘Hands off my statue’: How this French group hopes to save St. Michael the Archangel
The recent decision of a French Court of Appeal to confirm the removal of a statue of St. Michael the... Read more
UK doctor investigated for praying with patients calls on Christians to ‘stand up and fight’
A Christian doctor has appealed to Christians in professional life to “stand up and fight” after he faced investigation for... Read more
