A legislation to limit deceptive donation solicitations by religious and other groups was passed by the Japanese parliament on Saturday. What’s the reason for the legislation? It is an effort by the authorities aimed at curbing the excesses of religious groups. The person who fatally shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a public campaign…
Prosecutors in Marseille, France, have told Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, a high-ranking Catholic prelate, that confession of wrongdoing is not enough. What wrongdoing? Announcing withdrawal from his religious duties on Monday, Ricard had confessed to abusing a 14-year-old girl 35 years ago. The letter was read on Monday, during a conference of French bishops. “Thirty-five years…
Having been unable to proceed with his planned trip to Congo, Pope Francis received members of the Congolese community in Rome in a mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. What was the purpose of the trip? The 85-year-old religious leader was scheduled to visit Congo and South Sudan between July 2 & 7 as part of…
China has continued its clamp down on the opposition in Hong Kong, with the arrest of Cardinal Joseph Zen, a 90-year-old retired catholic cleric. What was he arrested for?The retired Catholic cleric was arrested by Hong Kong police on national security charges. He’s reported to have been a critic of China’s control of religion, as…
The Story Nigerian atheist Bala Muhammad has been sentenced to 24 years after pleading guilty to charges of blasphemy. Which laws did he violate? The 37-year-old Muhammad was accused of making Facebook posts that criticized Islam and its prophet Muhammed, which the court said were capable of breaching public peace in Nigeria’s Muslim-dominated north where…
